Dissertation Guideline

BACHELOR OF LAWS
PROGRAMME
Faculty of Law
2017 Revised Edition
ABOUT THIS GUIDE

This style manual is for the use of Uganda Christian University (UCU) undergraduate
students to assist them in preparing and drafting a Law Dissertation. The guide was adapted from
the UCU Academic Research Manual and Examination Handbook, which details the requirements
for Research Reports, Project Reports, Research Papers, Proposals, Dissertations and Theses
undertaken by UCU undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. The full Academic Research
Manual may be downloaded at: http://www.ucu.ac.ug/research. Assistance in compiling this guide
was provided by Dr. Patricia R. Johnson, visiting lecturer, UCU Faculty of Law (2012) and Dr.
Anthony C.K. Kakooza, Senior Lecturer and Dean, UCU Faculty of Law (2017).

The purpose of this guide is to facilitate the process of legal research and writing with the
goal to assist the student-researcher in producing a comprehensive, thorough and academically
sound dissertation. The guidelines provided in this document have been broadly tailored to address
the dissertation writing process for law school students at UCU. They do not attempt to address
every unique interest or question related to drafting a dissertation, legally related or otherwise. These
guidelines are not marked in stone and are subject to modification by a student’s supervisor, the law
faculty or the university.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 2

Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................ 4
Overview ............................................................................................. 4
Law Dissertation Distinctiveness .......................................................... 4
The Concept of “Draft” ....................................................................... 5
Deadlines ............................................................................................. 6
Role of the Dissertation Supervisor ...................................................... 6
Dissertation Topic Approval Process........................................................ 7
Title page template ................................................................................... 8
Dissertation template ............................................................................... 9
Dissertation Section Descriptors ............................................................ 11
The Writing Process ............................................................................... 20
Keys to Success .................................................................................. 20
Assessment Criteria: ........................................................................... 20
Identifying the Topic .......................................................................... 21
Conducting research: .......................................................................... 21
Formulating the Topic Statement ....................................................... 22
Dissertation Writing Helpful Hints ......................................................... 23
Citation Examples .............................................................................. 24
LL.B Dissertation proposal flowchart ..................................................... 28
LL.B Dissertation flowchart ................................................................... 29

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 3

 Introduction

Overview

Few students have had experience writing in the style that a dissertation paper requires.
Writing a good dissertation is a demanding task. Yet, it is an extremely beneficial task to anyone who
is serious about developing a high level of competence in a professional field. This is especially true of
the legal field where research and writing are critical to the day-to-day effectiveness of a lawyer. The
dissertation offers the opportunity to understand and possibly influence positive legal changes within
the Ugandan legal landscape, through a systematic, scholarly, research based process of inquiry and
analysis. For the law student, the process emphasizes the practical and direct application of specialized
legal research principles taught in Research Methodologies and, other courses studied throughout the
four year law school undergraduate program.
The mark of a good dissertation paper is that it is clearly written so that someone knowing
little about the topic can read it, understand it, and, if necessary, implement the same study without
ever speaking with the researcher. In other words, the quality of the research can be determined by
answering the question: “Can another person replicate the research by following the steps of analysis
in the dissertation?” You should therefore write the dissertation with clarity of expression and
adequate and precise coverage of details.
Achieving this ideal requires work. Rarely will a first draft be adequate. Although your
supervisor will return your chapter drafts with suggestions for corrections and improvements, you can
improve the quality of the drafts you hand in by following the guidelines provided within this
document.

Law Dissertation Distinctiveness

 A law dissertation requires that the facts are stated in a straightforward manner.

 Background information is gathered from past cases, scholarly work, relevant laws and
other legal documents to build the rationale for the present day problem being addressed
by the student’s research.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 4

  The goal of the law dissertation is to build an argument through the facts, cases, laws and
other relevant information, for the purpose of proving the researcher’s hypothesis and
answering the research question(s) of the study.

 Techniques for building the researcher’s argument include:

 Comparing and contrasting relevant cases and laws to show gaps in the law, or
the need for other actions;
 Investigating the past and present parameters of a particular act as it relates to
the problem under study;
 Conducting traditional field-work to collect data to support the researcher’s
argument;
 Field-work may be conducted through the distribution of survey instruments,
questionnaires and interviews as appropriate; all names and identifying
information should be kept confidential and codes used when doing field-
work.

 The information provided in the law dissertation should be presented, discussed and
analyzed in a logical and sequential manner. Principles related to conducting legal research
should be followed.

 Prior to formulating the research question, past and present facts surrounding the problem
need to be thoroughly understood and identified, including identifying sources for all legal
documentation.

The Concept of “Draft”

As you begin to draft chapters of your dissertation paper, it is important to understand that
what is submitted to your dissertation supervisor is a draft. Each time a written draft is submitted
to your dissertation supervisor, you should expect to receive corrections, recommendations, or
suggestions as a means for improving the quality of the written work.
It is advised that students allow ample time (approximately two weeks to one month)
between submission of a draft for review and comment. Once feedback is received, students should

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 5

make every effort to make the suggested corrections and return the revised draft paper to the
supervisor. It is not uncommon for a student to submit several drafts to his or her supervisor of a
chapter or chapters before approval is given to move to the next stage of the process.

Deadlines

Students should begin as early as possible to think about possible topics for their
dissertation. It is critically important for students to observe the following deadlines (a) for Research
Methodology course studies (inclusive of interview questionnaires) and (b) for the submission of
their work at each stage of research.
Students must observe all deadlines set by the Faculty of Law for all steps in the dissertation
process.

Role of the Dissertation Supervisor

One of the ways by which the UCU faculty of law attempts to maximize your success in the
law school is through academic support assistance. Your dissertation supervisor is your chief source
of assistance on questions you have related to your dissertation. As you develop your topic, your
research question and hypothesis, your dissertation supervisor will serve to mentor, providing
feedback and support.

Note:
The most important part of the UCU law dissertation support and assistance program is
YOU. You must ask for it. Never, ever allow days or weeks to pass by and allow your
research to grind to a halt because you do not know what to do next.

Contact your dissertation supervisor if you have a question or you run into a problem with
your research.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 6

Dissertation Topic Approval Process

Typically undergraduate students indicate a preferred supervisor of their project when they
register their writing topics with the law school administrative assistant at the beginning of their
fourth year. Some students may have discussed their chosen topic with the said supervisor prior to
this stage.
Once the registration process is complete, a team of lecturers and the Dean review topics,
and assign students to various supervisors to ensure that each student has adequate support through
the process. Students then meet with their respective supervisors to fine tune topics and begin
drafting the dissertation.
The dissertation should be no more than 50 pages long and not less than 25 pages. Students
may seek a waiver of this requirement with some justification. The paper should include the proper
dissertation format, correct sentence structure, grammar and citations. Remember, students should
seek to adhere to proper citation formats as indicated below. Students should be consistent in the
use of the format throughout the paper.
Following is a template for the title page, and an outline and description of each element
and chapter in the dissertation (Chapters I-V).

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 7

Title page template
Title of the Dissertation

Student Name

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Bachelor of Laws
of Uganda Christian University

Date and place of Completion

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 8

Dissertation template
Dissertation Components (Outline)

 The first page of the Dissertation is the Title Page.

 The second page is the Declaration Page.
 The third page is the Abstract (150-250 words).
 The fourth page is the Dedication Page (optional).
 The fifth page is the Acknowledgement Page (optional).
 The sixth page is the Table of Contents. Below is how the dissertation should be structured:
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
List of Tables (if applicable)
List of Figures (if applicable)
CHAPTER ONE
GENERAL BACKGROUND
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Background
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.3.1 General Objective
The general objective of the study is to ....
1.3.2 Specific Objectives
The specific objectives of the study are:
a) To identify . . .
b) To critique . . .
c) To recommend. . .
1.4 Research Questions
1.5 Significance of the Study – i.e., what is the importance of the study?
1.6 Justification of the study – i.e., How is the study important/what scholarly benefit does it
present/Would there be an alternative situation if the study were not conducted/Do we need it?
1.6 Scope of the Study
1.6.1 Temporal (time-based) Scope
1.6.2 Geographical Scope
1.6.3 Subject/thematic scope
1.7 Literature Review – i.e., what have others written and how different is it from what you
intend to write about?
1.8 Methodology – i.e., how do you intend to go about generating and presenting data on your
research? Justification for the methodology chosen.
1.9 Outline of Chapters – a chapter synopsis of your work

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 9

 CHAPTER TWO
NON-LEGAL ASPECTS OF………………………………….
2.0 Introduction
2.1 …………….
2.2 ……………..
2.3 …………..
2.4 Conclusion

CHAPTER THREE
LEGAL REGIME GOVERNING……………………
(Analyze international, regional and domestic perspectives -depending on subject of research)
3.0 Introduction
3.1 ……….
3.2 ………..
3.3 ……….
3.4 Conclusion

CHAPTER FOUR
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.0 Introduction
4.1 Summary of Findings
4.2 Conclusions
4.3 Recommendations

References/Bibliography – In chronological/alphabetical order:

Books referred to:
Journal articles referred to:
Statutes referred to:
Case law:
Web links: [mention the dates when they were accessed]

Appendices (This includes a copy of the questionnaire used; list of interviewees, etc)

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 10

Dissertation Section Descriptors
Introduction
The introduction is the part of the dissertation document that provides readers with the
background information for the research reported in the paper. Its purpose is to establish a
framework for the focus of your research topic. In an introduction, the writer should:
 Create reader interest in the topic,
 Lay the broad foundation for the problem that leads to the study,
 Logically present the facts and relevant cases and statutes in a logical and sequential manner;
and,
 Reach out to a specific audience.

History and Background of the Problem

 Discuss the facts that have given rise to the problem you are seeking to address through
your research.
 Provide background information on the cases, statutes, regulations, etc., that you are
either comparing and contrasting, or that serve as important anchors upon which your
research is based.
 Present the facts surrounding the problem in a logical sequence—as if you are building a
legal argument.
 Use appropriate legal citations for all legal documentation.

Statement of the Problem

 What is the legal problem you are seeking to address with your research? Your problem
should be presented in the form of a statement.
 In a legal dissertation, the research problem may seek to address a problem that the current
statute(s) do not adequately address; may compare and contrast cases or statutes to identify
solutions for a problem in a current context or examine a particular statute or the impact of
a case or cases relevant to a particular body of law, among other avenues of legal inquiry.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 11

  Without a research problem there is no research. Your objective is to be able to state your
research problem early on in your paper with clarity and in unambiguous terms. It is with
this clear statement of the problem that your research begins.

Purpose of the Study

 This section provides a specific and accurate synopsis of the overall purpose of the study. If
the purpose is not clear to the writer, it cannot be clear to the reader.
 Try to incorporate a sentence that begins with “The purpose of this study is...” For example,
if you are addressing the problem of high levels of asbestos in the roofs of primary schools
in a specific school district in Uganda, the purpose of your study might be: to understand
why the level of asbestos in roofs in primary schools located in X district in Uganda is very
high compared to the incidence in other secondary schools in Uganda.
 Stating the purpose of your study clarifies in your own mind the purpose of your research,
and it will inform the reader directly and explicitly of your intentions.

Significance of the Research

 In this section you answer the question: “Why does this research need to be
conducted?”
 Who will benefit from your research?
 Indicate how your research will refine, revise, or extend existing knowledge in the
area under investigation.
 Then segue into a discussion on the legal framework for the study.
Theoretical Framework

 This section makes reference to key cases, laws, studies, and or theories that will
inform your study.

 Your theoretical framework provides the backdrop for the statement of the problem,
purpose or rationale for the study, your research questions and hypotheses, and your
choice of methods to collect your data (methodology).

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 12

 Ultimately, your findings and conclusions will be discussed in terms of how they
relate to the major case, rule of law and the variables that under gird the study.

 Theoretical frameworks may be handled differently depending on whether data will

be collected from the field in the form of quantitative or qualitative data (primary
research); or, whether data will be gathered from an analysis of cases, statutes and
regulations (secondary research) without conducting field-work.
 In a quantitative law dissertation using field-work, the objective is to test the
hypothesis regarding the particular legal issue in the study. The researcher
advances a particular argument by stating the hypothesis and then collecting
objective data (answers) from surveys and or questionnaires to test the
hypothesis.
 In a qualitative law dissertation using field- work, the objective is to answer
the research question through an analysis of answers to interviews and if
appropriate, from the researcher’s personal observations of the problem via
site visits.
 The researcher may combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies to
collect the data.
 When field- work is not conducted, the researcher
-- relies upon a logical, thorough and systematic analysis of the relevant
facts, cases, statutes and other legal documentation to develop a convincing
rationale that the problem exists;
-- analyzes the facts related to the problem, and relates them to the
relevant cases and statutes under study.
--seeks to answer the research question(s) and prove the hypothesis
through the analysis of the facts, cases and statutes under study. For more
information on crafting research methodologies refer to “Quantitative and
Qualitative Research Methodologies” (Creswell, 1994).

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 13

Research Question
 A research question poses a relationship between two or more variables, but phrases the
relationship as a question.
 The researcher may include a primary research question and additional relevant questions
(usually no more than two additional research questions).
 Research questions should be brief and state the problem in the form of a question.
 Research questions can also be a reflection of the research objectives posed as questions.
Hypothesis
 A hypothesis represents a declarative statement of the relations between two or more
variables (generally the independent and dependent variable). It is a statement that will
either be proved in the affirmative or the negative at the end of the research study.

Example (1): Current international food safety requirements negatively impact the
development of sustainable emerging agricultural practices for small farmers in Uganda. In
this example, “international food safety requirements represent the independent variable.
Development of sustainable emerging agricultural practices of small farmers in Uganda
represents the dependent variable.

Example 2: There is a positive relationship between the level of capital improvement

funding provided to primary schools in Mbarara, Uganda and the incidence of asbestos
contaminated roofs in Mbarara, Uganda primary schools in 2012.
Independent variable: Level of capital improvement funding to Mbarara primary schools
Dependent variable: Incidence of asbestos contaminated roofs in Mbarara primary schools.

 The hypothesis states declaratively how you—the researcher, believe the independent variable
will impact the dependent variable.
 NOTE: Not every research study has to have a hypothesis. This is something that you can
present and agree upon with your supervisor.
Definition of Terms [optional]

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 14

Provide the reader with definitions of terms of which the reader is not likely to be familiar. Keep the
definitions brief and limit the number of definitions. You should also ensure that you mention any
limitations towards your research and how they are mitigated. You should then give a chapter
synopsis of what is to be expected out of each chapter. When writing out your chapters, the last
sentence of each chapter should provide a transition to the next chapter.
Literature Review

 This section provides a critical analysis of any scholarly work that relates to the major issues
under investigation in your study as guided by the research objectives that you have put
across.

 The literature review begins with a brief introduction relating to the purpose of the review. It
is advisable to include sub-sections for each research objective and the associated literature
that you review for your study. The scholarly work that is reviewed includes books, articles
and study reports with relevant information related to your dissertation topic. You highlight
information from such sources that is helpful to your research study. You then conclude
each sub-section with highlights as to the underlying differences between your study and the
work being reviewed. This essential serves the purpose of emphasizing the originality of your
work.

What a literature review DOES NOT:

 Simply cite scholarly work and studies that are for or against the rule of law or policy that
you are addressing.
 Provide just a summary of information or studies you have read or a narrative essay.

What a literature review DOES:

 Share with the reader the results of other scholarly works and studies that are closely related
to the problem you are exploring.
 Using your research objectives, logically presents and analyzes the text books, articles and
study reports relevant to the problem. It builds your argument that an actual problem exists.
 By pointing out the gaps in the existing research, it shows the significance for addressing the
problem through your research, and provides - through your analysis - possible solutions to
the problem.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 15

  Demonstrates to the reader that you have a comprehensive grasp of the legal issues and are
aware of important recent substantive scholarly works, and research studies and
developments.

 Seeks to compare and contrast scholarly work, studies and perspectives from experts
identified in the literature.

Visual Exercise to help draft your literature review

Examine the major issue you are researching (your research question) as if it was made up of
several pieces of broken multi-colored stained glass. The varied shapes and colors of the broken
glass represent different expert opinions, studies, books, articles, etc., surrounding your research
question and hypothesis. As you examine the pieces of glass with the goal of putting them
together in a coherent fashion, you must determine how the pieces fit together. Some of the
pieces may need to be discarded. You will move pieces around to see which pieces look best
next to each other. Only after careful consideration of as many pieces of the glass as you can
feasibly explore, you will then be able to arrange the pieces to fit together into a beautiful
masterpiece of stained glass.

The process of researching and analyzing literature is much like the process described above.
Seek to identify scholarly work and study material that relates and fit within your research topic.
Make sure that they fit together to build your argument/or hypothesis. You should also take
note of how current the material referred to is.

After all is said and done, you should build your argument systematically to prove your
hypothesis and answer your research question by fitting together the literature you have
researched in a beautiful legal body of work.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 16

Methodology
This section represents the researcher’s plans for collecting data.

Introduction
The introduction in the methodology section summarizes how the chapter is organized. It should
include sections that address the legal context and/or research setting (what law or rule is being
examined or where is the research taking place?); data collection strategies; sample characteristics;
instruments (what tools will be used to collect the data), and the data analysis plan.

Legal Context/Research Setting/framework

 Describe the case(s), statutes or regulations that you are examining. Provide a brief
discussion of the context in which this material is to be addressed.
 If field work is conducted, provide a brief overview of the number of participants,
gender, approximate ages, ethnicity, and type of employment if appropriate. Describe
any other relevant characteristics of the participants (i.e., widows, small farmer, etc). It is
very important to justify whatever choices you make in your methodology.
 If field work is not conducted, provide information on the context of the secondary
material relied upon as provided in the relevant case studies and justify the choices made.

Data Collection Strategy

 This section describes how you collected your data. Was it through comparing and
contrasting cases and statutes to identify differences and similarities, or gaps in coverage of
the statute? If so, then state this process as succinctly as possible (i.e., A comparative analysis
of Statute xxxxx ? and Statute yyyyy ? was conducted. Articles 1b and 2c were
compared….etc.)
 If you distributed surveys or interviewed individuals, state the process you used to identify
the participants and to collect the data. Mention the sampling methods used and why.
Remember to substitute a code for the names of individuals and organizations you
personally interviewed or observed (e.g., A= Isaac Johnson, B=Ruth Hatch; Organization
A= MTN; Organization B= Airtel). Again, this only applies to field-work, not to fact

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 17

 gathering for comparative analysis of cases and statutes. Discuss whether you taped or wrote
down answers from interviews and why. Did you receive permission to tape the interviews?
If so, state whether permission was granted and by whom (supervisor of the organization,
individual participant?).
 The key to a good data collection strategy is to envision oneself collecting the data. How did
you do it? State the process logically so that others can duplicate what you did if necessary.
A well thought out research methodology should be picked with an end goal in mind. What
is your expectation out of the methodology of choice?

Instruments
Include this section only if you conducted field work. This section provides an overview of the type
of instrument or surveys you used to collect your data. If you distributed survey instruments then
provide the names of the instruments and the number of questions in the instruments. If you
conducted interviews, provide a brief description of the types of questions you asked (e.g., questions
were related to the participants’ history with the problem), and the number of interview questions
asked of participants. Provide one sample question.

Data Analysis
Include this section only if you conducted field work. If you distributed surveys discuss how you
measured the data you collected or how you derived your answers. Normally, survey instruments
provide information on how the data should be measured and analyzed. If you conducted
interviews, you will need to discuss how you interpreted the answers from the interviews.

Results
 The purpose of this section is to discuss how the results of the data support or do not
support your hypothesis. You are expected to synchronize your primary findings with the
existing secondary information that you have discovered and presented in your study.
Explain your results through an overview of the cases and statutes as appropriate that do or
do not support your hypothesis.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 18

  Did you sufficiently make your argument through a discussion of the relevant rules, laws,
cases, etc.? Show why you think you made your case in this section.
 Remember to write two or three sentences that express the “bottom line.” In the case of
field work, does the data support your hypothesis and answer your research question or not?
 In the case of an analysis of statutes and cases, does your analysis support your hypothesis
and answer your research question(s)? Clearly state why or why not. You do not provide
your conclusion or assessment of the results in this section. Discuss your actual results. Any
assessment or analysis of the data is done in your final chapter as you wrap up your research.

Conclusions
The purpose of this section is to critically discuss the results from the chapter in which you have
synchronized your findings with the secondary information. It contains the following sub- headings:
 Discussion
 Under this sub-heading you discuss your assessment of the results you provided
in the previous chapter.
 What is the possible impact of your analysis of the cases and statutes under study?
 Limitations of the Study
 Identifies potential weaknesses of the study. Think about your analysis, your
instruments, the sample size, possible bias, etc. Mention way(s) in which you have
mitigated against the limitations.
 Recommendations for future Research – show that your work can still be relevant in the
future.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 19

The Writing Process

Keys to Success

 Before writing a draft, develop an outline of the key items to be included in your
dissertation.
 Have someone else, preferably someone who is not well informed about the topic read
your draft to see that you have written the draft in an understandable fashion.
 The most common errors in legal writing are as follows:

 There is no research question or the question is too broad.

 The writing is overly descriptive.
 Unsupported conclusions.
 Personal opinions and views are included throughout the paper.
 Weak structure.
 Poor presentation (i.e., grammatical and spelling errors).
 Poor citation and referencing.

Assessment Criteria:

 Comprehension – You should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the law in

the area of research undertaken in your study.
 Analysis – Demonstrate that you are able to analyze the issues presented by the
problem by breaking them down into component parts and examining them in
detail.
Your analysis should address and answer the following questions:
 What are the goals of the laws and or relevant cases in your study?
 Do the laws or cases achieve the goals? What are the failures, the successes
of the law as concerns the problem in your study?
 If your paper is a comparative analysis of cases or statutes, then discuss how
the cases or statutes are different, similar, what changes should be made based
on an analysis of the facts related to the cases and or the statutes?

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 20

  Final presentation – The entire document should be well written including correct
margins, pagination, spacing, citations, and inclusion of supporting documentation in
the appendices.

Identifying the Topic

The dissertation offers the student researcher the opportunity for a substantial research experience.
Unfortunately, students sometimes take the first idea that comes to mind or seems plausible, and
settle on that idea. For the law dissertation this is especially unfortunate, as the researcher may not
have an adequate understanding of the facts and legal issues involved from an initial assessment. It is
important for the legal researcher to explore possible topics from many legal angles before finally
choosing the topic. This is to ensure that the legal issue is viable and that the facts of the case are
known to the fullest extent possible. Uncovering the facts related to legal issues will help to reveal
potential problems for research.

Sources for topics:

 Comparative Law
 Casebooks and treatises.
 Current news articles (e.g., The Economist, The East African, Financial Times,
The Independent, local media (New Vision, Monitor Newspapers) etc)
 New Cases or new laws.
 Empirical Studies (check recommended areas for future research)

Conducting research:

 It is best to begin reading leading treatises in the area (i.e., a formal written work
that extensively deals with a subject area systematically (e.g., Halsbury’s Law
Reports).
 Conduct online searches (Westlaw, Lexis, Worldlii.org, Bailii.org, Ulii.org,
Safli.org and others) to identify current information in the subject area.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 21

  Ask the law reference desk in the Library for the names of law databases
available for research at the library and request the appropriate login information
if necessary.
 Research reports and articles written by members of organizations such as
NGO’s, international and government organizations. These organizations often
make reports available for download for free on the websites.

To begin the process of identifying a topic, think about issues which need a resolution.
Questions to ask:
 What is the most glaring problem facing my community, a group of people, or society?
 What legal cases have been in the news, have been discussed in class, undertaken by various
legal advocacy groups, etc.?
 What issues am I passionate about? Are there legal issues and problems that might be related
to these issues?

After generating several good possibilities, analyze each potential research problem against the
following pre-requisites for problem development:
 The problem must be current. That is, there must be evidence that the problem presently
exists. It cannot be something that happened several years ago or that could happen years
from now.
 The problem must be manageable. The problem you plan to research cannot be too large to
handle. For instance, a student cannot analyze all of the issues related to land reform or
government corruption. You have a limited time frame in which to complete the dissertation
paper. Seek to make the issue as concise as possible.

Formulating the Topic Statement

After you identify a possible problem for the focus of your research, the next step is the
formulation of a topic statement. A topic statement:
 Is usually a single sentence somewhere in your first paragraph (generally the first or second
sentence), that tells your reader what your paper is going to address. The rest of the paper—

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 22

 the body of the essay, gathers and organizes evidence through facts, cases, statutes, etc., that
will persuade the reader of the logic of your interpretation, your analysis and your conclusion
about the problem and possible solutions.
 Is a road map for your document; in other words, it tells the reader what to expect from the
rest of your research paper.
 Is an assertion, not a statement of fact or an observation.
 Takes a stand rather than announcing a subject.

Example of an announcement vs. taking a stand:

Announcement: This paper relates to the difficulties experienced by experts in addressing
the complex deforestation issues in Uganda.
Taking a Stand: Deforestation issues in Uganda are complex, and are therefore difficult
for experts to address.

 A topic statement is the main idea, not the title of your dissertation. It must be a complete
sentence that explains in some detail what you expect to write about in the paper.
 A topic statement is narrow, rather than broad.
Broad: The American steel industry has many problems.
Narrow: The primary problem in the American steel industry is the lack of funds to
renovate outdated plants and equipment.
 A topic statement has one main point rather than several main points. More than one point
may be too difficult for the reader to understand and the writer to support.
More than one main point: The unemployment laws of Uganda are not adequate to
provide economic stability to the unemployed and have only been recently enacted so that it
is hard to assess their effectiveness.

Dissertation Writing Helpful Hints

General Advice
 Establish a writing schedule, preferably writing at the same time and place each day.
 Begin by free-writing. Remember that no one but you has to see the initial draft.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 23

  Keep a small notebook with you throughout the day to write down relevant thoughts.
 Start with more “clear cut” sections first, rather than with the Introduction, since it may be
the most difficult part to write.
 Create a Word document with headings that reflect your dissertation topic.
 As you find relevant research (cases, abstracts, citations, articles, etc.), cut and paste relevant
citations from this research and put them under the correct headings in the Word document.
This way you will develop an extensive reference section, and it will assist you in locating
that case you saw one month ago somewhere, that is now relevant to your research.
 Ask colleagues to form a writing group that you can use to exchange ideas, drafts, and
experiences. As lonely as it may seem sometimes, writing is a social activity.
 Do not merely rely on spell check for grammar and punctuation mistakes. A good
free website for grammar assistance is: www.paperrater.com
 A good website for APA or MLA assistance is: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl

Citation Examples

Citing Specific Sources:

The preferred methods of referencing different types of work are set out below:
References
 Alphabetical by author.
 Cases and Statutes are listed separately but also in alphabetical order.
 When you obtain a passage or idea from a source other than the original, you must
cite both sources (e.g. A . . . .. . as quoted in B …….) Do not cite only the original.
A: Book
Author’s family name, initial (year of publication) Title of Book, Edition Number (if other than
first edition), Publisher, Place of Publication.
Examples:
 Maskus, K. (2000) Intellectual Property Rights in the Global Economy, Institute for
International Economics, Washington DC.
 Trebilcock, M. and Howse, R. (1999) The Regulation of International Trade, 2nd Edition,
Routledge, London.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 24

B: Chapter in Edited Volume
Author’s Family name, Initial. (Year of Publication) “Title of Chapter” in - Editor’s Family name,
Initial. (e.d.) Title of Book, Publisher, place of Publication.
Examples:
 Kauffer, E. (1990) “The Regulation of New Product Development in the Drug Industry”,
Majone, G. (ed) Deregulation or Re- regulation? Regulatory Reform in Europe and the
United States, Pinter, London.
 Merges, R. and Nelson, R. (1992) “Market Structure and Technical Advance: The Role of
Patent Scope Decisions”, in Jorde, T. and Teece, D. (eds) Antitrust, Innovation, and
Competitiveness, Oxford University Press, Oxford

C: Article
Author’s Family name, Initial. (Year of Publication) “Title of Article”, Volume Number of
Journal, Name of Journal, Numbers of first and last Pages of Article.
Example:
 Jackson, J. (1998) “Dispute Settlement and the WTO: Emerging Problems”, 1 Journal of
International Economic Law 329-351.

D: Published Report of Other Paper

Author’s Family Name, Initial. (Year of Publication) Title of Report/Paper, Document Number
(if applicable), Publisher, Place of Publication.
Example:
 Primo Braga, C. Fink, C. and Paz Sepulveda, C. (2000) Intellectual property Rights and
Economic Development, World Bank Discussion Paper No. 412, World Bank,
Washington DC.
 Transparency International (2001) Global Corruption Report 2001, Transparency
International, Berlin <http:// www.globalcorruptionreport.org /, visited 18th December
2001>

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 25

 Note: Where published reports and other documents have been accessed via the Internet,
the full web address and the date when the web site was visited must be included in the
reference as shown in the example above.
E: Case Report
Methods of referencing case reports vary between jurisdictions. It is advisable that you adopt the
system of citation used in the jurisdictions where the relevant case was decided. The jurisdiction
and the name of the court in which the case was decided must be clearly indicated in any
reference. In most situations, it will be sufficient to include the following information:
 Title of the case or names of the parties (underlined).
 Date when the case was reported
 Official case number (if any)
 Name of the series of reports in which the report is published (the name may be
abbreviated using the standard abbreviation, e.g A.C. for Appeal Cases in England and
Wales)
 Volume number of the series of reports in which the report is published
 Page number of the first page of the report.

Examples:
 Lubbe v Cape Plc (No. 2) [2000] 1 W.L.R. 1545 (House of lords, United Kingdom).
 Shevill v. Presse Alliance SA, C-68/93 [1995] ECR 1-415 (European Court of Justice).
 Quality King Distributors, Inc. v. L’anza Research Intern., Inc., 118 S. Ct. 1125 (1998)
(Supreme Court, United States).
 Canada – Term of Patent Protection, AB-2000-7 (2000) WT/DS170/1B/R (World Trade
Organization, Appellate Body)

Note: Further guidance on the citation of United States case law is given by Peter W. Martin
of Cornell Law School in his Introduction to Basic Legal Citation - available online at:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/citation/citation.table.html . Martin’s approach is based on -
The Blue Book: A Uniform System of Citation published by the Harvard Law Review
Association.

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 26

F: Academic Conference Paper/Workshop presentation
Presenter/Author’s Family Name, Initial. Title of Paper, Workshop/Conference organizers,
Theme, place and date of workshop.
Examples:
 Lundeberg, H. The Natural Resources Policy in Uganda: Oil policy – Lessons from
Norway and Bolivia, A Paper presented at a Public Debate organized by the Uganda
Development Policy Management Forum (UPDMF) on Oil and Land Policies in Uganda,
held at the Uganda Management Institute on the 26th of August, 2010.
 Kyomuhendo, B. Improving efficiency and effectiveness of the Uganda Registration
Services Bureau, A paper presented at a Conference marking 20 years of Existence
organized by the Uganda Law Reform Commission, on the theme Doing Business in
Uganda, held at Speke Resort Hotel Munyonyo, 21st – 22nd October 2010.

G: Website
Provide the full web site address (i.e URL – Universal Resource Locator) and the date visited.
Example:
http://www.consumersinternational.org, visited 20th December 2001.

Use of Abbreviations
 Supra = Above. Supra note 9 refers to the work previously cited in note 9.
 Infra = Below. Infra note 9 refers to the work cited subsequently in note 9.
 Op. Cit.= work already cited
 Ibid.= same source as the immediately preceding reference

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 27

LL.B Dissertation proposal flowchart

1. Introduction
- What? Background
- Why? Statement of the Problem
- How?
Significance

Justification
2. Literature Review Scope
- Why
Find a lacuna (hole) - How? Research Question
Objectives of the Study Look for debates and write-ups

3. Methodology
- How? Selection and access
- Why? Human Subjects review
Research design
Research procedures
Kind of data
4. Limitations Collection of data
What if?
Perceived weaknesses
Alternatives
5. Conclusion
What?
How? Chapter Synopsis
Why?

UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 28

LL.B Dissertation flowchart

CHAPTER ONE:
- Introduction
- Background
- Statement of the Problem
- Objectives of the Study
- Research questions
- Significance of the Study
- Justification of the Study
- Scope of the Study
- Literature Review See you at the finish line!
- Methodology
- Limitations
- Chapter synopsis

CHAPTER TWO:
Establish/ascertain the non-legal aspects of
the subject matter

CHAPTER THREE:
Analyze/examine/evaluate/assess
the International, Regional &
Domestic perspectives

CHAPTER FOUR:
Summary of findings,
conclusions &
recommendations.

Bibliography
UCU Faculty of Law, Dissertation Guide, p. 29