Kick-start Your Dissertation
What is Kick-Start Your Dissertation?
Kick-Start Your Dissertation is a week of online and in person activities to help you get started with your final project and help equip you with the skills you will need for final project success. Aiming to facilitate the transition into Semester 3, this course is particularly suitable for students who have never written a dissertation before, international students and students returning to education after a break. During Kick-Start Your Dissertation, you will find out more about academic writing skills, what constitutes a good dissertation, how to look after your wellbeing during this challenging period, as well as support services and activities available to you.
This programme is free and open to all students based in UK campuses. International students are especially welcome.
Information on events for Dubai and Malaysia Kick Start Your Dissertation will be emailed to PGT students directly. Please keep an eye on your emails.
Kick-Start Your Dissertation will run mostly online, from Monday 23 to Friday 27 of May 2022.
Where will Kick Start Your Dissertation take place?
The skills workshops will take place on Collaborate and MS Teams. If you would like to attend from campus, there will be a room available in the GRID building (Edinburgh Campus) for Kick-Start Your Success participants. Spaces are available to book at the Scottish Borders library for SBC students.
You will also be able to attend in person social events to hang out with your friends, meet new people and (hopefully) make the most of the Scottish sun!
Who can sign up?
This programme is open to all students who have successfully completed the first 2 semesters of their Postgraduate Taught degree, i.e.. most likely began their studies in September 2021. Students who have never studied in the UK, students returning to education after a break, students with caring and/or parental responsibilities and students who are non-native speakers of English are particularly welcome.
Registering for a Place at Kick Start Your Dissertation
To register for Kick Start Your Success you will need to register for each workshop you are interested in, by following the links below. You can sign up to as few or as many workshops as you would like. Please make sure to only sign up to workshops relevant to your area of study and only one session where a workshop is being offered multiple times, as places are limited. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so make sure to sign up fast!
You will be sent joining links as well as any relevant information closer to the time, so keep an eye on your Heriot-Watt email. You can follow the Heriot-Watt Student Wellbeing Services (@hwusuccess) and the Heriot-Watt Information Services (@hwu_is) on social media for updates.
| Workshop | Start time | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard Citing and Referencing | 10am | Sign up here |
| IEEE Citing and Referencing | 10am | Sign up here |
| Literature Searching for SoSS Subjects (SoSS Students only) | 10am | Sign up here |
| Academic Writing: Cracking the Code | 11am | Sign up here |
| Word: Heading Styles, Number and TOCs | 11am | Sign up here |
| Literature Searching for SoTD Subjects (SoTD students only) | 11.30am | Sign up here |
| Looking After Your Mental Health | 2pm | Sign up here |
| BBQ @ The Student Union | 3pm | Sign up here |
| Workshop | Start time | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|
| Literature Searching for EGIS (EGIS students only) | 10am | Sign up here |
| Literature Searching for EPS students (EPS students only) | 10am | Sign up here |
| Literature Searching for MACS (MACS students only) | 10am | Sign up here |
| Harvard Citing and Referencing | 11am | Sign up here |
| Writing a Literature Review | 11am | Sign up here |
| Making the Most of Your Money | 2pm | Sign up here |
| Coffee and Cake (In person, SBC campus) | 3pm | Sign up here |
| Workshop | Start time | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|
| APA Citing and Referencing | 10am | Sign up here |
| Harvard Citing and Referencing | 10am | Sign up here |
| Writing a Winning Dissertation Question | 10am | Sign up here |
| Word: Page Layouts & Numbering | 11am | Sign up here |
| Alpacas (Edinburgh Campus, In Person) | 12pm-2pm | Sign up here |
| How to Manage Your Dissertation | 2pm | Sign up here |
| Wellbeing Crafts (Edinburgh Campus, In Person) | 3pm | Sign up here |
| Workshop | Start time | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|
| How to Use Endnote 20 to Manage Your References (Demonstrated on Windows) | 10am | Sign up here |
| Writing a Literature Review | 10am | Sign up here |
| Finding Quality Sources for Your Dissertation | 10am | Sign up here |
| Thinking Critically About Data and Evidence | 11am | Sign up here |
| Outdoor Games and Picnic with the Alpacas (SBC Campus, In Person) | 12pm-2pm | Sign up here |
| Mitigating Circumstances & Academic Appeals 101 | 2pm | Sign up here |
| Coffee & Cake (in person, Edinburgh campus) | 3pm | Sign up here |
| Workshop | Start time | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|
| Thinking Critically About Data and Evidence | 10am | Sign up here |
| How to use EndNote 20 to Manage Your References (Demonstrated on Windows) | 10.30am | Sign up here |
| Academic Writing: Cracking the Code | 11am | Sign up here |
| Word: Links, Footnotes & Captions | 11am | Sign up here |
| EndNote Online: citation and referencing | 3pm | Sign up here |
| Pizza and Bingo (in person, Edinburgh Campus) | 4pm | Sign up here |
| Workshop | Start Time | Sign up link |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction and Literature Review | 6am | Sign up here |
| Methodology, Results, Discussion and Abstract | 7.30am | Sign up here |
| Harvard Citing and Referencing | 9am | Sign up here |
Key information
Student Success
- Job title
- Student Success Advisors
- studentsuccess@hw.ac.uk