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Take a look at what dissertation topics have already been done at Ulster - partly so you don't cover an identical idea, but also to see examples of the layout. The Undergraduate Research Yearbook (vols 1, 2 and 3), contains examples of 1st class honours dissertations submitted at the University. The most recent volume of the Yearbook from academic year 2021-22 is available online. Additional examples of 1st class honours dissertations are available from Library Information Point at Derry~Londonderry. LLM or PhD submissions: for ideas about table of contents, cover pages, appropriate binding etc., see the University's Regulations (Master's - pp52-55; MPhil & DPhil - pp95-100). |
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Master's dissertations including LLMs are listed in the library catalogue. Search by keyword and use the Format filter 'Thesis' to display dissertations. Dissertations from other campuses may be requested at the Information Point. |
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The Institue of Advanced Legal Studies in London keeps a register of the doctoral dissertations currently underway in the UK. Their searchable database might give you a few ideas for possible subjects to write about . |
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These dissertations are not obtainable as they are works in progress. |
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Although you should search the Library catalogue for books on your topic, your specialised research may mean that we do not have much on your subject.
Library Hub Discover gives access to the combined catalogues of over 90 UK academic and research institutions. Search for your topic there and if you find a useful book, you can request it using the Document Delivery service.
Academic staff and researchers at the University record their research output on the University's Pure Repository. See particularly:
You may not find a complete book on your chosen topic, but there may be sections or chapters WITHIN books which you might find useful.
Google Books is a good way to find books with find matching text or chapter headings. See the search box below.
Once you locate a relevant text, check the Library catalogue to see if we have the book in stock or request it via the Document Delivery service if we don't.
While you should use databases such as Westlaw, LexisLibrary and HeinOnline to find relevant legal material, you may also need to provide a socio-legal context for your topic or bring in other non-legal sources as background information. An important source to check is listed below. For others see the full A-Z list of Databases.
Google's Scholar search finds journal articles or other high quality information. It limits results to academic-related sources, such as peer reviewed journals, research based working papers, books and other scholarly resources.
However, unlike Library databases, it has limited search options, restricted search size and prioritises keywords appearing first in your search strategy, so we recommend that it should not be your sole source of information. Use in combination with appropriate Library databases.
Follow the steps shown in this video http://screencast.com/t/GGEmSfm6 to get links to full text sources held at Ulster. .
To export any references to the Refworks database, go to the Scholar settings, choose the Bibliography Manager option and select 'Show links to import citations into' Refworks.
For more information on Google Scholar, including search tips and citation metrics see: http://scholar.google.co.uk/intl/en/scholar/about.html
If you intend to use the 'full' Google, check Settings for advanced search tips to improve the accuracy of your search. Northampton University also has a useful video - Ten Tips for Google Searching.
The British Library's EThoS service provides abstract records for over 500,000 UK doctoral dissertations. Once registered, you can get full-text access to approximately half of these by limiting the keyword search to those theses 'available for immediate download'. Registration is free. Many records also have the 
symbol indicating that they are freely available from the relevant University's repository.
NOTE: EThOS records are available in USearch Use the Content Provider filter to limit to those from EThOS.
The full-text EThOs service is currently unavailable due to a hacking incident and there is no date for restoration of the service. However, individual theses may be still be available from the originating institution's research portal or repository.
Many of the Library databases contain records relating to dissertations and theses, both national and international. The majority of these are available as abstracts only, although some will have a longer extract or preview.
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If the item you want is not available from Ulster sources, the Library's Document Delivery service can request material from the British Library and elsewhere. There is no charge for either service, although weekly limits may apply. |
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Request books and articles using the Online Request Form You must register for British Library's On Demand service prior to placing a request. Article requests are supplied electronically and are accessed via your On Demand username and password. Read the guidance on Secure Electronic Delivery (SED). Book requests will be supplied as loans. |
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Writing Law Dissertations
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Writing for Law
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This is an easy to use guide on how to complete the various types of assessment normally encountered in undergraduate law programmes. Encouraging students to apply the skills they have learnt, it covers a wide range of tasks including essay writing, giving presentations and moots, taking exams and completing dissertations.
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Finally: Don't panic. It's really easy to let the dissertation process get completely out of control |
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Why not make an appointment with the subject librarian at your campus who will be happy to identify good quality sources for your particular research topic? See below for other recommended links to information about the research process. |
RefWorks is a bibliographic management system which allows you to collect, organise and store references such as books, journal articles and websites. It can then help you to produce bibliographies, reference lists and in-text citations in a range of referencing styles.
