Summary of "Aims and Objectives for Masters Dissertations"

Aims and Objectives for Master’s Dissertations

Place your aims and objectives early in Chapter 1 (ideally pages 2–4); do not bury them later in the introduction.
The aim is a short, expanded version of the title (roughly three sentences) that answers:
1. Why is the research necessary? (the problem/need)
2. What is the research about? (clear topic/scope)
3. How will the research be carried out? (method/approach)
Objectives are specific steps (6–9 recommended) that together tell a coherent “story” through the dissertation.
Structure objectives so they map across the dissertation sections:
- Literature review: 2–3 objectives (demonstrate knowledge; review/synthesize)
- Research methodology: 2–3 objectives (data collection; sampling; instruments)
- Critical evaluation / discussion: 2–3 objectives (analysis; comparison; evaluation)
- Final objective(s) to conclude and recommend
Use high-level action verbs (Bloom’s Taxonomy); avoid repeating the same verb across objectives so the list reads actively and clearly.
Treat objectives like project work packages — they break the project into manageable, logically ordered tasks.

Place aims and objectives early
- Put the aim and objectives near the front of Chapter 1 (pages 2–4).
Write the aim (three short sentences)
- Sentence 1 — Explain why the research is necessary (state the problem/context).
- Sentence 2 — State what the research is about (clarify topic/scope; similar to title).
- Sentence 3 — State how you will do the research (methods such as case study, interviews, questionnaires).
Write 6–9 objectives and ensure they:
- Cover literature review, methods, and discussion/critical evaluation.
- Use different, high-level verbs (no unnecessary repetition).
- Read as a sequence — verbs should form a narrative of the study (for example: examine → select → collect → analyze → compare → evaluate → conclude → recommend).

Literature-review verbs: research, study, examine, investigate, review, synthesize
Methods verbs: select, collect, issue (questionnaires), interview, sample, measure, record
Analysis/evaluation verbs: analyze, compare, discuss, evaluate, interpret
Conclusion/recommendation verbs: conclude, recommend

Include verbs so the objectives form a clear sequence of tasks rather than a list of repeated actions.

Title: Investigation into project management life cycles in the automotive industry (Honda case study).
Aim (three sentences):
1. Increasing customer demand for innovation and oversupply in the automotive industry has created a need to understand project life cycle effectiveness.
2. This project seeks to examine how project life cycles are implemented in the automotive industry, with particular focus on Honda.
3. The research will be conducted via case-study analysis and comparison with other automotive companies.
Example objective breakdown (illustrative):
- Literature review: examine project life cycle models; investigate innovation demands in automotive projects.
- Methodology: select case-study firms (Honda + others); collect data via interviews/questionnaires; analyze returned data.
- Discussion/evaluation: compare implementation across companies; evaluate strengths/weaknesses of lifecycle approaches.
- Conclusion: conclude findings and recommend improvements.

Keep the aim concise but informative (three core elements).
Make objectives measurable and actionable where possible.
Avoid repeating verbs — variety demonstrates careful planning and higher-level thinking.
Think of objectives as the project plan: they should break the research into clear work packages that lead to a final conclusion and recommendations.