Book excerpt: This book has been designed to guide students through the main phases in writing and presenting an undergraduate, MA or PhD dissertation. These include choosing a topic, carrying out the review of literature, gathering and analyzing data, writing up the dissertation, and, finally, preparing and delivering a presentation within the context of a viva. This eminently practical manual has been written in a reader-friendly style. Theoretical explanations are complemented by numerous examples for analysis and illustration as well as activities to apply, practise, and review the notions introduced in each chapter.