Master's Dissertation support

LSE LIFE's Master's Dissertation talks and workshops guide students through the process of identifying a research topic, writing a research proposal, developing research question, and planning, conducting, and writing up their postgraduate research project. Events begin in Michaelmas Term, take place throughout Lent and Summer terms, and continue after the end of the academic year through July, August, and September. Booking is required for these events. Attendance is optional and free of charge.

In previous years, the series has included

How to get started on your dissertation

Write your research proposal

What is a literature review?

How to prepare to collect and analyse data

Develop your research question

Plan your dissertation research

Define, refine, and practice your dissertation literature search

Find and use social science data for your dissertation research

Develop and practise your search strategy for your literature review

Ethical issues in using social media data for your research

Create a storyboard to visualise your whole project

Write your data management plan

Address procrastination while doing your dissertation

Practical tips for qualitative research

Practical tips for quantitative research

Plan and conduct responsible, ethical research

Practical tips for working with research participants

Practical tips for planning and conducting interviews

Practical tips for transcribing qualitative data

Practical tips for doing thematic analysis

Practical tips for doing discourse analysis

How to write a master's dissertation

Structure your dissertation

Make a start writing your literature review

Perfectionism – done is better than perfect!

Plan your summertime research and writing

Write a draft abstract

Write a great introduction to your dissertation

Reach a wider audience with your dissertation

Practical tips for anonymising your data and protecting your participants’ identity

Dissertation writing retreats

Proofread your draft dissertation

n.b. The "practical tips" workshops are not methods courses. Research methods courses are taught by the Methodology Department.

Resources and activities related to most of these sessions are available on the LSE LIFE Moodle page for access at any time. LSE LIFE Study Advisers are available for discussions related to most of the topics covered above, including many aspects of planning a research project, conducting independent research, and writing a dissertation. These one-to-one sessions are also available for booking throughout the academic year and over the summer.

See also:

LSE LIFE website for more information about these sessions and to book a place.

Online materials and resources (LSE user name and password required)