How to do your Dissertation in Geography and Related Disciplines (review)

Undertaking a large research project can be daunting for any student. Parsons and Knight's How to do your Dissertation in Geography and Related Disciplines helps to simplify the whole process. The title is a bit misleading, since the book is intended for undergraduates in the United Kingdom conducting large-scale independent research for the first time rather than doctoral students as one might assume. The book advises students on how to write a dissertation and avoid common errors or problems associated with each part. It is a "how to" guide, full of practical tips to help with all aspects of a research project.

Written in an informal style, the book takes the reader through each component of a large research project from coming up with a topic to final write-up. Each chapter is laid out simply, with a one-sentence summary provided at the beginning of each chapter, and a brief chapter rundown and an action-item—a box instructing the reader on the next steps to take after reading the chapter—at the end. Important information is set out from the chapter in the form of bolded notes. Boxes within the text provide "how to" examples. For instance, Box 2.2 provides an example of how to write the background portion of a study. This gives the reader examples of clear, dissertation quality writing. Indeed, the authors provide examples that are both well written and poorly written. While it may seem a bit elementary to discuss how to write well, unfortunately, many students need tips such as: "A good dissertation is one that concludes, rather than just stopping" (p. 8). Moreover, the second edition recognizes the original bias towards physical geography/quantitative methods and tries to compensate by adding brief discussions of qualitative methods common in human geography. Additionally, the revisions incorporated in the second edition are intended for students comfortable with computers by adding new information regarding electronic sources.

The first chapters of the book introduce the reader to the research process. Parsons and Knight begin by laying out the aims of the book and how to use it to get the most out of it. They then discuss the purpose of writing a dissertation and outline the elements of a good dissertation: a good problem, clearly defined methodology, adequate and appropriate data analysis, and intellectual achievement (see Box 2.1). The authors then turn to time management. Warning to allow enough time for each research component, Parsons and Knight provide examples of effective schedules.

Chapter 4 details the topic selection process and distinguishes between topics, problems and questions. It gives several guidelines to selecting a topic. Parsons and Knight suggest students look at issues of interest both inside and outside geography in order to narrow down topics and ultimately identify a problem worth investigating. After choosing a topic and identifying a problem, readers are encouraged to ask specific research questions.

Chapter 5 revolves around obtaining answers to the research questions generated in the previous chapter. The authors explore the role of theory and how it relates to both social and physical scientists. For example, Parsons and Knight provide a point-by-point guide to the hypothetico-deductive approach. This approach aims to find out the 'how and why.' The hypothetico-deductive approach is similar to the scientific method—one comes up with a hypothesis and then tests it for explanation. Parsons and Knight advocate picking and choosing relevant parts of this approach in order to accommodate each student and add flexibility to the research process.

Chapters 6-9 address issues associated with data, its collection and analysis. Parsons and Knight examine what kind of data is needed for different kinds of projects and how to obtain such data. The difference between primary and secondary data is spelled out and the authors briefly deal with data reliability/validity for several types of...