Introduction: Approaches to qualitative research

Undertaking a dissertation can be a daunting prospect, irrespective of whether a student is an undergraduate or a postgraduate. The idea of having to start with a blank sheet of paper and finish with anything between 15,000 words for an undergraduate dissertation, and 100,000 words for a PhD dissertation, is an arresting thought. But, even these coarse figures fail to capture the true extent of the work involved, as a finished dissertation is usually only a distillation of volumes of work and words that far exceed the finished product ultimately presented. However, the process can be made significantly easier if the student is genuinely interested in her / his topic of research, and can achieve clarity of vision through formulating, early in the research process, exactly what it is she / he wants to find out. ...