From Idea to Excellence: A Comprehensive Guide to Research Reports/Dissertations and Thesis Planning

Research report writing in the social sciences has acquired a tough reputation, and quite deservedly so because in many cases, supervision amounts to letting the student swim or sink. This manual takes the opposite approach – it is rooted in the belief that research supervision has its own pedagogy, and the application of a pedagogical approach can make the research process manageable for both the student and supervisor. This manual uses a scaffolding approach to enable the student walk through progressively complex steps of planning his/her research project. Not only does it safeguard the quality of the student´s work, it also allows the student to internalize the processes that lead to a good research plan and project. This nearly guarantees that each graduate can independently plan and execute their own research projects again after using this manual. Supervisors will also find this approach convenient in monitoring the quality of the work in stages and use timely feedback to guide the student in the right direction. If the selected topic matches the supervisors area of interest, it increases the chances of this being a mutually enriching experience for both the student and supervisor. This manual is the result of the work, advice and guidance of colleagues (past and present) and former students from KTH Sweden, Wits University in South Africa and the School of Architecture in Universidad de Navarra.