HA4500 - Dissertation (30 credits): guidelines

HISTORY OF ART

HA4500 - Dissertation (30 credits): guidelines

Co-ordinator: John Gash

PLEASE NOTE CAREFULLY:

• The full set of School regulations and procedures is contained in the Undergraduate Student Handbook which is available from the School Office or online at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/ugradstudenthandbook/
• Students are expected to familiarise themselves thoroughly not only with the contents of these guidelines, but also with the contents of the Handbook. Therefore, ignorance of the contents of the Handbook will not excuse the breach of any school regulation or procedure.

You must familiarise yourself with this important information at the earliest opportunity.

Your dissertation is intended to give you the opportunity to carry out a piece of sustained research on a topic of your own choice and to demonstrate to the examiners your ability to present the results of such research in a proper, scholarly manner.

Your research may be of various kinds. It may address works of art (or a single work of art) directly, through first-hand study in galleries and museums, or it may be of a more literary kind, addressing critical or theoretical problems. Or it might involve both.

The term ‘work of art’ should be interpreted broadly to mean any form of art, architecture or craft. Research may concern works of art of any period, not necessarily works or periods studied during the two Honours years. Critical/ theoretical issues may involve the study of books, articles, pamphlets, catalogues, videos, films, newspaper and magazine reviews.

Whatever your topic, you must show by the way you treat it that you understand the aims and methods of art history. The criteria by which your dissertation will be judged are therefore essentially the same as are used in grading other written work during your two Honours years. However, because you have about 18 months to research and to write, you are expected to investigate your chosen topic in greater depth. For instance, the examiners will expect you to check a much greater range of appropriate sources than you have time for in a typical course essay.

Assessment will include consideration of the following aspects of your work:

• Structure of the dissertation (all the scholarly apparatus and the logical progression of chapters)
• Clear explanation of your aims
• Critical review of relevant literature
• Provision of a short general background, followed by the detailed analysis of your topic
• Quality and breadth of data collection
• A conclusion which draws together the evidence and explains the results of your investigation.

Scholarly presentation

‘Scholarly presentation’ means correct use of footnotes, bibliography, page and plate numbering. Marks will be deducted for deficiencies in this area. Your dissertation must conform to the following guidelines:

• It must be typed using a computer, double-spaced, on A4 paper, the pages numbered consecutively, with wide margins. ‘Outsize’ dissertations are not acceptable.

• It should be between 8,000 and 10,000 words in length (excluding footnotes).

• It should be bound, either in soft or hard covers. The Bindery at QML (ground floor) will bind your thesis for a modest fee. Ask for a solid spine (not a ‘comb’ spine, or ringback) on which to inscribe your name and the year submitted.

• Important! Make a note that the bindery in QML is always closed on the first day of the summer term, as this is a local holiday.

• You should submit two copies of your dissertation, one of which you may have back after the examinations. You are also required to submit a third copy on TURNITIN. (Class ID - 137680, password – 2009).

Your dissertation must be organised in the following order:

The cover should clearly show the title, your name and the year. The plagiarism cover sheet should be signed and inserted after the cover. This sheet is available at the office.

The dissertation itself should be in the following order:

• Title page, which should give your name, plus the title and the date of the dissertation. It should also include the words:

‘M.A. Dissertation in the History of Art, University of Aberdeen’,

2) One page Synopsis. (This is a short summary or overview, not an introduction. Roughly 20 lines)

3) List of Contents.

4) List of Illustrations, numbered 1, 2, 3 etc.

5) The Dissertation itself, divided into chapters. Illustrations referred to in the text as (Pl. 1, Pl. 2 etc)

6) Footnotes (at the bottom of the page, numbered 1, 2, 3) are preferred to

end notes

7) Bibliography of works cited and used.

8) Illustrations, numbered (Pl. 1, 2, 3) and clearly labelled, either at the end, or inserted appropriately within the text. A caption to an illustration requires at least, Title, Artist/Architect, date, location, preferably size of painting, if known.

Footnotes and Bibliography

All material must be sourced in the appropriate manner, with scholarly footnotes

preferably at the foot of the page. The minimum information required in a footnote is

author, date, page (as in Bloggs, 1929,123).

The Bibliography should separate original and secondary sources.

Remember that the QML publishes a range of useful pamphlets and style sheets which will help you set up footnotes, create a bibliography, etc. Just ask at the Issue Desk. There is a good deal of useful advice in A Short Guide to Writing about Art, by S. Barnet (in Heavy Demand)

Illustrations

You should discuss with your supervisor the extent to which your dissertation needs the inclusion of photographs in the text. In some cases references to where illustrations can be found in published works may be adequate. If taking your own photographs, make sure they are clear and in focus. If using images from the web, aim to find versions with high resolution. The look of a dissertation can be spoilt by poor illustrations. Good photocopies, either black and white or colour, or laser prints, are acceptable. DO NOT submit your images on a CD.

Do remember that some photographs from museums, etc., will take a long time to come, even up to three months from some sources. Get advice from your supervisor at an early stage. Photographs, and purchased scans, can be very expensive: do not commit yourself to high bills without getting estimates in advance.

The Stages of Preparation

Third Year

1. At the beginning of the Autumn Term, you will assemble for a group briefing on the aims and methods of writing the dissertation. This is the time to start thinking about your topic.

1. At the Burn Reading Party during Week 6, you will be shown some examples of past dissertations, and receive some further suggestions.

1. In the Summer Term, you will attend a class meeting where you will be assigned to a personal supervisor with the appropriate area of expertise who will guide you from then on. You have had about 7 months in which to decide on a ball-park area for your dissertation. At this meeting, you will have to disclose your topic in the broadest terms in order to find the right supervisor. Before the summer vacation begins, you will have one supervision with your own tutor, to work up a strategy for research during the vacation.

Fourth Year

1. At the start of the Autumn semester you will see your supervisor again to discuss the vacation work. It may emerge at this stage that your original topic was unsuitable. Over the summer, your original topic may have proved fruitless, and you have already started on something else. This is the last point at which you may change your subject. You may also be allocated to a different supervisor at this stage.

1. During the Autumn semester, most students will be taking Critical Perspectives in Art History. If you are taking this course, it is expected that the theoretical and analytical methods you learn will inform your construction of the dissertation. As you take this course, continue thinking how these methods might apply to your topic.

1. During both the Autumn and Spring semester you may make arrangements to see your supervisor whenever you wish to discuss matters, but much of the time you will be working on your own.

1. After your New Year exams, there is a short interval while staff are marking. In this period you should prepare a 15 minute oral presentation on your topic. Inevitably this will be ‘work in progress’, but you should be able to explain the basic outline of your dissertation and what problems you are attempting to solve. You will make this presentation in a very small group with your supervisor and the other 3-4 students who are working with the same member of staff. The process will be similar to the small group presentations you made at the Burn, without the video recorder. This aims to improve your oral presentation skills: power point is preferable but you may use OHPs or slides (the latter may be borrowed in advance from the Slide Library). This presentation will take place during the first two weeks of the Spring semester. After the presentation you may continue to see your supervisor as you work on the writing-up. Supervisors will not pre-read your dissertation, but will be prepared to read a few pages of draft, if submitted at a mutually satisfactory time before the Easter vacation.

1. By 28 February, all students must hand in to their supervisor

• a bibliography which should normally include at least 20 sources. The bibliographical entries should be divided into primary sources (documents, letters etc, where applicable) and secondary sources (monographs, essays, articles, catalogues). This should be laid out in the correct, formal manner:

Bloggs, 1999 Paintings I have known and loved, ed. P.Bloggs, London, 1999

Jones, 1975 D.Jones, My Favourite Paintings, London, 1975

Smith, 1962 P.Smith, ‘My Favourite Paintings’, Apollo, LXV, 1975,

23-30

White, 1999 J.White, ‘My Favourite Paintings’ in Bloggs, 1999, 23-40

Note: you do not need to write the letters pp., or vol., or publisher.

• a Critical review of sources. This is a sample of your writing which will be carefully corrected to make sure you are delivering work on the right lines. The critical review should be not more than 4-5 sides. It should explain what your key authors provide in terms of information and outlook. Contrast the angle or types of evidence produced by the various books and explain where your research fits into the available literature. This sample section must be accompanied by the correct layout of footnotes. See: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/english/resources/documents/GoodWritingGuide1.doc

1. Make appropriate arrangements to obtain your illustrations (scans/photos/photocopies) and complete writing your chapters during the Easter vacation. Remember to make backups as you go. Make two copies of the dissertation. Sort out timing and arrangements for the binder. HAND IN BOTH COPIES TO THE OFFICE not later than the second day of the Summer Term in your Senior Honours year. (Note the first Monday of the Summer Term is usually a local holiday). Also remember to submit a third copy on Turnitin. Late submission will be penalised.

Here are the university rules on plagiarism again. http://www.abdn.ac.uk/sdhp/ugradstudenthandbook/index.php

will provide the details.

PLAGIARISM

‘Plagiarism is the use, without adequate acknowledgement, of the intellectual work of another person in work submitted for assessment. A student cannot be found to have committed plagiarism where it can be shown that the student has taken all reasonable care to avoid representing the work of others as his/her own.’

Plagiarism is a serious offence everywhere, both within and outwith the academic community. All cases of suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Head of School in the first instance and cannot be discussed with or determined by a Tutor or Course Co-ordinator.

Please note that students MUST refer to the School’s Undergraduate Student Handbook for more detailed information on what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid it, and what the University’s procedure is should plagiarism be suspected.

When you submit coursework, you will be asked to sign the following statement on the coversheet:

' I hereby acknowledge that I have read and understood the above definition of plagiarism. I declare that all material from other sources used in this piece of assessed work, whether directly quoted or paraphrased, has been clearly identified and attributed to the source from which it came by means of a footnote or endnote reference.'

You should ensure that you have read and understood this statement, and are confident that your work complies with it before you sign it and submit your work.

All cases of suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Head of School in the first instance. Please refer to http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/section7.shtml#sub17 for more details of the procedure that will be followed if plagiarism is suspected.

To avoid suspicion of plagiarism:

• List all source material, including websites, in a bibliography at the end of your essay.

• Identify all material quoted from other sources either with inverted commas or with indented paragraphs and with a footnote or end note giving the reference to the source from which the quotation was taken.

• For more details on how to avoid plagiarism, along with

examples of best practice in essay writing , visit

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/writing/

You should also note that it is not acceptable to submit a dissertation a large portion of which consists of quotation from other sources, even if this is acknowledged. Such dissertations are likely to score very low marks on the grounds that they constitute too little of the student's own work.

You are asked to sign a plagiarism statement on the coversheet of each dissertation that you submit. This states that you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accept the University's rules on plagiarism: your signature will be taken to mean that you certify the dissertation as being all your own work.

SEPTEMBER 2009