The background and history section of your dissertation highlights the empirical foundations of the topic that you have chosen. This section of your dissertation is deceptively straightforward it is tempting to write 'all you know' about a subject without selecting carefully the details that the reader needs to know to be able to appreciate your arguments later on. The purpose of a dissertation background/history section is to give the reader the relevant facts about your chosen dissertation topic so that they understand the material or case that you will write about later and how it links to your theoretical question. This section must not, however, simply provide the general context, but must direct the readers' attention to the empirical details through which your research topic and questions are lived and made relevant. As such, they must not just fill in details of the place or topic you are researching, but implicitly illustrate the need for and importance of your research. Walter bagehot as suggested above, the lsquo background rsquo section or chapter is the lsquo other half rsquo of the introduction section or chapter and may be incorporated within it or separate.

As the introduction deals with the thematic structure of your work, the background deals with the academic lsquo history rsquo of your work. The principal purpose of the chapter or section is to contextualise your study and to explain its relevance. Thus, it does not explain your personal reasons for doing the study as in the introduction but rather how your work adds to, and builds upon, existing academic studies.

In reality, little that is written in any undergraduate or even master rsquo s dissertation is lsquo original rsquo , lsquo ground breaking rsquo , or lsquo new rsquo it is more often that the perspective on a problem is fresh. It is possible that you may be applying porter rsquo s five forces to a firm that has never before been analysed using the model, but this is not lsquo new rsquo ndash it is merely the application of existing theories to a new dynamic. Moreover, if you are writing an undergraduate dissertation you will be writing in the region of 8,0 ndash 12,0 words depending on the course and the reputation of the university you are attending. There is no doubt that the piece of work you write is a personal triumph for you and also a long piece of work in your academic career at this stage but in reality the piece of work you are writing is not very long ndash compared to the books and sources that you will be using to collect the secondary research for your work.

As a consequence of these facts, it is very important that your work is seen as academically contextualised. First, it needs to explain the general background to existing research in the area that you are studying. Therefore, if you are writing on alcohol awareness in cyprus, you need to mention previous studies that have been written on the subject. You may not find work that very specifically addresses your topic but you will find literature that is comparable, or is linked to it. Secondly, you need to explain how your study builds upon the existing studies by offering something new. Thus, to use the same example you might write, lsquo this dissertation offers a new perspective on this subject by analysing young people rsquo s attitudes to drinking and how these can be changed through further education rsquo.

A Level English Paper

The background chapter is therefore a rationale for your study and, in the same way that the introduction introduces the lsquo key themes rsquo of the chapters, the background acts as a precursor to the literature review and, depending upon the subject matter, the methodology. As with the introduction, the background is an important section of your work but it is not as important as the sections that deal with the presentation and analysis of facts and thus should comprise five or six per cent of the total word limit. There are three simple, overlapping concepts to keep in mind when writing your background or history section. Engage your readers with broader themes and topics that illustrate your concepts, questions, and theory and demonstrate your knowledge and passion. this will involve connecting details to concepts. The history should be easy to read and compelling both for its relevance and for its fresh approach.

Few want to read the details of textile handicrafts in southern mississippi simply to learn about weaving. If, on the other hand, you show how this craft is linked to a history of racial tensions, changing economic conditions, or gender relations, the details of handicraft cooperatives and techniques can be engrossing and make the reader want to know more. The dissertation background/history should illustrate your concepts, questions, and theory. to do this, try to ensure a tight fit between this and the proposal's other sections. This requires you to make explicit links between the story you tell and the questions and theoretical approach you are using. If, for example, you are writing on indigenous land rights struggles in bolivia, you should not just include a history of events, but a history that is tightly linked to your theoretical concerns and the research question you are asking.