good dissertation mark

How To Write A Dissertation Or Thesis

8 straightforward steps to craft an a-grade dissertation.

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) Expert Reviewed By: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | June 2020

Writing a dissertation or thesis is not a simple task. It takes time, energy and a lot of will power to get you across the finish line. It’s not easy – but it doesn’t necessarily need to be a painful process. If you understand the big-picture process of how to write a dissertation or thesis, your research journey will be a lot smoother.  

In this post, I’m going to outline the big-picture process of how to write a high-quality dissertation or thesis, without losing your mind along the way. If you’re just starting your research, this post is perfect for you. Alternatively, if you’ve already submitted your proposal, this article which covers how to structure a dissertation might be more helpful.

How To Write A Dissertation: 8 Steps

• Clearly understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is
• Find a unique and valuable research topic
• Craft a convincing research proposal
• Write up a strong introduction chapter
• Review the existing literature and compile a literature review
• Design a rigorous research strategy and undertake your own research
• Present the findings of your research
• Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Step 1: Understand exactly what a dissertation is

This probably sounds like a no-brainer, but all too often, students come to us for help with their research and the underlying issue is that they don’t fully understand what a dissertation (or thesis) actually is.

So, what is a dissertation?

At its simplest, a dissertation or thesis is a formal piece of research , reflecting the standard research process . But what is the standard research process, you ask? The research process involves 4 key steps:

• Ask a very specific, well-articulated question (s) (your research topic)
• See what other researchers have said about it (if they’ve already answered it)
• If they haven’t answered it adequately, undertake your own data collection and analysis in a scientifically rigorous fashion
• Answer your original question(s), based on your analysis findings

In short, the research process is simply about asking and answering questions in a systematic fashion . This probably sounds pretty obvious, but people often think they’ve done “research”, when in fact what they have done is:

• Started with a vague, poorly articulated question
• Not taken the time to see what research has already been done regarding the question
• Collected data and opinions that support their gut and undertaken a flimsy analysis
• Drawn a shaky conclusion, based on that analysis

If you want to see the perfect example of this in action, look out for the next Facebook post where someone claims they’ve done “research”… All too often, people consider reading a few blog posts to constitute research. Its no surprise then that what they end up with is an opinion piece, not research. Okay, okay – I’ll climb off my soapbox now.

The key takeaway here is that a dissertation (or thesis) is a formal piece of research, reflecting the research process. It’s not an opinion piece , nor a place to push your agenda or try to convince someone of your position. Writing a good dissertation involves asking a question and taking a systematic, rigorous approach to answering it.

If you understand this and are comfortable leaving your opinions or preconceived ideas at the door, you’re already off to a good start!

Step 2: Find a unique, valuable research topic

As we saw, the first step of the research process is to ask a specific, well-articulated question. In other words, you need to find a research topic that asks a specific question or set of questions (these are called research questions ). Sounds easy enough, right? All you’ve got to do is identify a question or two and you’ve got a winning research topic. Well, not quite…

A good dissertation or thesis topic has a few important attributes. Specifically, a solid research topic should be:

Let’s take a closer look at these:

Attribute #1: Clear

Your research topic needs to be crystal clear about what you’re planning to research, what you want to know, and within what context. There shouldn’t be any ambiguity or vagueness about what you’ll research.

Here’s an example of a clearly articulated research topic:

An analysis of consumer-based factors influencing organisational trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms.

As you can see in the example, its crystal clear what will be analysed (factors impacting organisational trust), amongst who (consumers) and in what context (British low-cost equity brokerage firms, based online).

Need a helping hand?

Attribute #2:   Unique

Your research should be asking a question(s) that hasn’t been asked before, or that hasn’t been asked in a specific context (for example, in a specific country or industry).

For example, sticking organisational trust topic above, it’s quite likely that organisational trust factors in the UK have been investigated before, but the context (online low-cost equity brokerages) could make this research unique. Therefore, the context makes this research original.

One caveat when using context as the basis for originality – you need to have a good reason to suspect that your findings in this context might be different from the existing research – otherwise, there’s no reason to warrant researching it.

Attribute #3: Important

Simply asking a unique or original question is not enough – the question needs to create value. In other words, successfully answering your research questions should provide some value to the field of research or the industry. You can’t research something just to satisfy your curiosity. It needs to make some form of contribution either to research or industry.

For example, researching the factors influencing consumer trust would create value by enabling businesses to tailor their operations and marketing to leverage factors that promote trust. In other words, it would have a clear benefit to industry.

So, how do you go about finding a unique and valuable research topic? We explain that in detail in this video post – How To Find A Research Topic . Yeah, we’ve got you covered 😊

Step 3: Write a convincing research proposal

Once you’ve pinned down a high-quality research topic, the next step is to convince your university to let you research it. No matter how awesome you think your topic is, it still needs to get the rubber stamp before you can move forward with your research. The research proposal is the tool you’ll use for this job.

So, what’s in a research proposal?

The main “job” of a research proposal is to convince your university, advisor or committee that your research topic is worthy of approval. But convince them of what? Well, this varies from university to university, but generally, they want to see that:

• You have a clearly articulated, unique and important topic (this might sound familiar…)
• You’ve done some initial reading of the existing literature relevant to your topic (i.e. a literature review)
• You have a provisional plan in terms of how you will collect data and analyse it (i.e. a methodology)

At the proposal stage, it’s (generally) not expected that you’ve extensively reviewed the existing literature , but you will need to show that you’ve done enough reading to identify a clear gap for original (unique) research. Similarly, they generally don’t expect that you have a rock-solid research methodology mapped out, but you should have an idea of whether you’ll be undertaking qualitative or quantitative analysis , and how you’ll collect your data (we’ll discuss this in more detail later).

Long story short – don’t stress about having every detail of your research meticulously thought out at the proposal stage – this will develop as you progress through your research. However, you do need to show that you’ve “done your homework” and that your research is worthy of approval .

So, how do you go about crafting a high-quality, convincing proposal? We cover that in detail in this video post – How To Write A Top-Class Research Proposal . We’ve also got a video walkthrough of two proposal examples here .

Step 4: Craft a strong introduction chapter

Once your proposal’s been approved, its time to get writing your actual dissertation or thesis! The good news is that if you put the time into crafting a high-quality proposal, you’ve already got a head start on your first three chapters – introduction, literature review and methodology – as you can use your proposal as the basis for these.

Handy sidenote – our free dissertation & thesis template is a great way to speed up your dissertation writing journey.

What’s the introduction chapter all about?

The purpose of the introduction chapter is to set the scene for your research (dare I say, to introduce it…) so that the reader understands what you’ll be researching and why it’s important. In other words, it covers the same ground as the research proposal in that it justifies your research topic.

What goes into the introduction chapter?

This can vary slightly between universities and degrees, but generally, the introduction chapter will include the following:

• A brief background to the study, explaining the overall area of research
• A problem statement , explaining what the problem is with the current state of research (in other words, where the knowledge gap exists)
• Your research questions – in other words, the specific questions your study will seek to answer (based on the knowledge gap)
• The significance of your study – in other words, why it’s important and how its findings will be useful in the world

As you can see, this all about explaining the “what” and the “why” of your research (as opposed to the “how”). So, your introduction chapter is basically the salesman of your study, “selling” your research to the first-time reader and (hopefully) getting them interested to read more.

How do I write the introduction chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this post .

Step 5: Undertake an in-depth literature review

As I mentioned earlier, you’ll need to do some initial review of the literature in Steps 2 and 3 to find your research gap and craft a convincing research proposal – but that’s just scratching the surface. Once you reach the literature review stage of your dissertation or thesis, you need to dig a lot deeper into the existing research and write up a comprehensive literature review chapter.

What’s the literature review all about?

There are two main stages in the literature review process:

Literature Review Step 1: Reading up

The first stage is for you to deep dive into the existing literature (journal articles, textbook chapters, industry reports, etc) to gain an in-depth understanding of the current state of research regarding your topic. While you don’t need to read every single article, you do need to ensure that you cover all literature that is related to your core research questions, and create a comprehensive catalogue of that literature , which you’ll use in the next step.

Reading and digesting all the relevant literature is a time consuming and intellectually demanding process. Many students underestimate just how much work goes into this step, so make sure that you allocate a good amount of time for this when planning out your research. Thankfully, there are ways to fast track the process – be sure to check out this article covering how to read journal articles quickly .

Literature Review Step 2: Writing up

Once you’ve worked through the literature and digested it all, you’ll need to write up your literature review chapter. Many students make the mistake of thinking that the literature review chapter is simply a summary of what other researchers have said. While this is partly true, a literature review is much more than just a summary. To pull off a good literature review chapter, you’ll need to achieve at least 3 things:

• You need to synthesise the existing research , not just summarise it. In other words, you need to show how different pieces of theory fit together, what’s agreed on by researchers, what’s not.
• You need to highlight a research gap that your research is going to fill. In other words, you’ve got to outline the problem so that your research topic can provide a solution.
• You need to use the existing research to inform your methodology and approach to your own research design. For example, you might use questions or Likert scales from previous studies in your your own survey design .

As you can see, a good literature review is more than just a summary of the published research. It’s the foundation on which your own research is built, so it deserves a lot of love and attention. Take the time to craft a comprehensive literature review with a suitable structure .

But, how do I actually write the literature review chapter, you ask? We cover that in detail in this video post .

Step 6: Carry out your own research

Once you’ve completed your literature review and have a sound understanding of the existing research, its time to develop your own research (finally!). You’ll design this research specifically so that you can find the answers to your unique research question.

There are two steps here – designing your research strategy and executing on it:

1 – Design your research strategy

The first step is to design your research strategy and craft a methodology chapter . I won’t get into the technicalities of the methodology chapter here, but in simple terms, this chapter is about explaining the “how” of your research. If you recall, the introduction and literature review chapters discussed the “what” and the “why”, so it makes sense that the next point to cover is the “how” –that’s what the methodology chapter is all about.

In this section, you’ll need to make firm decisions about your research design. This includes things like:

• Your research philosophy (e.g. positivism or interpretivism )
• Your overall methodology (e.g. qualitative , quantitative or mixed methods)
• Your data collection strategy (e.g. interviews , focus groups, surveys)
• Your data analysis strategy (e.g. content analysis , correlation analysis, regression)

If these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these in plain language in other posts. It’s not essential that you understand the intricacies of research design (yet!). The key takeaway here is that you’ll need to make decisions about how you’ll design your own research, and you’ll need to describe (and justify) your decisions in your methodology chapter.

2 – Execute: Collect and analyse your data

Once you’ve worked out your research design, you’ll put it into action and start collecting your data. This might mean undertaking interviews, hosting an online survey or any other data collection method. Data collection can take quite a bit of time (especially if you host in-person interviews), so be sure to factor sufficient time into your project plan for this. Oftentimes, things don’t go 100% to plan (for example, you don’t get as many survey responses as you hoped for), so bake a little extra time into your budget here.

Once you’ve collected your data, you’ll need to do some data preparation before you can sink your teeth into the analysis. For example:

• If you carry out interviews or focus groups, you’ll need to transcribe your audio data to text (i.e. a Word document).
• If you collect quantitative survey data, you’ll need to clean up your data and get it into the right format for whichever analysis software you use (for example, SPSS, R or STATA).

Once you’ve completed your data prep, you’ll undertake your analysis, using the techniques that you described in your methodology. Depending on what you find in your analysis, you might also do some additional forms of analysis that you hadn’t planned for. For example, you might see something in the data that raises new questions or that requires clarification with further analysis.

The type(s) of analysis that you’ll use depend entirely on the nature of your research and your research questions. For example:

• If your research if exploratory in nature, you’ll often use qualitative analysis techniques .
• If your research is confirmatory in nature, you’ll often use quantitative analysis techniques
• If your research involves a mix of both, you might use a mixed methods approach

Again, if these words have got your head spinning, don’t worry! We’ll explain these concepts and techniques in other posts. The key takeaway is simply that there’s no “one size fits all” for research design and methodology – it all depends on your topic, your research questions and your data. So, don’t be surprised if your study colleagues take a completely different approach to yours.

Step 7: Present your findings

Once you’ve completed your analysis, it’s time to present your findings (finally!). In a dissertation or thesis, you’ll typically present your findings in two chapters – the results chapter and the discussion chapter .

What’s the difference between the results chapter and the discussion chapter?

While these two chapters are similar, the results chapter generally just presents the processed data neatly and clearly without interpretation, while the discussion chapter explains the story the data are telling  – in other words, it provides your interpretation of the results.

For example, if you were researching the factors that influence consumer trust, you might have used a quantitative approach to identify the relationship between potential factors (e.g. perceived integrity and competence of the organisation) and consumer trust. In this case:

• Your results chapter would just present the results of the statistical tests. For example, correlation results or differences between groups. In other words, the processed numbers.
• Your discussion chapter would explain what the numbers mean in relation to your research question(s). For example, Factor 1 has a weak relationship with consumer trust, while Factor 2 has a strong relationship.

Depending on the university and degree, these two chapters (results and discussion) are sometimes merged into one , so be sure to check with your institution what their preference is. Regardless of the chapter structure, this section is about presenting the findings of your research in a clear, easy to understand fashion.

Importantly, your discussion here needs to link back to your research questions (which you outlined in the introduction or literature review chapter). In other words, it needs to answer the key questions you asked (or at least attempt to answer them).

For example, if we look at the sample research topic:

In this case, the discussion section would clearly outline which factors seem to have a noteworthy influence on organisational trust. By doing so, they are answering the overarching question and fulfilling the purpose of the research .

For more information about the results chapter , check out this post for qualitative studies and this post for quantitative studies .

Step 8: The Final Step Draw a conclusion and discuss the implications

Last but not least, you’ll need to wrap up your research with the conclusion chapter . In this chapter, you’ll bring your research full circle by highlighting the key findings of your study and explaining what the implications of these findings are.

What exactly are key findings? The key findings are those findings which directly relate to your original research questions and overall research objectives (which you discussed in your introduction chapter). The implications, on the other hand, explain what your findings mean for industry, or for research in your area.

Sticking with the consumer trust topic example, the conclusion might look something like this:

Key findings

This study set out to identify which factors influence consumer-based trust in British low-cost online equity brokerage firms. The results suggest that the following factors have a large impact on consumer trust:

While the following factors have a very limited impact on consumer trust:

Notably, within the 25-30 age groups, Factors E had a noticeably larger impact, which may be explained by…

Implications

The findings having noteworthy implications for British low-cost online equity brokers. Specifically:

The large impact of Factors X and Y implies that brokers need to consider….

The limited impact of Factor E implies that brokers need to…

As you can see, the conclusion chapter is basically explaining the “what” (what your study found) and the “so what?” (what the findings mean for the industry or research). This brings the study full circle and closes off the document.

Let’s recap – how to write a dissertation or thesis

You’re still with me? Impressive! I know that this post was a long one, but hopefully you’ve learnt a thing or two about how to write a dissertation or thesis, and are now better equipped to start your own research.

To recap, the 8 steps to writing a quality dissertation (or thesis) are as follows:

• Understand what a dissertation (or thesis) is – a research project that follows the research process.
• Find a unique (original) and important research topic
• Craft a convincing dissertation or thesis research proposal
• Write a clear, compelling introduction chapter
• Undertake a thorough review of the existing research and write up a literature review
• Undertake your own research
• Present and interpret your findings

Once you’ve wrapped up the core chapters, all that’s typically left is the abstract , reference list and appendices. As always, be sure to check with your university if they have any additional requirements in terms of structure or content.  

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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20 Comments

thankfull >>>this is very useful

Thank you, it was really helpful

unquestionably, this amazing simplified way of teaching. Really , I couldn’t find in the literature words that fully explicit my great thanks to you. However, I could only say thanks a-lot.

Great to hear that – thanks for the feedback. Good luck writing your dissertation/thesis.

This is the most comprehensive explanation of how to write a dissertation. Many thanks for sharing it free of charge.

Very rich presentation. Thank you

Thanks Derek Jansen|GRADCOACH, I find it very useful guide to arrange my activities and proceed to research!

Thank you so much for such a marvelous teaching .I am so convinced that am going to write a comprehensive and a distinct masters dissertation

It is an amazing comprehensive explanation

This was straightforward. Thank you!

I can say that your explanations are simple and enlightening – understanding what you have done here is easy for me. Could you write more about the different types of research methods specific to the three methodologies: quan, qual and MM. I look forward to interacting with this website more in the future.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions 🙂

Hello, your write ups is quite educative. However, l have challenges in going about my research questions which is below; *Building the enablers of organisational growth through effective governance and purposeful leadership.*

Very educating.

Just listening to the name of the dissertation makes the student nervous. As writing a top-quality dissertation is a difficult task as it is a lengthy topic, requires a lot of research and understanding and is usually around 10,000 to 15000 words. Sometimes due to studies, unbalanced workload or lack of research and writing skill students look for dissertation submission from professional writers.

Thank you 💕😊 very much. I was confused but your comprehensive explanation has cleared my doubts of ever presenting a good thesis. Thank you.

thank you so much, that was so useful

Hi. Where is the excel spread sheet ark?

could you please help me look at your thesis paper to enable me to do the portion that has to do with the specification

my topic is “the impact of domestic revenue mobilization.

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• Cookies & Privacy
• GETTING STARTED
• Introduction
• FUNDAMENTALS

Getting to the main article

Choosing your route

Setting research questions/ hypotheses

Assessment point

Building the theoretical case

Setting your research strategy

Data collection

Data analysis

CONSIDERATION TWO

Where to find the best marks.

Not every chapter, or every section of every chapter, is going to land you lots of nice marks, especially the particularly nice marks that are needed for a top grade. Some sections are fillers - necessary, but expected for a standard mark - whilst others give you the chance to show why your dissertation is significant, worthy of a higher mark. In Route #1: Replication-based dissertations , where these different sections are will depend on (a) the route you adopted (i.e., Route A: Duplication , Route B: Generalisation or Route C: Extension ) and (b) your specific dissertation focus. Therefore, in the sections that follow, we explain what you should consider based on whether you adopted Route A: Duplication , Route B: Generalisation or Route C: Extension :

Route A: Duplication

When following Route A: Duplication , there are three main areas to focus on to get a good mark: (a) justifying duplication; (b) the creation and execution of a strong sampling strategy; and (c) the appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis and comparisons.

Justifying duplication

Presenting a strong justification to duplicate previous research is very important to getting a good mark when following Route A: Duplication because more often than not, duplication is not considered to be a sufficient contribution, whether you are a student performing a dissertation, or even a seasoned academic. Therefore, you need to stress, right from the start of Chapter One: Introduction , the importance of testing the reliability , internal validity and external validity of the original study, as well as any other reasons that are specific to your dissertation.

Creating and execution of a strong sampling strategy

As you'll know, when pursuing Route A: Duplication , you cannot always rely on applying the sample sampling strategy as the one used in the main journal article. However, the characteristics of the sample and population you study should mirror , as closely as possible, the ones used in the main journal article. This enables you to make close comparisons between the findings in the main journal article and those from your dissertation. For this reason, when writing up Chapter Three: Research Strategy , you need to pay close attention to explaining and justifying not only the strengths and weaknesses of your sampling strategy, but also the fit between your sampling strategy and the one followed in the main journal article. This will strengthen your case when discussing the generalizability of your findings (i.e., the external validity of your findings) in Chapter Five: Conclusion .

The appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis and comparisons

Comparing your findings to those in the main journal article is particularly important in Route A: Duplication , so being able to make such comparisons in Chapter Four: Results is essential for a good mark. In addition, you need to remember that since you're doing a quantitative dissertation, the appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis is vital to getting a good mark. You can succeed in everything you do up until this stage, and then perform the wrong analysis or interpret it incorrectly, failing to answer your research questions/hypotheses, which can seriously jeopardize the mark you're awarded for your dissertation. Now this doesn?t mean that you have to do fancy analysis. You just need to make the right choices, which means: (a) thoughtfully analysing your data, which leads to choosing the correct statistical tests (i.e., appropriateness ); and (b) accurately interpreting the results from these statistical tests in order to answer your research questions/hypotheses (i.e., accuracy ). These are things that you need to first explain and justify in the Data Analysis section of Chapter Three: Research Strategy , and then demonstrate throughout Chapter Four: Results .

Route B: Generalisation

When following Route B: Generalisation , there are three main areas to focus on to get a good mark: (a) the theoretical justification for your type of generalisation, (b) the external validity of your findings, and (c) the appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis and comparisons.

The theoretical justification for your type of generalisation

As you?ll know, each approach within Route B: Generalisation is underpinned by different theoretical justifications (i.e., the reasons to carry out a treatment-based generalisation will be very different from a population-based generalisation ). This makes it particularly important to theoretically explain and justify your particular approach . More often than not, such theoretical justifications will come from a critical analysis of the main journal article or from your understanding of the literature (i.e., STAGE FIVE: Building the theoretical case ). In either case, high marks come from being able to theoretically justify the approach you have adopted, something you will do briefly in Chapter One: Introduction , but mainly in Chapter Two: Literature Review .

The external validity of your findings

Since the purpose of Route B: Generalisation is to make generalisations across populations, settings/contexts, treatments or time, demonstrating that your dissertation was externally valid is important to getting a good mark. To do this, you will need to explain in Chapter Three: Research Strategy how you reduced threats to external validity through the research strategy you set, as well as discussing how such threats could have affected your findings (i.e., something you will do in Chapter Four: Results and the Research Limitations section of Chapter Five: Discussion/Conclusion ).

You're doing a quantitative dissertation, so the appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis is vital to getting a good mark. You can succeed in everything you do up until this stage, and then perform the wrong analysis or interpret it incorrectly, failing to answer your research questions/hypotheses, which can seriously jeopardize the mark you?re awarded for your dissertation. Now this doesn?t mean that you have to do fancy analysis. You just need to make the right choices, which means: (a) thoughtfully analysing your data, which leads to choosing the correct statistical tests (i.e., appropriateness ); and (b) accurately interpreting the results from these statistical tests in order to answer your research questions/hypotheses (i.e., accuracy ). These are things that you need to first explain and justify in the Data Analysis section of Chapter Three: Research Strategy , and then demonstrate throughout Chapter Four: Results . In addition, since the purpose of Route B: Generalisation is to make generalisations across populations, settings/contexts, treatments or time, comparing your findings with those in the main journal article is important for a good mark. Such comparisons will help to show the extent to which the results from your dissertation are similar to those of the main journal article (i.e., how far the results can be generalised to other populations, settings/contexts, treatments, or time; that is, how externally valid the hypotheses that were tested are).

Route C: Extension

When taking on Route C: Extension , there is a lot of potential to get high marks, especially when compared with Route A: Duplication and Route B: Generalisation , which do not have the same level of originality and independent thought . However, three areas in particular that you should focus on in order to get a good mark are: (a) the theoretical justification for your type of extension; (b) a thoughtful approach towards research quality; and (c) the appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis.

The theoretical justification for your type of extension

As you'll know, Route C: Extension is more than just replication because the changes you make to components of the main journal article, such as the research design , constructs/variables , methods and measurement procedures , and/or data analysis approach adds a great deal more originality and independent thought to the traditional replication routes (i.e., compared with Route A: Duplication , and even Route B: Generalisation ). This makes it particularly important to theoretically explain and justify your particular approach within Route C: Extension (i.e., whether a population and context/setting-based extension , design-based extension or method or measurement-driven extension ). Such theoretical justifications can come a critical analysis of the main journal article or from your understanding of the literature (i.e., STAGE FIVE: Building the theoretical case ), or an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the research design, methods and measurement procedures used in the main journal article (i.e., STAGE SIX: Setting the research strategy ). In either case, high marks come from being able to theoretically justify the approach you have adopted, something you will do briefly in Chapter One: Introduction , but mainly in Chapter Two: Literature Review and the appropriate sections of Chapter Three: Research Strategy .

A thoughtful approach towards research quality

Whilst you will pick up more marks for carrying out a dissertation with greater originality and independent thought , this counts for little if your results cannot be trusted. Focusing on research quality is so important to a good mark in all approaches to Route C: Extension because of the changes that you make to the research strategy of the main journal article - whether some aspect of the research design , research methods and measures , or sampling strategy - any of which can significantly affect the quality of your findings. Implementing a thoughtful approach towards research quality means that you have carefully considered and incorporated all aspects of research quality into your research strategy (i.e., internal validity , external validity , reliability and construct validity ). By doing this, you demonstrate not only the ability to produce a dissertation with greater originality and independent thought, but also the ability to effectively carry out such a dissertation in the field. This makes the Research Quality section of Chapter Three: Research Strategy particularly important in your write up.

The appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis

You're doing a quantitative dissertation, so the appropriateness and accuracy of your statistical analysis is vital to getting a good mark. You can succeed in everything you do up until this stage, and then perform the wrong analysis or interpret it incorrectly, failing the answer your research questions/hypotheses, which can seriously jeopardize the mark you're awarded for your dissertation. Now this doesn't mean that you have to do fancy analysis. You just need to make the right choices, which means: (a) thoughtfully analysing your data, which leads to choosing the correct statistical tests (i.e., appropriateness ); and (b) accurately interpreting the results from these statistical tests in order to answer your research questions/hypotheses (i.e., accuracy ). These are things that you need to first explain and justify in the Data Analysis section of Chapter Three: Research Strategy , and then demonstrate throughout Chapter Four: Results .

Think of yourself as a member of a jury, listening to a lawyer who is presenting an opening argument. You'll want to know very soon whether the lawyer believes the accused to be guilty or not guilty, and how the lawyer plans to convince you. Readers of academic essays are like jury members: before they have read too far, they want to know what the essay argues as well as how the writer plans to make the argument. After reading your thesis statement, the reader should think, "This essay is going to try to convince me of something. I'm not convinced yet, but I'm interested to see how I might be."

An effective thesis cannot be answered with a simple "yes" or "no." A thesis is not a topic; nor is it a fact; nor is it an opinion. "Reasons for the fall of communism" is a topic. "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" is a fact known by educated people. "The fall of communism is the best thing that ever happened in Europe" is an opinion. (Superlatives like "the best" almost always lead to trouble. It's impossible to weigh every "thing" that ever happened in Europe. And what about the fall of Hitler? Couldn't that be "the best thing"?)

A good thesis has two parts. It should tell what you plan to argue, and it should "telegraph" how you plan to argue—that is, what particular support for your claim is going where in your essay.

Steps in Constructing a Thesis

First, analyze your primary sources.  Look for tension, interest, ambiguity, controversy, and/or complication. Does the author contradict himself or herself? Is a point made and later reversed? What are the deeper implications of the author's argument? Figuring out the why to one or more of these questions, or to related questions, will put you on the path to developing a working thesis. (Without the why, you probably have only come up with an observation—that there are, for instance, many different metaphors in such-and-such a poem—which is not a thesis.)

Once you have a working thesis, write it down.  There is nothing as frustrating as hitting on a great idea for a thesis, then forgetting it when you lose concentration. And by writing down your thesis you will be forced to think of it clearly, logically, and concisely. You probably will not be able to write out a final-draft version of your thesis the first time you try, but you'll get yourself on the right track by writing down what you have.

Keep your thesis prominent in your introduction.  A good, standard place for your thesis statement is at the end of an introductory paragraph, especially in shorter (5-15 page) essays. Readers are used to finding theses there, so they automatically pay more attention when they read the last sentence of your introduction. Although this is not required in all academic essays, it is a good rule of thumb.

Anticipate the counterarguments.  Once you have a working thesis, you should think about what might be said against it. This will help you to refine your thesis, and it will also make you think of the arguments that you'll need to refute later on in your essay. (Every argument has a counterargument. If yours doesn't, then it's not an argument—it may be a fact, or an opinion, but it is not an argument.)

This statement is on its way to being a thesis. However, it is too easy to imagine possible counterarguments. For example, a political observer might believe that Dukakis lost because he suffered from a "soft-on-crime" image. If you complicate your thesis by anticipating the counterargument, you'll strengthen your argument, as shown in the sentence below.

Some Caveats and Some Examples

A thesis is never a question.  Readers of academic essays expect to have questions discussed, explored, or even answered. A question ("Why did communism collapse in Eastern Europe?") is not an argument, and without an argument, a thesis is dead in the water.

A thesis is never a list.  "For political, economic, social and cultural reasons, communism collapsed in Eastern Europe" does a good job of "telegraphing" the reader what to expect in the essay—a section about political reasons, a section about economic reasons, a section about social reasons, and a section about cultural reasons. However, political, economic, social and cultural reasons are pretty much the only possible reasons why communism could collapse. This sentence lacks tension and doesn't advance an argument. Everyone knows that politics, economics, and culture are important.

A thesis should never be vague, combative or confrontational.  An ineffective thesis would be, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because communism is evil." This is hard to argue (evil from whose perspective? what does evil mean?) and it is likely to mark you as moralistic and judgmental rather than rational and thorough. It also may spark a defensive reaction from readers sympathetic to communism. If readers strongly disagree with you right off the bat, they may stop reading.

An effective thesis has a definable, arguable claim.  "While cultural forces contributed to the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the disintegration of economies played the key role in driving its decline" is an effective thesis sentence that "telegraphs," so that the reader expects the essay to have a section about cultural forces and another about the disintegration of economies. This thesis makes a definite, arguable claim: that the disintegration of economies played a more important role than cultural forces in defeating communism in Eastern Europe. The reader would react to this statement by thinking, "Perhaps what the author says is true, but I am not convinced. I want to read further to see how the author argues this claim."

A thesis should be as clear and specific as possible.  Avoid overused, general terms and abstractions. For example, "Communism collapsed in Eastern Europe because of the ruling elite's inability to address the economic concerns of the people" is more powerful than "Communism collapsed due to societal discontent."

Copyright 1999, Maxine Rodburg and The Tutors of the Writing Center at Harvard University

How to tackle the PhD dissertation

Finding time to write can be a challenge for graduate students who often juggle multiple roles and responsibilities. Mabel Ho provides some tips to make the process less daunting

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Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn, leveraging llms to assess soft skills in lifelong learning, how hard can it be testing ai detection tools, a diy guide to starting your own journal.

Writing helps you share your work with the wider community. Your scholarship is important and you are making a valuable contribution to the field. While it might be intimidating to face a blank screen, remember, your first draft is not your final draft! The difficult part is getting something on the page to begin with. 

As the adage goes, a good dissertation is a done dissertation, and the goal is for you to find balance in your writing and establish the steps you can take to make the process smoother. Here are some practical strategies for tackling the PhD dissertation.

Write daily

This is a time to have honest conversations with yourself about your writing and work habits. Do you tackle the most challenging work in the morning? Or do you usually start with emails? Knowing your work routine will help you set parameters for the writing process, which includes various elements, from brainstorming ideas to setting outlines and editing. Once you are aware of your energy and focus levels, you’ll be ready to dedicate those times to writing.

While it might be tempting to block a substantial chunk of time to write and assume anything shorter is not useful, that is not the case. Writing daily, whether it’s a paragraph or several pages, keeps you in conversation with your writing practice. If you schedule two hours to write, remember to take a break during that time and reset. You can try:

• The Pomodoro Technique: a time management technique that breaks down your work into intervals
• Taking breaks: go outside for a walk or have a snack so you can come back to your writing rejuvenated
• Focus apps: it is easy to get distracted by devices and lose direction. Here are some app suggestions: Focus Bear (no free version); Forest (free version available); Cold Turkey website blocker (free version available) and Serene (no free version). 

This is a valuable opportunity to hone your time management and task prioritisation skills. Find out what works for you and put systems in place to support your practice. 

• Resources on academic writing for higher education professionals
• Stretch your work further by ‘triple writing’
• What is your academic writing temperament?

Create a community

While writing can be an isolating endeavour, there are ways to start forming a community (in-person or virtual) to help you set goals and stay accountable. There might be someone in your cohort who is also at the writing stage with whom you can set up a weekly check-in. Alternatively, explore your university’s resources and centres because there may be units and departments on campus that offer helpful opportunities, such as a writing week or retreat. Taking advantage of these opportunities helps combat isolation, foster accountability and grow networks. They can even lead to collaborations further down the line.

• Check in with your advisers and mentors. Reach out to your networks to find out about other people’s writing processes and additional resources.
• Don’t be afraid to share your work. Writing requires constant revisions and edits and finding people who you trust with feedback will help you grow as a writer. Plus, you can also read their work and help them with their editing process.
• Your community does not have to be just about writing!  If you enjoy going on hikes or trying new coffee shops, make that part of your weekly habit.  Sharing your work in different environments will help clarify your thoughts and ideas.

Address the why

The PhD dissertation writing process is often lengthy and it is sometimes easy to forget why you started. In these moments, it can be helpful to think back to what got you excited about your research and scholarship in the first place. Remember it is not just the work but also the people who propelled you forward. One idea is to start writing your “acknowledgements” section. Here are questions to get you started:

• Do you want to dedicate your work to someone? 
• What ideas sparked your interest in this journey? 
• Who cheered you on? 

This practice can help build momentum, as well as serve as a good reminder to carve out time to spend with your community. 

You got this!

Writing is a process. Give yourself grace, as you might not feel motivated all the time. Be consistent in your approach and reward yourself along the way. There is no single strategy when it comes to writing or maintaining motivation, so experiment and find out what works for you. 

Suggested readings

• Thriving as a Graduate Writer by Rachel Cayley (2023)
• Destination Dissertation by Sonja K. Foss and William Waters (2015)
• The PhD Writing Handbook by Desmond Thomas (2016).

Mabel Ho is director of professional development and student engagement at Dalhousie University.

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Ten things I wish I'd known before starting my dissertation

The sun is shining but many students won't see the daylight. Because it's that time of year again – dissertation time.

Luckily for me, my D-Day (dissertation hand-in day) has already been and gone. But I remember it well.

The 10,000-word spiral-bound paper squatted on my desk in various forms of completion was my Allied forces; the history department in-tray was my Normandy. And when Eisenhower talked about a "great crusade toward which we have striven these many months", he was bang on.

I remember first encountering the Undergraduate Dissertation Handbook, feeling my heart sink at how long the massive file took to download, and began to think about possible (but in hindsight, wildly over-ambitious) topics. Here's what I've learned since, and wish I'd known back then…

1 ) If your dissertation supervisor isn't right, change. Mine was brilliant. If you don't feel like they're giving you the right advice, request to swap to someone else – providing it's early on and your reason is valid, your department shouldn't have a problem with it. In my experience, it doesn't matter too much whether they're an expert on your topic. What counts is whether they're approachable, reliable, reassuring, give detailed feedback and don't mind the odd panicked email. They are your lifeline and your best chance of success.

2 ) If you mention working on your dissertation to family, friends or near-strangers, they will ask you what it's about, and they will be expecting a more impressive answer than you can give. So prepare for looks of confusion and disappointment. People anticipate grandeur in history dissertation topics – war, genocide, the formation of modern society. They don't think much of researching an obscure piece of 1970s disability legislation. But they're not the ones marking it.

3 ) If they ask follow-up questions, they're probably just being polite.

4 ) Do not ask friends how much work they've done. You'll end up paranoid – or they will. Either way, you don't have time for it.

5 ) There will be one day during the process when you will freak out, doubt your entire thesis and decide to start again from scratch. You might even come up with a new question and start working on it, depending on how long the breakdown lasts. You will at some point run out of steam and collapse in an exhausted, tear-stained heap. But unless there are serious flaws in your work (unlikely) and your supervisor recommends starting again (highly unlikely), don't do it. It's just panic, it'll pass.

6 ) A lot of the work you do will not make it into your dissertation. The first few days in archives, I felt like everything I was unearthing was a gem, and when I sat down to write, it seemed as if it was all gold. But a brutal editing down to the word count has left much of that early material at the wayside.

7 ) You will print like you have never printed before. If you're using a university or library printer, it will start to affect your weekly budget in a big way. If you're printing from your room, "paper jam" will come to be the most dreaded two words in the English language.

8 ) Your dissertation will interfere with whatever else you have going on – a social life, sporting commitments, societies, other essay demands. Don't even try and give up biscuits for Lent, they'll basically become their own food group when you're too busy to cook and desperate for sugar.

9 ) Your time is not your own. Even if you're super-organised, plan your time down to the last hour and don't have a single moment of deadline panic, you'll still find that thoughts of your dissertation will creep up on you when you least expect it. You'll fall asleep thinking about it, dream about it and wake up thinking about. You'll feel guilty when you're not working on it, and mired in self-doubt when you are.

10 ) Finishing it will be one of the best things you've ever done. It's worth the hard work to know you've completed what's likely to be your biggest, most important, single piece of work. Be proud of it.

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Dissertation examples

Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.

• Undergraduate examples
• Taught Masters examples

How to Create an Effective Dissertation Presentation

For many students, the task of writing a lengthy dissertation is so daunting that they forget about the need for Dissertation Presentation! Amidst all the hard work of researching and writing, students in some courses still need to prepare for a high-quality presentation that will help them earn top marks. This article will help you prepare and give you some essential tips for success.

The Purpose of Dissertation Presentation

There are two main types of Dissertation Presentation that are normally encountered in UK universities:

Mid-Research Presentations

Students will often be asked to present their dissertation work at a mid-point in their research. These presentations are usually made to a panel comprised of various faculty members from your department. In addition, they are sometimes structured as a postgraduate seminar, in which fellow students also attend. Both faculty and students can pose questions. The purpose of these Mid-Research Dissertation presentations is to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their progress and identify any weak areas that need to be addressed.

Assessment Presentations

Students are also sometimes required to make a Dissertation Presentation as part of their overall assessment . This is a much more formal presentation than the Mid-Research one, and it is usually open only to the student, examiners and the research supervisor. During an Assessment Dissertation Presentation, the student is required to present a summary of their research and results. They will then be asked questions by the examiners in a somewhat lengthy oral examination. The purpose of this Dissertation Presentation is to assess the student’s original research project and test its scholarly validity.

Differences in Undergraduate and Masters Presentations

Dissertation Presentations may be required at both Undergraduate (Bachelors) and Postgraduate (Masters) levels. The key difference between these levels is the length and degree of originality expected. Postgraduate Dissertation Presentations will normally be longer than Undergraduate Presentations, and they will demonstrate a greater degree of critical engagement with the subject matter. They will also demonstrate some degree of original thinking. By contrast, most Bachelors Dissertation Presentations will be shorter in length and will only require a thorough knowledge of the topic rather than an original scholarly contribution of any kind.

What to Include

• Broad subject area – What subject area of your discipline does your work fall into?
• Narrow topic area – Within this subject area, what is your specific topic? (This may be simply an expanded discussion of your research title).
• Relevant Existing Studies – What studies have already been done on your specific topic? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How does your work fit among them?
• Methodology and Philosophy – What methodology have you chosen to conduct your research? Is there a specific philosophical context? Why is this a good approach?
• Project Resources – If this is a Mid-Research Presentation, what resources do you require to complete the project? Furthermore, have you identified likely sources of funding, or do you need any difficult-to-acquire materials?
• Case Studies – If you’ve conducted practical fieldwork or lab research, why did you choose these cases or projects? How are they the best choices for researching your topic?
• Research Results – If this is a Dissertation Presentation for Assessment, note the results of your research in detail. Relate these back to your theoretical framework and discuss how the results support or contradict existing studies.

How to Prepare for your Dissertation Presentation

The best way to prepare for your Dissertation Presentation is to review your work carefully. Take notes of the key decisions you have made throughout your research and the scholarly literature that supports these choices. Make sure that you have a thorough understanding of the scholarly context of your research, which should have been achieved in your early research stages.

Once your content has been written, you should create a PowerPoint presentation to use during your talk. Don’t forget the slides should be informative but not wordy – keep bullet points concise and use pictures sparingly. Make sure that you rehearse your presentation several times.

What Sort of Questions to Prepare For Dissertation Presentation

The questions you will face in a Dissertation Presentation are designed to test your knowledge of the subject area and your awareness of the context of your work. You will be asked questions to determine how well you understand the potential criticisms of your project, and how well you are able to defend this. Therefore, remember to reference established scholars and existing research.

You might be asked about the specific choices you’re made with regard to methodology and case studies, and how you accounted for any possible inaccuracies in your resulting data. Similarly, examiners frequently ask students what they would do differently if they were starting the same project again.

You should also be prepared to answer questions about the ways your research might be applied within your field, and how it might be supplemented in future. This is an effective way for examiners to assess the originality of your research, and consider its potential impact on your subject area.

How to Earn a High Mark

Much of your dissertation mark will come from the written work and the research project it represents. However, a good Dissertation Presentation will help make a strong case for a good overall mark, whereas a weak Presentation will confirm any doubts in the examiners’ minds. As such, here are a few key areas for success:

• Good Presentation Skills. As with any Presentation, it is important to speak clearly and concisely. Stand still and look your audience in the eye, and try not to rely too much on notes. Be sure to keep breathing and don’t rush your words!
• Knowledge of the Topic. If you truly have a good understanding of your topic you will be likely to do very well. Remember, much of the Dissertation Presentation is designed simply to test your knowledge. If you’ve kept pace with your reading assignments and practical work you should have no problem answering any questions that are posed to you.
• Professional Behaviour. Stay calm and focused during your Presentation, and answer any questions with objectivity and professionalism. Don’t be drawn into debates, but instead offer references to other scholars whose work supports your own agenda.
• Take Your Time . Many students make the mistake of rushing through their material and answering questions too quickly. This doesn’t give the audience a chance to thoroughly understand the quality of your work. Furthermore, it risks leaving out essential information and neglecting to demonstrate the depth of your research.

Academic Manual

• 4. Marking & Moderation

Section 4: Marking & Moderation

Published for 2023-24

4.1 Overarching Principles

4.2 responsibilities, 4.3 markers, 4.4 anonymity, 4.5 marking criteria, 4.6 second marking, 4.6.1 minimum requirements, 4.6.2 parity meetings, 4.6.3 sampling, 4.6.4 reconciliation of marks, 4.6.5 third markers, 4.6.6 documentation of marking, 4.7 internal moderation, advice for students.

Further information and advice for students about assessment is available on the  Examinations & Awards webpages .

Recent Changes

A guide to changes to the regulations are available from the  Recent Changes  page.

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Just got my dissertation grade back and I am gutted :-(

Icanonlytry · 28/01/2012 15:56

Can you investigate it and dispute it? If it is so out of character, it is worth looking into.

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There should be separate reports from each of your markers and then an agreed feedback sheet to you. I would ask to see them (they cannot be witheld if you ask) as it might throw up discrepancies, or suggest, as Linerunner says that one of them hasnt read it properly. Normally UG dissertations are not marked externally as a matter of course but you can ask for it to go to a third internal marker as far as I know - most departments would do this. However, it would be better for you if you can put forward some reasons why you believe it deserved more than a 2:2 rather than just complaining. TBH if I marked a dissertation at 56% it would be quite poor and I would need to provide significant reasons why it was marked so low. I know its hard doing this with an infant - I've been there and you have my sympathies - but after three years you cant throw it away. Ask for an extension and then as Linerunner says, ask on here - its surprising how varied the knowledge is!

I am a lecturer (not in your field) and I agree with Mytholmroyd, it sounds like there is a big mismatch between the comments and the grade. In my field, a 56 for a dissertation would have comments that were more along the lines of 'your literature review demonstrated some familiarity with the field but the range of sources cited was too narrow and lacked engagement with theoretical perspectives' etc. I would get hold of a copy of the assessment criteria, map the comments against them, and query this. IME most students get their best mark for their dissertation, and it is very unusual for the mark to fall this far below their average. If it's not that an error has been made in marking it, then you might well have grounds for complaint about the adequacy of your supervision.

when I was choosing my title my supervisor said that certain types of dissertations cannot be marked high because the marking criteria was biased to other types so you could do a flawless lit based dissertation but never get a first in it because the criteria is aimed more at lab/field/survey based ones does that ring any bells?

I imagine that leadership doesn't need to be you leading but also being led, if that helps? The reflective account do you have notes of things you've done? As its reflective it can be based in the past and ML would be an understandable reason for it to be a fairly long time ago.

There are quite a few books on reflective writing, if that helps.

I have just received my UG dissertation result and I am devastated. The feedback has not been issued yet but I got 58% and this is 20% lower than my marks for the rest of the year. In the days leading upto the deadline I had a massive dispute with the old programme leader regarding the supervision and I feel really sabotaged... Surely I can't have got 20% less in this assignment than every other assignment this year! I was predicted a first class degree and now it's down the drain.....

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George Clooney to make his Broadway debut in a play version of movie 'Good Night, and Good Luck'

George Clooney will make his Broadway acting debut next year in a familiar project for the Hollywood star: “Good Night, and Good Luck.”

NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) — George Clooney will make his Broadway acting debut next year in a familiar project for the Hollywood star: “Good Night, and Good Luck.”

Clooney will play legendary TV journalist Edward R. Murrow in a stage adaptation of the 2005 movie that earned him directing and writing Oscar nominations and was among the best picture contenders.

“I am honored, after all these years, to be coming back to the stage and especially, to Broadway, the art form and the venue that every actor aspires to,” Clooney said in a statement.

The play “Good Night, and Good Luck” — with David Cromer directing — will premiere on Broadway in spring 2025 at a Shubert Theatre to be announced. It will be again co-written by Clooney and Grant Heslov.

The 90-minute black-and-white film starred David Strathairn as Murrow and is a natural to be turned into a play: The dialogue-heavy action unfolds on handful of sets. The title comes from Murrow's signoff on the TV series “See It Now.”

A key part of Clooney’s film portrayed Murrow’s struggle to maintain support from CBS executives for critical reporting on Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, known for accusing government employees of disloyalty. Clooney played “See It Now” co-creator Fred Friendly, who resisted intense pressure and ensured the reports got to air.

Murrow, who died in 1965, is considered one of the architects of U.S. broadcast news.

“Edward R. Murrow operated from a kind of moral clarity that feels vanishingly rare in today’s media landscape. There was an immediacy in those early live television broadcasts that today can only be effectively captured on stage, in front of a live audience,” Cromer said in a statement.

The Clooneys are boosters of journalism. Clooney’s father, Nick Clooney, worked as a TV news anchor and host in a variety of cities including Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. He also wrote a newspaper column in Cincinnati and taught journalism students at American University.

At the time the movie came out, Clooney said his family took pride in how journalists held the government accountable during the paranoia of the 1950s communist threat. Clooney said he wanted to make a movie to let people hear some “really well-written words about the fourth estate again.”

Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits

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'Too good to be true': Those who invested with former Copley coach share their stories

A t the urging of former Copley High School basketball coach Mark Dente , a West Akron man took out 20 loans that totaled nearly $500,000. 

He signed them over to AEM Services LLC, Dente’s real estate investment company. 

For three years, Dente made the payments on the loans and the man was able to withdraw funds. 

That stopped in April 2022 when Dente’s business began spiraling , with talks of it being a Ponzi scheme. 

“What about all these damn loans?” the man asked Dente. 

He said Dente responded, “None of them are in my name."

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” the man said. 

The man, who is 61, took $200,000 from his retirement funds to repay what was still owed on the loans. He returned to work to replace his lost retirement money. 

The man, who asked that his name not be used, is among 800 people who invested $220 million with Dente and his company, thinking it was being used to buy, renovate and sell homes.

Instead, the money was treated by Dente and his associates as a “personal slush fund,” attorneys allege in court records.

Dente used the money for mortgage and college tuition payments, to buy a vacation home and a house for his business partner, and to pay for a boat, jet ski, medical bills, gas, groceries, and meals at local restaurants, according to court records. 

Dozens of investors sued Dente in Summit County Common Pleas Court in the spring of 2022. The court has appointed Mark Dottore, a receiver in Cleveland, to try to recoup the money they lost. 

Dente is being investigated for possible criminal charges by the state and the FBI. 

Dente, who doesn’t currently have an attorney, has said in court documents that he didn’t act “maliciously, fraudulently or intentionally,” though he conceded that “inadequate controls and accounting practices may have led to comingled funds.” 

Mark Dente Ponzi scheme: 'Net winners' in former Copley coach's real estate business are being sued. Here's why

The Beacon Journal sought out investors who entrusted their money to Dente and were willing to share their experiences. Some, including an Akron man who filed for bankruptcy, a Richfield attorney who signed over his IRA to AEM, and a local female business owner who invested big — and lost it all — weren’t willing to talk. 

Among those who were, a few didn’t want their names used, either because of embarrassment or out of concern for the ongoing investigations and court cases. 

Others, however, were fine with their names being used. They wanted to share their frustration with a process that has dragged on for more than two years with no money returned and no charges filed. 

“My confidence in a resolution is: zero,” said Ian Spellman, 40, of Canfield, who invested $69,500 with AEM. “Nothing has happened. We have proof all this happened. Dente is out there. The justice system is flawed when you need it to work for you.” 

Spellman, who is a mortgage loan officer, is among several people in his family – including two of his brothers and his parents – who invested with Dente and let their investments roll over. When they realized the company was going south, they asked to withdraw their money. 

So far, they have gotten nothing back. They still hope for a resolution, even if it doesn’t involve the return of all their money. 

“I want something to happen,” Spellman said.  

The investors also hope that others will learn from their mistakes and not fall prey to similar schemes.  

“If it’s too good to be true, obviously it isn’t,” the West Akron investor said. 

Lorain County man borrows against his home to invest with Mark Dente 

A Lorain County man had invested in real estate before when he heard about Dente and his company about three years ago. 

He said Mark Gathagan, vice president of capital investment and finance with AEM, told him about two parts of the business – one that involved buying and rehabbing homes and flipping them and another that involved buying properties from banks at discounted prices and selling them.

Mark Dente Ponzi scheme: What's a Ponzi scheme and who is Ponzi? UA business professor sheds light on investments

The man made several investments in the flipping business that totaled $175,000. He later invested in short-term promissory notes toward the bulk-property or wholesaling business. 

He was earning 15% per year, paid quarterly. He kept the accumulating funds with AEM, not withdrawing any money. 

When he invested in the short-term notes, he borrowed $200,000 against his home, which was paid off at the time. 

He started getting suspicious in late 2021 and early 2022 when he realized he wasn’t earning what was promised on his investments. He said he asked Gathagan and got excuses like the banks being behind and the COVID-19 pandemic causing delays. 

When he realized that AEM was in trouble, he demanded his money be returned. He gave a one-month notice — six times. 

He said he never got back any of the $388,000 he invested. He also had to pay off what he borrowed against his home. 

“I paid for my home and paid for half again,” he said. 

This turn of events was made worse by the fact that this was the second time he’d lost money to a scheme like this.  

“When you add up what I lost, I lost everything I ever made while I was working,” said the man, who’s in his 60s. “I lived my life out of a suitcase to make a better living. In the end, it got me nothing. I was taken by shady people.” 

He works in the technology business and had hoped to be retired by this point in his life. Instead, he’s still working and isn’t sure when he can retire. 

“There’s been a whole lot of lost sleep,” he said 

He said he’s haunted by the question: “How could I have been so stupid?” 

He said he doesn’t understand what’s happening with the receiver’s efforts or with the criminal investigations. 

“I feel left dangled by the whole process with no information, no nothing,” he said. “I feel like I’m flying blind.” 

Spellman family members and friends invest with former Copley coach

Ian Spellman heard about AEM from the friend of a co-worker. 

Because Spellman was a mortgage lender, he was familiar with the real estate world. In September 2021, he talked to Gathagan, who explained AEM would buy a batch of distressed homes, fix them up in 20 to 30 days and sell them in 45 to 60 days. 

“That was part of the allure,” said Spellman, who is married and has three young children. “A quick process. Get in and out.” 

Spellman made several investments and — happy with the profits he was seeing — kept his money rolling with AEM. His goal was to try to double his investment. 

Spellman said he was the guinea pig for his family members, who planned to invest as well if he was pleased. 

“Let me be the test and try it,” he recalls telling them. “If it works, it works. Don’t risk the money if you don’t have the money to lose.” 

Marie and Lloyd Spellman, Ian’s parents, invested. Levi and Jordan Spellman, Ian’s brothers, also joined in, as did one of their cousins and several family friends. 

When the Spellmans became concerned about their investments in early 2022, they asked for their money back but didn’t get it. 

The Spellmans were among the investors who sued Dente and his company. That lawsuit is among the many that have been stayed while the receiver does his work. 

Altogether, the Spellmans and their friends are owed more than $3.5 million by AEM, according to court documents. 

Levi Spellman, 43, who was in grad school at the time, talked his fiancée, Jessica Hilgendorf, into kicking in half of a $25,000 investment. They never withdrew the money, instead letting it ride.  

Levi Spellman said he and Hilgendorf, who were about to buy a home in Colorado Springs and start a family, felt the loss. 

“It’s had an impact on us, for sure,” said Levi Spellman, who is a public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management. 

Levi Spellman said the loss also hit his parents hard, who were preparing for retirement and are concerned about health care emergencies. He said losing $25,000 took away their discretionary money. 

Jordan Spellman, Ian and Levi’s brother who lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, and invested $150,000 in AEM, alerted the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI.  

“It is upsetting – to say the least,” said Jordan Spellman, 37, a psychiatrist who is married with one child. “How would anybody feel to have $150,000 in cash disappear out of a bank account tomorrow morning? No genie stole it from me, but I was still being told one thing — and something completely different was going on.” 

The Spellmans have completed recently questionnaires sent to AEM investors by the Ohio Department of Commerce Securities Division and the FBI. They hope Dente and his associates will face charges. 

“They are walking around, living in houses that they stole money from good, hard-working citizens to purchase,” Jordan Spellman said. “They are enjoying family events and holidays with friends – spending the money they stole.” 

West Akron man applies for loans to invest with Dente 

The West Akron man who took out loans — and had to pay part of them back himself — said he was enticed into investing with AEM by Dente. 

“The story he gave me was, ‘If you have good credit, you should invest with me. It won’t cost you anything and you’ll make a lot of money,’” the man recalled. “That’s how it started.” 

He said Dente, whom he knew to be a winning basketball coach at Copley High School, came to his home. Dente put him in touch with a woman named Jocelyn who ran his credit report, then said he needed to pay off his credit cards. 

He said Dente wrote him a check to cover the $5,300 he owed on his credit cards. This boosted his credit score and Dente said he could now apply for loans. 

“Is this legitimate?” he recalls asking Dente about the loans. “By that time, the train had left the station.” 

More: Where's the money? Investigator says millions still missing in Mark Dente investment probe

Armed with information he had provided, Jocelyn began applying for loans on his behalf. By the end of the month, he had nearly $500,000 in his account. 

Dente asked him to make certified checks out to AEM in staggered amounts. He took checks to Dente until he’d given him all the loan money. 

“I don’t know what he was doing with the money he was getting – probably paying off those other ones,” the man said of the other investors. “I don’t know how it worked. I never asked, though.” 

He said Dente made the minimum payments due on the loans every month until the spring of 2022. He said he made a few draws from the account, using the last one to pay the loan payments that were due. 

Concerned that it was his name on the loans, the man withdrew money from his retirement funds to pay off the rest of the loans. 

“It’s just unfortunate I had to spend my retirement to get me out of hot water,” said the man, who is married with three kids. 

He went back to work and has since retired for a second time. 

AEM investors learn tough lessons 

The AEM investors say they have learned valuable lessons. 

The Lorain County investor said he’s going to stick with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and CDs for his investments. 

“I don’t think I’ll buy anything that’s not just mainstream,” he said. 

He said investors might just get a 5% return on an investment with a company like Fidelity but they are at least unlikely to lose that 5%. 

The West Akron investor said he’s going to only trust his money to reputable investors and listen to his “gut.” 

“I trusted him,” he said of Dente. “I turned a blind eye. I should have followed my gut.” 

Levi Spellman said he and his brothers came from meager means but made something of themselves. 

“We all worked hard, took chances, sacrificed things — maybe traits that are the same things that made us an easy target for this kind of fraud,” he said.  

Levi wonders if what happened with AEM is a symptom of a larger problem with a society that entices people to take risks they shouldn’t to try to get ahead. 

“It’s just reinforced my worst fears about who we are as a nation — what our institutions really protect and stand for and that doing all the things right isn’t enough,” he said. “We should be looking to fix the circumstances that put us here in the first place.” 

Stephanie Warsmith can be reached at [email protected] , 330-996-3705 and on Twitter: @swarsmithabj. 

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'Too good to be true': Those who invested with former Copley coach share their stories

'Live' Fans Can't Stop Laughing About How Mark Consuelos "Embarrassed" Kelly Ripa at the Airport

The married co-hosts described a recent travel situation on-air, much to the audience's delight.

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On the May 13 episode of Live With Kelly and Mark , the married couple were talking about a recent trip they took together and got into a story about attempting to make their flight on time. The duo explained that they needed to be escorted quickly to the plane on a shuttle driven by airport staff ... and their journey came with a few hilarious bumps along the way.

"We were on a plane for 15,000 hours yesterday, but it seemed much longer," Kelly began the tale in a video posted on TikTok . "We were late for our connecting flight, so we had to get on one of those shuttle carts that they ring the bell and they make people move out of the way."

Kelly demonstrated how mortified she was by the whole ordeal, covering her face with her hands and crouching down in her seat. While Kelly was embarrassed by the situation, Mark had a completely different reaction to the attention.

"She's down like this, and I'm proud," Mark jokingly added. "Like, get out of the way! Move, move! "I love it — I wanna drive it."

"For me, I'd rather miss the flight than do that," Kelly emphasized. "It's so mortifying."

Upon hearing the couple share their respective sides of the story, viewers rushed to the comments to weigh in with their thoughts.

"15,000 hours but seemed much longer!! FACTS!!" one person wrote. "Kelly I feel your pain!!!" a different follower added.

On the other hand, fans also got a kick out of Mark's attitude. "Mark is so hilarious 😂 love you two 👍👍❤️❤️," one follower wrote. "Mark 'I want to drive it.' 😂 beep beep 🤣," another cracked up. "Ok best Kelly & Mark story that I've heard from these two 🤣🤣🤣," a final fan concluded.

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Mets are calling up Mark Vientos, source said. Why now?

NEW YORK — In three of the last five games, New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza replaced third baseman Brett Baty with a right-handed pinch hitter against a lefty reliever during the late innings. The pattern revealed an issue. For as good as Baty has performed defensively, the Mets just haven’t received enough from him offensively, particularly against lefties from the left-handed batting Baty.

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Perhaps if the Mets were receiving steady contributions from several others in their lineup, it would’ve been something they could wait on a bit longer.

But that’s not how it has played out. On Wednesday, Mark Vientos will join the club in Philadelphia, club sources said.

New York ’s offense has been inconsistent through 41 games. Over each of their last five games, they’ve been held to four runs or less. On Tuesday at Citi Field, the Mets were shut out for the fourth time, losing 4-0 to the Philadelphia Phillies and Aaron Nola , who pitched all nine innings and didn’t give up a hit until the sixth.

The Mets (19-22), losers of four of their last five, needed the offensive facet of their team to get going. So they decided to do something about it.

Today is a day that ends in y. That means that Mark Vientos just drove in another run. pic.twitter.com/dcBwaTGTiK — Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) May 9, 2024

The Mets viewed now as an especially good time to recall Vientos, a right-handed batter, because they anticipate seeing a batch of left-handed pitchers — they will face the Phillies’ Ranger Suarez and later this week head to Miami where the Marlins feature four lefties in their rotation.

The way some within the Mets see it, the situation presents a good opportunity for Vientos to get consistent at-bats, and in their eyes, help their offense.

The Mets don’t have to make a corresponding move until Wednesday, but a source said utility infielder Joey Wendle was set to be designated for assignment. The New York Post first reported the Wendle move.

Besides their regular starters, their only other infielder is Wendle, who failed to get a bunt down in extra innings Monday, went 0-for-2 in a start Tuesday and hasn’t gotten going defensively or offensively in a utility role in which he is expected to do all the little things right. The Mets could look at parting with their infield depth up the middle as a necessary risk to ignite their offense.

The Mets plan to keep Baty with the club, sources said. And that would create an interesting dynamic with both Vientos and Baty at the same position, third base. From the perspective of some within the club, Baty still provides good defense, and creating competition might bring the best out of both players.

The Mets’ OPS at third base is just .618, better than only five other teams. After going 0-for-3 with a strikeout Tuesday, Baty is slashing .230/.292/.317. Over the last seven games, he is 1-for-22. Before Tuesday’s loss, Mendoza said he considered giving Baty a day off; from the manager’s view, Baty has been too passive early in counts and then chased too much once he fell behind. Against lefties, Baty has a .476 OPS.

Still, the Mets like his improved defense and energy, and at 24 years old, it’s hard to completely cut the cord on him in the middle of May.

On the other hand, this is about the time when Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said he starts to put more weight on results. And Baty’s offensive results have not been good.

Vientos may provide help. Vientos was a late scratch Tuesday at Triple-A Syracuse, where he was batting .285/.376/.500 in 31 games. There are questions about his defense at third base, and whether he can consistently hit right-handed pitchers, but there are far fewer concerns about his ability to hit lefties. Vientos made a short appearance with the Mets earlier this season, appearing in three games while Starling Marte was on the bereavement list. In one of those games, he hit a walk-off home run. Since the Mets sent him back to Syracuse, Vientos has produced a .743 OPS in eight games.

Over the last couple of years, Vientos, 24, has responded to the Mets sending him back down to Syracuse by continuing to hit. With J.D. Martinez taking everyday at-bats at designated hitter, Vientos’ shot at sticking probably comes down to whether he can hit enough while seeing time over Baty at third base in the stretch ahead. It’s his first legitimate shot of the season.

Pitching change

The Mets also scratched pitcher Joey Lucchesi from his scheduled start at Triple A. That’s because Lucchesi will start Wednesday’s game in Philadelphia, a source said.

Originally, the Mets planned to start Adrian Houser , who was recently demoted from the rotation. But Houser warmed up twice in the Mets’ bullpen Tuesday so Mendoza said he would not be able to start.

The change in pitching plans traces back to a season-long problem with issuing far too many walks. The Mets’ bullpen on Tuesday was limited, so Houser lingered as a last-resort option. The Mets needed him to get warm because they were on the verge of needing to use him since starter Jose Buttó lasted just five innings. Buttó walked four batters. Reliever Jake Diekman lasted just two-thirds of an inning because he issued three walks. On Tuesday, the Mets gave out eight free passes. They own the majors’ highest walk rate at 11.6 percent.

(Photo of Mark Vientos hitting in Triple A: Jonathan Tenca / Cal Sport Media via Associated Press)

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Will Sammon is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New York Mets. A native of Queens, New York, Will previously covered the Milwaukee Brewers and Florida Gators football for The Athletic, starting in 2018. Before that, he covered Mississippi State for The Clarion-Ledger, Mississippi’s largest newspaper. Follow Will on Twitter @ WillSammon

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Steve cohen seemingly gives away mets’ trade deadline plans in deleted tweet.

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Steve Cohen may already be on to the 2025 season.

The Mets’ owner allegedly posted and then deleted a tweet Wednesday night that seemingly indicated the team is already planning to trade away players this summer.

Responding to a tweet highlighting a post about potentially blowing up the roster to help future seasons, Cohen allegedly tweeted : “All in the future, not much we we can do until trade deadline.”

Cohen is known for sharing his thoughts on X, both good and bad, and this deleted remark certainly is a notable one for its potential meaning.

The Mets owner, though, did tell SNY that he meant to send a direct message instead of a tweet, and he still has his sights set on this year’s postseason.

“I believe in this team,” Cohen told the outlet. “I believe in the back of the baseball card. It’s way too early to speculate on anything. It’s May 16. I expect to make the playoffs. I know the fan base is frustrated, but it’s still early. We’re still very capable of making the playoffs. I fully expect to make the playoffs.”

The 2024 season has long been viewed as a transition year for the Mets, with the potential to win a wild-card spot but realistically not being on par with the Braves and Phillies.

The Mets, who entered Thursday 19-23 after a fourth loss in five games Wednesday night , have largely proven to be a mediocre team that figures to be around .500 all season .

The 2025 season has been viewed as the year when the Mets go all-in, especially with Juan Soto a free agent , and the Mets’ offseason moves revolved around one-year deals to keep offseason flexibility.

One of the perks of one-year deals is the ability to trade such players, and many have speculated that Luis Severino, J.D. Martinez and others could be traded if things go south.

The tweet Cohen responded to centered on a Mets fan’s post touching on the reaction to a previous tweet about a “Let’s Blow It Up” post.

Part of blowing it up involves trades and Cohen’s reply certainly makes it seem that the Mets will not shy away from another trade deadline as sellers aimed to replenish the farm system.

The comment reads as if Cohen is saying the Mets won’t be able to start shedding pieces until they get closer to the deadline, although the Marlins have done so already.

The most fascinating part of a potential Mets sell-off is whether the team would listen on Pete Alonso, who will be a free agent this offseason.

For now, the Mets will try to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Phillies in Thursday’s series finale before finally getting a reprieve when they face the hapless Marlins on Friday in Miami.

The Mets entered Thursday 11 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, but just one game behind the Padres, Diamondbacks and Nationals for the third and final wild-card spot.

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Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

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Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

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UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

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Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia