The UK Data Service offers a range of support to students working on their dissertation projects. Our student pages contain guidance and resources on using data in student research. Undergraduate students can also enter the UK Data Service Dissertation Award.
Student pages
On our student pages in the learning hub, you can access useful resources and find information about the UK Data Service and our data collections. If you’re unsure about why you might use existing data sources in your research project then watch our video Secondary analysis What and why?
You can find out more about using survey data in a dissertation or how to find and access data for your project. There are also guides on top surveys for dissertation projects, including the Quick start guide: British Social Attitudes (BSA) and Quick start guide: Health Survey for England (HSE).
Need help with data skills? Try our interactive data skills modules for users who want to get to grips with key aspects of survey, longitudinal or aggregate data.
Events
The recording and resources from our “Dissertation projects: Introduction to secondary analysis for qualitative and quantitative data” workshop can be found on the event page. This workshop takes you through the research process of a secondary analysis project, including an overview of key methodological issues.
We also have a range of upcoming events:
- Introduction to Quantitative Time Diary Analysis
- How to become a computational social scientist
- Getting started with secondary analysis
- Introduction to the UK Data Service
- Finding and accessing data from the UK Data Service
There’s also our Data in the Spotlight series which introduces you to key data types and their uses. These include Census and population data, Longitudinal data, International time series data and Qualitative and mixed methods data.
Dissertation award
The UK Data Service Dissertation Award recognises students who use data from the UK Data Service in their undergraduate dissertations. The three best dissertations from the 2023-24 academic year will receive a £300 award and publicity via our website, blog and newsletter. The deadline for submissions is 12:00 midday on 20 June 2024.