Exam Question and Answer
Thesis - Correct Answer: A piece of work carried out in an academic setting as part of a degree
programme. It is an unpublished piece of work. In the UK it is usually submitted as part of a doctorate
degree.
Dissertation - Correct Answer: A piece of research carried out in an academic setting as part of a degree
programme. It is an unpublished piece of work. It can be at undergraduate or graduate level. In some
countries, it may be called a thesis.
Empirical dissertation - Correct Answer: Data is collected as part of the project. It is most common in
science degrees.
Non-empirical dissertation - Correct Answer: Rather than collecting data, the student analyses existing
data and research.
Elements of a thesis or dissertation - Correct Answer: Are generally the same as a research paper -
* Abstract
* Literature review
* Methods
* Results
* Discussion
* References
* Appendices
Validity - Correct Answer: Is the study measuring what it says it is measuring?
Reliability - Correct Answer: If the study was repeated, would the findings be the same?