SEMINAR SERIES
The Dissertation Roadmap for the Social Sciences:
From Topic to Research Design
Nine sessions, two blocks. Everything you need to settle before you touch your data — not only research design, but chapter and paragraph architecture, the use of sources and academic integrity.
Small groups, online — and no one presents their own thesis to the group.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
NOW
Join the waitlist
No commitment — one email when enrolment opens
EARLY 2027
Enrolment opens
Waitlist members hear first
THEN
The English cohort begins
Nine live sessions, online, in cohorts of 8
Block 1 — From Foundations to Draft
Module 1
The DNA of Social Research
This introductory module looks at how academic research differs from the everyday ways we come to "know" things — and from there, at what we aim for when we carry out social research and the philosophical approaches behind those aims.
Module 2
Research Proposal and Thesis/Dissertation Structure
Understanding how a research proposal and a thesis are put together lets you see the whole process ahead of you clearly.
Module 3
Rapid Literature Recon
Every study sits within a body of literature and sets out to contribute to it. This module covers the why and how of literature discovery: finding the right sources quickly, deciding which are worth reading, and recording what you read so you never lose it again.
Module 4
From Topic to Research Question
When a thesis won't move forward, the cause is usually a topic that hasn't been narrowed enough, or a research question, aim and objectives that haven't been made clear enough. This module works through each of these.
Module 5
Writing the Literature Review
Gathering what you've read and building an argument from it are two different tasks. This module shows you how to make your sources comparable first, and then turn them into a chapter that moves theme by theme.
Module 6
Academic Writing Clinic
When you can't write, the problem is usually a lack of structure, not a lack of ideas. This module covers how to plan a chapter before you start writing it, how to connect your paragraphs, and how to use other people's work safely in your own text.
Block 2 — From Theory to Design
Module 7
Theory and Causal Explanation
The theoretical framework is the structure that guides every stage of a study. In M1 we defined what theories and hypotheses are; here we go a step further. A strong explanation doesn't stop at showing that two things change together — it shows how one produces the other. That's why causal mechanisms sit at the centre of this module: research that tests theory and research that builds theory from data are both answering the same question — how does this happen?
Module 8
Research Design Map
Choosing the most suitable and feasible method for your study, and planning your research design in as much detail as possible, is half the battle. The first block sketched out these options; this module works through the choices you need to make at each stage, and what those choices rest on.
Module 9
Sampling and Data Collection Logic
Collecting data can look like a purely technical task, but every choice directly affects whether your research question can be answered at all. This module covers where and how you'll collect your data, which methods can answer which questions, and how you plan to analyse your data — all decisions to be made before data collection begins.