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Friday 11 October 2013 The Dissertation Sandra Eden (Director of Teaching) Lindsay Jack (Director of the Student Exper

From the makers of LawPALS comes. Friday 11 October 2013 The Dissertation Sandra Eden (Director of Teaching) Lindsay Jack (Director of the Student Experience) Nimarta Cheema Helen-Anne Lyle Jamie Reid Murray Towers (Diploma students and Edinburgh LLB Graduates).

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Friday 11 October 2013 The Dissertation Sandra Eden (Director of Teaching) Lindsay Jack (Director of the Student Exper

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  1. From the makers of LawPALS comes Friday 11 October 2013 The Dissertation Sandra Eden(Director of Teaching) Lindsay Jack (Director of the Student Experience) Nimarta CheemaHelen-Anne LyleJamie ReidMurray Towers(Diploma students and Edinburgh LLB Graduates) Building on your success to help you build your future…

  2. What is it? • Daunting? • Extended research and extended writing. • Test ability to work autonomously. • Opportunity to really get in-depth in a subject you like. • Around 10,000 words (25 pages) • Supervision…

  3. LLB Aims and Objectives: Year 4 • Through discussion, isolate an appropriate topic for research, develop a plan and realise that plan in an extended piece of work. • Structure a substantial and appropriately referenced piece of work, present it concisely and express yourself clearly and coherently. • Develop a working knowledge and critical understanding of key literature in the chosen field. • Explain and justify research methods used where appropriate. • Manage an extended period of time independently to achieve different goals. • Produce a creative piece of work, with a high standard of analysis, which displays systematic and discriminatory understandingof the literature of the field and builds substantially upon knowledge and analysis developed in third year.

  4. Time Management Tips • Formulate a timetable for your research. • Set yourself intermediate deadlines in order to break down the dissertation into more manageable, bite-sized pieces. • Note sources as you go along rather than scramble for references at the last minute. • Dissertation = 1/3 of fourth year workload so allocate your time accordingly.

  5. Advanced Legal Methods • Course materials available to all fourth years. Look back to email for link. • Lecture slides will be useful. • No need to get caught up in terminology. • In learning how to break down arguments, you can analyse sources and also apply the same rigour to your own writing.

  6. Finalising the title • Title must be agreed with supervisor by Friday 11 October (ie TODAY)! • Thereafter only minor adjustments to wording are permitted, and only if approved by supervisor.

  7. Meeting 2, wk of 4 Nov: Planning • Students must submit a plan of their dissertation and a sample of writing (2 pages max) to their supervisor by email during week 7 (week beginning 28 Oct). • Meeting in week 8 will: a) discuss plan, and b) use sample writing to comment on style of writing and system of referencing

  8. Meeting 3, wk of 20 Jan: Group • Joint session involving brief presentations by the students on their progress. • Sessions will be staff led, but will encourage communication of problems and solutions between students.

  9. Final (draft) meeting, wk of 24 Feb/3 Mar • In advance of this final meeting the student will provide the supervisor with an extract from the dissertation (max 3000 words). Supervisors will discuss the draft and will address any questions concerning progress. • This should show that the bulk of the research is complete and writing is well under way, but choose the section submitted with care to maximise benefit of this session.

  10. Submission date: 27 March by 2 pm Leave sufficient time to read draft carefully. If possible ask someone else to read it over for typos etc.

  11. Dissertation marking scale See http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/docs/583_markingcriteria.doc

  12. D: 40-49% (3rd) Third Class marks are awarded to dissertations that show some knowledge of primary sources (where relevant) and of secondary sources with some supporting argument and engagement with those sources. The organisation may be poorly suited to facilitate the argument. They will tend to lack imagination and display little insight into the topic. The methodology may be imperfect and lack a proper defence (where relevant). The writing may be clumsy and references inadequate.

  13. C: 50-59% (2:2) Second Class Division Two marks are awarded to dissertations that show adequate knowledge of primary sources (where relevant) and some knowledge of secondary sources. The dissertation should be structured but may be deficient in logical organisation. The work should show an understanding of the topic. The methodology should be properly defended (where relevant). The dissertation should be reasonably well written and adequately referenced.

  14. B: 60-69% (2:1) Second Class Division One marks are awarded to dissertations that show substantial knowledge and understanding of the primary sources (where relevant) and an understanding of the secondary sources. The dissertation as a whole should be reasonably concise and have a structure that is clear and coherent. It should show critical insight into the topic and good analytical skills. The methodology should be properly defended (where relevant). The dissertation should be written in a way that is reasonably clear and concise and be referenced reasonably well.

  15. A: 70+% (1st) For a first class mark a candidate should show substantial knowledge and critical understanding of the primary sources (where relevant) and a thorough and critical understanding of the secondary sources. The dissertation as a whole should be concise and have a structure that facilitates a proper development of the argument. There should be evidence of imagination, creativity, critical insight and analytical rigour. The methodology should be appropriate and properly defended (where relevant). The dissertation should be written clearly, concisely and intelligently and be well referenced.

  16. Footnotes • Make sure that if an idea is not your own your provide a reference to its source. • Use footnotes for references only - NOT to squeeze in extra content.

  17. Referencing conventions • Be consistent! • It doesn’t matter which convention you use as long as you use the same convention throughout. • For an example see e.g. Edinburgh Law Review style at http://www.eupjournals.com/page/elr/submissions

  18. Articles E Durfee, “Revocation of wills by subsequent change in the condition or circumstances of the testator” (1942) 40 MichLRev 406. R A Hughes, “Mutual wills and contracts not to revoke – the case of voluntary and involuntary revocation” (1999) 3 Journal of South Pacific Law 1 at 6.

  19. Books D Johnston, Prescription and Limitation (1999) 231. W M Gordon, Scottish Land Law, 2nd edn (1999) para 12-24. W A Wilson and A G M Duncan, Trusts, Trustees and Executors, 2nd edn (1995) ch 4. New edition by different author:   W M Gloag and R C Henderson, The Law of Scotland, 11th edn, by L Dunlop et al (2001) para 45.07 Chapter in an edited book:   J Blackie, “T B Smith as a Legal Historian”, in E Reid and D L Carey Miller (eds), A Mixed Legal System in Transition: T B Smith and the Progress of Scots Law (2005) 73 at 79.

  20. Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia • Article in the original, 25-volume Encyclopaedia:   J M Thomson, “Fraud”, in The Laws of Scotland: Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia vol 11 (1990) para 733. • Article in the Reissue:   N R Whitty, “Nuisance”, in The Laws of Scotland: Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia, Reissue (2001) para 57.

  21. Cases • Milligan’s JF v Milligan 1910 SC 58. Macdonald v City of Glasgow Bank (1879) 6 R 621 at 629 per Lord President Inglis. Burnett’s Tr v Grainger [2004] UKHL 8, 2004 SC (HL) 19 at para 161 per Lord Rodger of Earlsferry. I [2005] CSIH 6, 2005 SC 182. Bowman v Fels [2005] EWCA Civ 226, [2005] 1 WLR 3083. Where the reference includes both first instance and appeal, indicate whether the appeal court affirmed the lower court (“affd”) or reversed it (“ rev”). Thus:  Grampian Joint Police Board v Pearson 2000 SLT 90 affd 2001 SC 772.

  22. Institutional writers/Roman authorities • Stair, Inst 2.3.5. Bell, Comm I, 325. Bell, Prin § 605.  J Inst 2.3.5. Gai Inst 2.97 D 50.16.23 C 2.1

  23. Official publications • Official Report of the Scottish Parliament:  Scottish Parliament, Official Report cols 1955–1957 (24 Sept 2003).   If the report is in respect of a committee, name the committee:   Scottish Parliament, Official Report, Communities Committee, col 1704 (2 Feb 2005).   Hansard: HC/HL Deb 23 Apr 1996, cols 198-203. Command Papers: Land Tenure in Scotland: a Plan for Reform (Cmnd 4099: 1969) para 25. Scottish Law Commission materials: Report on Incapable Adults (Scot Law Com No 151, 1995) para 3.2. Discussion Paper on Variation and Termination of Trusts (Scot Law Com DP No 129, 2005) para 6.4. 

  24. Websites URLs should be italicised and should be re-checked at proof stage: H L MacQueen, “Scots law and the road to the new ius commune” (2000) 4 Electronic Journal of Comparative Law, available at http://law.kub.nl/ejcl/44/art44-1.html.Scottish Executive, BSE incidence in Scotland – UK Cattleherd, available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library4/ERAD/LAH/00014759.aspx.    

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