For the Year Abroad Dissertation and the Optional Dissertation

Introduction

Welcome to the MML Dissertation Toolkit. On these pages you will find guidance on all aspects of writing a Year Abroad Dissertation or an Optional Dissertation, from choosing a topic right the way through to binding the final version. As well as advice on planning, constructing an argument and editing your drafts, there are detailed sections on the technicalities of inserting footnotes and formatting bibliographies.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with the following MML Faculty documents, which contain specific information about deadlines and links to submission forms:

• for the Year Abroad Dissertation, click on the links from our Year Abroad Project pages. 
• for the Optional Dissertation, click on the links from our Optional Dissertation pages. 

The MML Dissertation Toolkit was designed by Dr Joanna Page (contact: jep29@cam.ac.uk). Feedback is welcome.

Contents:

1. Approaching the dissertation
2. Initial ideas and finding a supervisor
3. Getting the most from your supervisor
4. Avoiding common pitfalls
5. Choosing and defining a topic
6. Producing a work schedule
7. Reading for your dissertation
8. Planning your dissertation
9. Writing a first draft
10. Reworking and editing your dissertation
11. Inserting quotations
12. Referencing other works
13. Presenting your bibliography
14. Plagiarism
15. Using images in your dissertation
16. Preparing your dissertation for printing and binding