- How we can help
- Planning your search
- Information sources
- Searching effectively
- Using databases
- Evaluating information
- Referencing and plagiarism
Dissertations and Honours projects
Here are the answers to common questions about dissertations and Honours projects.
If your question isn't answered here, check the other pages within this guide - there's lots of useful information on identifying sources, planning your search and managing the information you find.
If you have any more questions, contact us using the 'How we can help' page of this guide.
Can I view previous dissertations/honours projects?
The Library holds a small selection of digitised dissertations which are available to view online (you may need to log in to GCULearn). Previous examples may also be available by contacting your department directly.
For help around format, structure and layout we recommend contacting the Learning Development Centre (LDC) within your School. They can also help with skills related to academic writing and critical analysis/thinking.
- Learning Development Centres Information to help you contact the Learning Development Centre (LDC) for your course/programme.
Where can I find books on the research process?
Books on undertaking and writing a dissertation/honours project are located on Level 2. You can find books on undertaking a literature review on Level 4.
The Academic Librarians have created a Dissertation and Honours Project resource list.
- Library Dissertation Resource List A selection of library resources to support your dissertation process.
What are research question frameworks?
If you are trying to define a research question for a dissertation or research project, using a framework can be a useful approach.
Research question frameworks can be used to help frame a question and plan for empirical research or structured literature review. They are widely used in the field of health to investigate practice-based questions but they are also useful in other fields of research such as social sciences.
You do not have to use a research question framework - it is just an option available to you. Visit our guide below for examples of research question frameworks.
- Research question frameworks
How do I develop a search strategy?
Subject databases allow you to carry out a strategic search for journal articles. You can search using a combination of search terms, filter and narrow results (by date or subject area for example) and save your searches. There is some overlap between the databases but every database also has unique content.
Visit the 'Using databases' section of this guide to find relevant databases for your topic.
Fulltext access to journal articles
Not all databases will host the full text of the article you need. Here are some tips to help you locate the the fulltext article
- Search Discover using the article title.
- To check if we hold a specific journal and if available online or in print, s earch Discover using the journal title .
- You can also try a search using Google Scholar for an open access journal article. Search by the article title.
Watch our short video for more help.
Finding and accessing full text
This video demonstrates how to find and access the full text of journal articles.
Inter-library loan
You can request a journal article or a book not available in our Library stock via our Inter-library loan (ILL) service. View our Inter-library loan webpages using the link below for more details on how to submit a request and contact details for ILL team.
Journal articles, conference papers and book chapters are supplied electronically where possible but some processing time is required for ILL requests so w e recommend factoring this in to your time management for your assignment/dissertation or honours project.
Help and support on the ILL process including frequently asked questions are also available on our ILL webpages.
- Inter-library loan Request an item for your research, teaching or coursework not available in Library stock.
Saving searches and managing references
It is essential to document your search process. You should keep a record of where you've searched and what terms you have used.
You might also want to save results, especially articles or items which you intend to include in your literature review and to aid your referencing.
Databases provide the option to create a personal account. These require you to either sign in, create or register an account. These details may differ from your usual GCU username and password and will be unique to you.
Personal accounts provide access to more functionality: ability to create alerts, save searches and save individual or batches of results.
Results can also be exported from a database to reference management software such as RefWorks. These tools help you to create reference lists or manage duplicate results.
Find out more about using RefWorks, including our help video to get started.
- RefWorks page Help with RefWorks and log in
Archives and Special Collections
Different sources will be relevant to help you research your chosen topic or area of interest. Archival material may be useful for certain topics.
GCU's Archive Centre may have material relevant to your topic - contact the Archive Centre team for advice.
There are other archives and special collections which you can visit, including:
- Mitchell Library
- National Library of Scotland
Some archival material is also freely available online.
If you need advice identifying collections outside of GCU, contact us using the 'How we can help' page of this guide.
Need more help or have a question? Drop in to our dissertation clinics to get help with literature searching and reference management for your dissertation, honours project or proposal.
Find out more details or view other workshops available. There are options to attend on campus or online.
- Workshops The Academic Librarians hold regular workshops open to all GCU students at all levels of study.
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School of Health and Life Sciences
The School of Health and Life Sciences is committed to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research and knowledge transfer across the disciplines of health, nursing and social care, biological and biomedical sciences, psychology and vision sciences.
Ethical application forms and useful links
Example forms.
Ethics Consent Form 2020
Participant Information Sheet 2020
Recruitment Email template 2020
GCU Research and Project Risk Assessment 2020 (for information only)
Step by step guide V5 2021
Protocol for Ethics Applications
EC1 Exemplar
EC1 Guidance
EC3 Exemplar
EC3 Guidance
School ethics forms
EC1 form 2020
EC3 form 2020
Further reading
- HRA approved transparency wording for clinical research
- UK Policy Framework for Health and Social Care Research
- Disclosure Scotland
- Scottish Council for Research in Education ethics guidelines
- Association of Internet Researcher - Ethical Decision Making and Internet Research
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To learn more about GCU's dissertation process and time to completion, visit our doctoral programs page. Doctoral Community (DC) Network™ The DC Network is a unique virtual scholarly network that keeps learners well connected throughout their program and after graduation. Interactive communication, instant notification of new content and ...
A dissertation is an extended piece of work (around 10-12,000 words) on a subject related to your degree course. You will normally choose the subject yourself which may develop from a research proposal you have completed earlier. The dissertation is typically based on original research and demonstrates your expertise on the subject area.
The GCU Doctoral Dissertations features dissertations completed by GCU doctoral graduates.
Can I view previous dissertations/honours projects? The Library holds a small selection of digitised dissertations which are available to view online (you may need to log in to GCULearn). Previous examples may also be available by contacting your department directly.
A dissertation is the culmination of your doctoral studies. Explore here what the experience might be like for you and get a thorough dissertation definition. Posted on August 02, 2023. ... 1-855-GCU-LOPE. Live Chat. Request Info Apply Now Open in New Window. 1-855-GCU-LOPE
Digitised dissertations. This information is intended for GCU teaching staff. If you are a student looking for information about accessing digitised dissertations, you can find this in our Dissertation and honours project guide. The Library provides a service to host digitised dissertations online and on GCULearn.
EThOS is the UK's national thesis service and is the authoritative source for GCU doctoral theses. EThOS is an open access resource but you must create an account in order to download a full text thesis.. Theses which are available for immediate download display a PDF icon or an open access icon (or both):. A PDF icon indicates that the thesis has been digitised already and is available ...
The College of Doctoral Studies at GCU offers a variety of qualitative programs to support your research goals. To learn more about GCU's doctoral programs, click on Request More Info at the top of this page. Retrieved from: 1 QuestionPro, Qualitative Data - Definitions, Types, Analysis and Examples in May 2021
Your Dissertation Plan: Establishing Your Schedule. A complete dissertation, excluding coursework, can vary depending on your school and program, whether you're a full-time or part-time student and whether the dissertation process is built into the coursework from the beginning. (At many schools, you'll complete the coursework first, and ...
Planning Your Research Dissertation. January 16, 2020 in [ Doctoral Journey ] Your doctoral dissertation is a major part of your doctoral program. It is important to develop a clear sense of direction early in the project. Focused planning and preparation will help the research for your dissertation happen as smoothly as possible.
GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY Online Undergraduate Students' Experiences of Teacher Presence: A Qualitative Descriptive Study I verify that my dissertation represents original research, is not ...
Welcome. If you are starting your dissertation or honours project this guide is for you. It aims to provide help or answers to common library related queries and will help you to plan, find and use key resources. Subject related help including guidance on search skills and key databases is available within your subject guide. Subject guides.
DISSERTATION What is a dissertation SAMPLE Table of content MAY 2017.docx. ... edShare@GCU is powered by EdShare2 running on EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton. More information and software credits ...
The Library holds a small selection of digitised dissertations which are available to view online (you may need to log in to GCULearn). Previous examples may also be available by contacting your department directly. For help around format, structure and layout we recommend contacting the Learning Development Centre (LDC) within your School.
The GCU Library provides expert research and reference assistance to the scholarly community. In addition to interlibrary loan, journal selection guidance, citation management strategies and assistance with literature search strategies, the library provides support through several programs specifically developed for researchers.
The College of Doctoral Studies has achieved another milestone: the signing of its 2,000th dissertation. Ten years ago, Grand Canyon University 's College of Doctoral Studies celebrated its first signed dissertation. The recipient of that signature, Senior Doctoral Adjunct Faculty Supervisor Dr. Nicholas Markette, remembers it like it was ...
GCU reaches 1,000 signed doctoral dissertations. More than 100 learners graduated from the College of Doctoral Studies at Friday morning's Fall Commencement ceremony. It seems like just yesterday that Dr. Michael Berger, Dean of the College of Doctoral Studies (CDS), was signing the college's landmark 500th dissertation at Grand Canyon University.
The dissertation defense is a defining moment of any doctorally prepared individual's professional life. At Grand Canyon University, learners in our doctoral degree programs will face two defenses: one for the proposal and one for the dissertation. The fear of facing a defense is primarily not knowing what to expect.
The GCU Institutional Review Board (IRB) provides timely and efficient processing, review, monitoring, tracking, and reporting of all research protocols conducted under the purview of Grand Canyon University. All researchers, including doctoral learners completing dissertations, and faculty, staff, and student researchers are required to obtain ...
100% (2) View full document. examples of the dissertation that have been published in Proquest "To review dissertation examples, please go to the GCU Library and click on the ProQuest database. ProQuest is where all GCU dissertations are published, and you can then search for dissertations". References Walker, N. (2016).
Over the last 80 years, ProQuest has built the world's most comprehensive and renowned dissertations program. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global (PQDT Global), continues to grow its repository of 5 million graduate works each year, thanks to the continued contribution from the world's universities, creating an ever-growing resource of emerging research to fuel innovation and new insights.
Dissertation example 1 and 2 Loading previews... Intro example 1.pdf. PDF Download (26kB) Intro example 1.pdf. Intro example 2.pdf. 2 files in this resource ... edShare@GCU is powered by EdShare2 running on EPrints 3 which is developed by the School of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton.
Example forms. Ethics Consent Form 2020. Participant Information Sheet 2020. Recruitment Email template 2020. GCU Research and Project Risk Assessment 2020 (for information only) Step by step guide V5 2021. Protocol for Ethics Applications. EC1 Exemplar. EC1 Guidance.