research
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
A GUIDE TO THE PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF
UNDERGRADUATE LONG ESSAY
As part of the requirements for the award of the B.A (Honors) degree in this Department, students who major in Geography must submit during their final year of study a Long Essay in a field relevant to Geography. The Long Essay is the written report of a research project in which the student conducts original research involving the collection and analysis of empirical data. The data will be collected in the field, from measurements of samples in the laboratory, or from data abstracted from an existing source such as census reports and weather reports. It will include data and information from administered questionnaires.
Selection and Approval of Project or Topic for Dissertation
Student will submit the topic along with a brief two-page proposal to the department where it will be evaluated by the faculty.
Students may also hold formal discussions with individual members of the teaching staff or other qualified persons in or outside the Department to ensure that:
The intended project will contribute to knowledge by providing evidence for the validation (or refutation) of existing hypotheses, testing new analytical techniques, proposing new hypotheses, etc.
The amount of time involved in working will allow the student to complete the project by the departmental deadline.
The student is familiar with, or will learn how to apply, the analytical techniques to use.
If the project requires the use of equipment, the type of equipment and its purpose must be stated in the proposal.
Faculty Supervisor
After the topic and proposal have been approved, the student will be assigned to a faculty member in the department who will supervise the work. The student must consult the supervisor regularly on matters relating to the design of the experiment, collection of data, development and implementation of the survey if used, use of
A GUIDE TO THE PREPARATION AND PRESENTATION OF
UNDERGRADUATE LONG ESSAY
As part of the requirements for the award of the B.A (Honors) degree in this Department, students who major in Geography must submit during their final year of study a Long Essay in a field relevant to Geography. The Long Essay is the written report of a research project in which the student conducts original research involving the collection and analysis of empirical data. The data will be collected in the field, from measurements of samples in the laboratory, or from data abstracted from an existing source such as census reports and weather reports. It will include data and information from administered questionnaires.
Selection and Approval of Project or Topic for Dissertation
Student will submit the topic along with a brief two-page proposal to the department where it will be evaluated by the faculty.
Students may also hold formal discussions with individual members of the teaching staff or other qualified persons in or outside the Department to ensure that:
The intended project will contribute to knowledge by providing evidence for the validation (or refutation) of existing hypotheses, testing new analytical techniques, proposing new hypotheses, etc.
The amount of time involved in working will allow the student to complete the project by the departmental deadline.
The student is familiar with, or will learn how to apply, the analytical techniques to use.
If the project requires the use of equipment, the type of equipment and its purpose must be stated in the proposal.
Faculty Supervisor
After the topic and proposal have been approved, the student will be assigned to a faculty member in the department who will supervise the work. The student must consult the supervisor regularly on matters relating to the design of the experiment, collection of data, development and implementation of the survey if used, use of
Citations: Some scholars see the system of land tenure as a factor in rural inequality and a major constraint on agricultural productivity (Mansa, 1960; Dzifa 1980). According to Musa et al (1950), regional cooperation holds the key to sustainable development in Africa. But this view has been described as “Lacking in logical consistency” (Whitman and Jones, 1990 pp. 100-101). Where references are made to two or more books, monographs, and articles published by the same author in the same year, they should be distinguished by alphabets, e.g. (Mansa, 1960a, 1960b). Mansa, A.K. (1960a). Agriculture and Land Use in Ghana, Legon: Universities of Ghana Press. Mansa, A.K (1960b). Land Tenure and agricultural productivity, Kumasi: Ashanti Press. Ministry of Agriculture (1970). Agricultural Development Plan 1970-1980, Accra: Policy Planning Development, Ministry of Agriculture. Whiteman, T.O and Jones, C.B. (Editors. 1990). Geographical Theory, London: Oxford University Press. Musa, M. Kodzo, E., Arhin, F. (1950). Regional co-operation in Africa, Accra: State Publishing Corporation. Example: Akyaa, G (1990a), Reflections on the Status of Agriculture Geography in Ghana, Journal of African Association of Geographers 2:2, December, pp.1-3. Akyaa, G (1990b), Role of Geography in Development, Journal of Development 4:2, March, pp. 26-38. Dzife, J. (1980), Land Tenure and Agricultural Productivity among the Anlo, Bulletin of Agricultural Economics 3, May, pp. 16-32. Osei, J.A (1988), Accessibility in the Afram Plains, Bulletin of the Ghana Geographical Association 3:1, June, pp. 12-21.