DR SIMON: OK, welcome back to the new term. Hope you've had a good break and that you're looking forward to writing your dissertation ... What I’d like to do in this session is give you the opportunity to ask questions on writing the dissertation ... requirements, milestones ... who to see when you need help. It’s very informal ... it may all be written on paper, but it’s nice to get it confirmed. So anything you'd like to ask?

ANDY: Dr Simon, is there a fixed hand-in date yet?

DR SIMON: Right. I can confirm that that’s 21 May, not 20 as we first staled. OK?... Jane?

JANE: What about the word limit?

DR SIMON: Well we try to be pretty flexible on this, but in broad terms it’s 1,820,000.

JANE: Ah...

DR SIMON: And you can choose your topics ... anything from Years 2 and 3...

JANE: I still haven't got any idea what I want to do it on. Who....?

DR SIMON: Well, you should see your course tutor to agree on your final title and you should also be aware that there's a special programme running on research methods for anyone who wants some extra help on that.