Topic outline

  • Course Description

    Semester: 3

    Teaching Unit: Methodology

    Module: Dissertation Writing

    Teacher: Prof. Hafida HAMZAOUI - EL ACHACHI

    Credits: 3

    Coefficient: 2

    Evaluation: 100% exam

  • 1. Dissertation Structure and Format

    • Dissertation Structure
    • The Beginning or Opening
    • The Body
    • The End
    • Dissertation Format
    • Formatting Elements
    • Figures and Tables
    • Chapter and Section Numbering


  • 2. Conducting and writing a literature review

    • What is a literature review?
    • Sources of a literature review
    • The purpose of the literature review
    • Finding sources (libraries + web)
    • Structuring a literature review
    • Organizing a literature review
    • Writing a literature review
    • Using verb tenses strategically
    • Mistakes commonly made in reviewing research literature


  • 3. Writing a Bibliography

    Print sources

    A book by one author

    A book by two authors

    A book by three authors or more

    Two or more books by the same author

    Book edition

    A book with an editor or more (edited book)

    Article or chapter in an edited book

    An article in a journal

    Thesis from a library (unpublished)

    Electronic/online sources

    DOI & URL

    E-Books

    An article in an e-journal

    E-Thesis

    Works in non-English languages

    YouTube Videos


  • Using and Referring to Sources

    • Using Sources
    • Quoting
    • Paraphrasing
    • Summarizing
    • Referring to sources
    • Narrative citation
    • Parenthetical citation


    • Below is a passage taken from Raymond S. Nickerson's "How We Know-and Sometimes Misjudge-What Others Know: Imputing One's Own Knowledge to Others." Psychological Bulletin 125.6 written in 1999, on p.737.

      In order to communicate effectively with other people, one must have a reasonably accurate idea of what they do and do not know that is pertinent to the communication. Treating people as though they have knowledge that they do not have can result in miscommunication and perhaps embarrassment. On the other hand, a fundamental rule of conversation, at least according to a Gricean view, is that one generally does not convey to others information that one can assume they already have.

      Which of the following summaries is acceptable? 


  • Reporting Research Findings

    • Research design, data analysis and results: Structure of the chapter
    • Situation analysis/ Contextual analysis
    • Presenting/ Reporting results
    1. Reporting questionnaire results
    2. Reporting semi-structured interview results
    • Interpreting results
    • Discussion


  • Writing Core Sections of the Dissertation: Introduction, Conclusion, and Abstract

    • Writing the general introduction
    • Writing the general conclusion
    • Writing the abstract 


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