Social Work & Social Policy
Dissertation Handbook
2015-16
1
Preamble
Course Coordinator
The Research Project
Research Proposal
Field work or Research Activity
Ethics Approval
Research Report
Supervision and Support
Supervision
Responsibilities of Supervisors:
Responsibilities of Students:
Peer Support
Library Support and Internet Access
The MSW with Dissertation Programme
Entry to the MSW with Dissertation Programme
Dissertation Structure
Year 1 Non-Standard Semester. September
Year 1, Semester 2
Year 2, Semester 1
Year 2, Semester 2
Part-time Enrolment
The Research Project and Fieldwork
Learning Outcomes
Submitting the Dissertation
Due Date:
Format and Submission:
Presentation:
Referencing
Length:
Structure:
Assessment of Dissertation
Assessment Criteria
Marking:
The Examiner’s Report:
Calculation of the Final MSW with Dissertation Grade
Other Matters of Interest
Postgraduate Research Seminars
Communicating Research Results
Dissertation Ownership and Rights of Veto
Confidentiality, Anonymity and Access to Dissertation
Achieving Research Satisfaction
1
Preamble
This guide has been prepared in order to provide you with information about the MSW with Dissertationprogramme before you start. Additionally you may need to keep referring to it throughout your Dissertation study.
The MSW with Dissertation programme presents the opportunity to add a research-focussed aspect to the professional qualification. It enables a student to undertake a more detailed study on one specific feature of social work and/or social policy, with a view to learning research skills and demonstrating research competence. Its focus is to prepare students to contribute to the future development of social work and social policy through research that extends existing knowledge and through the critique and analysis of contemporary knowledge in ways likely to impact upon future thinking in this discipline area.
The MSW with Dissertation student is expected to be more independent than a MSW student and to some extent to set her/his learning agenda rather than having it set by a staff member. The student has to define the topic of research inquiry, design the method to be used, carry out the research and write up the dissertation. The student will have a staff supervisor, but the role of the supervisor is not to tell the student what to do; rather it is to help the student develop her/his own ideas and to provide some guidance to the student in designing, implementing and writing up the research. One function of theMSW with Dissertation programme is to prepare and assess students for upper postgraduate research work, so the student is expected to do more than simply respond to the requirements, requests or suggestions of the staff.
The Dissertation programme takes place during the two years of the MSW course of study.
Course Coordinator
The course coordinator for the MSW with Dissertation programme in 2015-2016 is Susan Young who will be working with other staff to organise seminars and oversee the development of research projects. All staff as well as some external experts may be involved as supervisors of student research projects.
The Research Project
The Research Project is an independent supervised study which is undertaken across one and a half years of the MSW Programme. It is research training which, on its successful conclusion, makes the student eligible for entry to Higher Degree by Research study. It also demonstrates to employers the student’s capacity for independent conceptual and practical research work. Finally it enables the student to pursue a topic of interest in more detail and depth than is afforded students undertaking the MSW.
The MSW with Dissertation research project does not need to be an ‘original contribution to knowledge’, as is the case with a Higher Degree by Research. Rather it may involve researching a specific practice issue, evaluating a programme or aspect of a programme, replicating research undertaken in another context, etc. MSW with Dissertation students are, however, expected to have basic understanding and competence across a range of research methods, as covered in the SWSP5602 Research Methods unit and research seminars.
The research project comprises three main activities: the proposal, fieldwork or research activity and the research report.
Research Proposal
The Research Proposal is the blue print for the research and states clearly what the research is about, why it is important to do and how it is going to be undertaken. This is the final assessment piece for the SWSP5602 unit and it is important that it adequately articulates the research to be carried out.
The Research Proposal must be submitted for review by the Dissertation Coordinator by the end of January. This is one of the assessment points at which students may be permitted to continue with their programme. The proposal should be discussed with and submitted to the student's supervisor prior to submission to the Dissertation Coordinator.
The proposal should be no more than five pages in length, and should normally contain the following:
- Title
- Statement of the problem, issue or concern of the research. This would normally include some brief background about how this question came about and a brief literature review.
- Formulation of the research question (s) or hypothesis (es)
- Research design, perspectives and their justification
- Methods: what you propose to do and how, including possible disadvantages/weaknesses
- Discussion of ethical issues posed by the research
- Resources required (e.g. funds, transport, printing/photocopying, computer, meeting room, etc) and where they will be obtained. Please note that the Discipline of Social Work and Social Policy is unable to meet any expenses for MSW with Dissertation research.
- Estimate of time required (e.g. a time line or schedule)
A university template for dissertation proposals, used by postgraduate research students may be found at While this form is for Higher Degree by Research students it is useful as an indication of what is expected at postgraduate research level.
Field Work or Research Activity
This part of the research seeks to produce the answers to the research question(s) or meet the research objectives, which focus on a topic of interest or a problem or issue to be solved through rigorous systematic enquiry using well defined methods. This component is carrying out the research that has been described in the Research Proposal. It may include what is known as ‘Field Work’, which is usually undertaken in social settings and usually includes people as research participants. If researching directly with people then Ethics approvals are required.
Other research activities than field work may focus on other data sources such as previous research reports, literature or documents. “Research” does not necessarily equate to “statistics”. Sometimes an empirical study is appropriate, and sometimes this will require some statistical analysis. At other times a more exploratory approach is more appropriate, which requires very different techniques of data collection and analysis. As well as empirical research techniques (surveys, experimental designs, etc), other approaches which have been used by previous MSW with Dissertation students include analysis of data obtained from in-depth interviewing, focus groups, observational techniques, content analysis, historical research, case studies, ethnographic studies, collaborative research, etc. Very often mixed methods are used and these can be informed by different theoretical paradigms. The choice of method(s) is determined by the nature of the research question(s). All these processes are presented and discussed during the SWSP5602 Research Methods unit and research seminars before students commence writing their research proposal.
Ethics Approval
Before research involving Human Subjects can be undertaken the University Human Research Ethics Committee must approve all research. This includes any research involving interviews, questionnaires, observation, participant observation, etc.
A pro-forma for application for Human Ethics approval can be found at
It is useful to access the UWA research website address for a general overview of research as well as for an overview of ethics. The NH&MRC guidelines are at
Your allocated supervisor may well advise you to seek UWA Human Ethics approval from the outset and if this is the case, you need to get started on this as soon as possible as delays can be lengthy if the research is sensitive. It should also be noted that the agency in which the student wishes to do the research may also have processes which need to be followed to obtain approval to undertake the research. It is the student’s responsibility to ascertain whether this is the case, and to follow the necessary procedures. Remember that this can be time-consuming, as you may have to wait for a committee to meet, and there may then be further delays if the committee requests further clarification. Some agencies have quite elaborate protocols to be followed.
It can take up to six weeks for approval to be gained from the University committee (longer if the committee has concerns or asks for further clarification). Prior to the application being forwarded to the Committee it must also be viewed by the Discipline Research Committee. This can add another 2 weeks to the process.
The request for University ethics approval, accompanying the research project proposal, should be submitted on the form found at the website above. This form contains a number of questions. If the answer to any of these questions is “yes”, you must provide details of how you propose to deal with the ethical issues involved. Your ethics request must also include:
- An indication of how you will store any interview data (e.g. audio tapes, completed questionnaires) — normally in a secure location such as a locked drawer or cupboard — and what you propose to do with the data when the study is concluded;
- An indication of how you will deal with issues of free and informed consent. This must include a copy of your proposed information sheet (to be given to each participant) and the proposed consent form (to be signed by each participant). These documents must conform with Human Research Ethics Committee policy, to be found at
These processes are necessary to satisfy the University’s requirements for ethics approval of research projects. Your ethics approval forms are kept by the Discipline and can be audited by the university.
Research Report
The final report is an account of the research undertaken. It covers the reason for undertaking the research, why it is an important area to research, what question(s) you wanted to find the answers to through the research process, how you went about finding out and what you think the answers mean. It is intended to demonstrate that you are competent in carrying out an independent, although supervised, research activity. More details are available later in this document as to the format and presentation requirements.
Supervision and Support
Supervision
Each student will be allocated a supervisor for the research project, during the second semester of Year 1. Supervisors will be allocated on the basis of staff expertise, staff workloads and student preferences. Once the supervisor has been allocated, students will be advised to seek an early appointment with their supervisor to discuss the research project.
For projects requiring specific expertise supervisors may be sought from outside the Discipline of Social Work and Social Policy. In this case, students should first consult the Course Coordinator.
Additionally, research seminars are provided for research tuition. As noted later, these take place during S2 Yr 1 and S1 Yr 2.
Responsibilities of Supervisors:
Supervisors have the responsibility for providing academic guidance to students and fostering an environment in which they see research as a creative and exciting activity.
Responsibilities of Students:
The Dissertation is an independent supervised research project which means that the student has responsibility for his/her own learning. It is important that students are familiar with the General Regulations and/or Faculty Regulations governing the degree course in which they are enrolled; and being aware of, and reading where appropriate, the other University policies/ procedures/documents which relate to postgraduate research activities.
Peer Support
In addition to individual supervision, students will also have access to group supervision and peer support through the regular research seminars held throughout Year 2. Students are encouraged to work co-operatively and to support each other, both formally and informally. In this regard it must be emphasised that there is no ‘quota’ of HD, D or CRMSW with Dissertationgrade to be awarded, and by students supporting each other it is possible for the quality of work, and hence the MSW with Dissertation grades of the whole group to be raised.
The University also provides a significant student support service in the form of regular workshops for research students in all disciplines. You will be informed through your email address during the semester and you are encouraged to access this. The web address is:
Students are urged to think about the requirements of dissertation writing long before they sit down to write. Student Support Services run education groups on writing a dissertation early in the year and you will be advised of these or you can locate them yourself by accessing the above web address.
Library Support and Internet Access
A major form of support to MSW with Dissertation students is via the student email system. It is vital that students use and regularly access their student email accounts as this is the prime form of communication.
It is expected that by the time students are enrolled for theMSW with Dissertation programme they are very familiar with the library access systems including electronic access. If this is not so, students are expected to make time to become familiar with this now essential tool. The MSW with Dissertation coordinator will introduce you all to the librarian who will work with you and s/he will expedite group workshops on library access if this is required.
There are many support services available and resources for research students. These may be found at: and While you are not a student undertaking a Higher Degree by Research, you still may access and benefit from these resources.
The MSW with Dissertation Programme
Entry to the MSW with Dissertation Programme
Students are invited to apply to enter the MSW with Dissertation programme at the end of Semester 1 on the basis of their first semester marks which must be over 70% average. Towards the end of first semester in Year 1, a meeting is held with all interested students at which the requirements and processes for enrolment in MSW with Dissertation programme are explained.
Dissertation Structure
Year 1 Non-Standard Semester. September
SWSP5602 Research Methods
This unit forms part of the Graduate Diploma in Advanced Social Work and is required for those enrolled students. MSW with Dissertation students will also enrol in this unit. It is also available as an online unit and may be completed through that mode prior to commencing SWSP5635 (see next). This unit introduces students to the processes of undertaking research with the aim of preparing for research readiness. Students are expected to pass this unit by passing all assignments.
Year 1, Semester 2
SWSP5635 Organisational Practice, Law and Research
MSW with Dissertation students enrol in SWSP5635 which has a dual focus: Organisational Practice and Law and Research. The tuition for Organisational Practice and Law is the same as for the main cohort of MSW students and Dissertation students undertake the same assessments and attend the same classes. The Research component of this unit comprises seminars which also take place in the non-standard second semester. These seminars are designed to assist in the development of their research project and enable students to complement their learning in SWSP5602 in a focussed discussion setting.
Year 2, Semester 1
MSW with Dissertation students enrol in the fieldwork unit SWSP5429. Included in this unit are three half-day classes in the weeks where there is no Integration seminar during placement (weeks 8, 9 and 16). They also have two weeksduring the placement which they may devote to their research. Times to be used for this purpose should be negotiated at the beginning of the placement with the Supervisor. During this semester MSW with Dissertation students carry out the bulk of their research in conjunction with their fieldwork placement.
Year 2, Semester 2
MSW with Dissertation students do not enrol for the SWSP5406Policy and CommunityorSWSP5407 Research Methods.
MSW with Dissertation students also enrol in SWSP4536 Dissertation.
During this semester students will completetheir research projects. Seminars take place in the first half of the semester during which students are expected to present their work to their colleagues for feedback.
All these units are taken alongside the core units for the MSW. These are repeated here from the Student Handbook. Units restricted to MSW with Dissertation students are in Upper Case. Units MSW with Dissertation students will not do have been omitted from the general list.