thesis university of edinburgh

School of Social and Political Science

Dissertation guidance.

All SPS students have access to the SPS Research Training Centre Support for Dissertations Learn hub (accessed via MyEd).   If you do not have access, please email [email protected] .

The Student Development Hub provides general advice on academic writing, including the Graduate School's Learning and Academic Skills Handbook.

Visit the Student Development Hub

Dissertation deadline

The deadline for Taught MSc dissertations in the 2023/24 academic year is Thursday 8th August 2024, 23:59 (UK Time).

Regulations and requirements

The formal requirements and binding regulations that apply can be found in the School MSc Dissertation Handbook 2023-24

There will be variations across programmes, and programme directors and/or subject areas can provide more detailed specific guidance on the scope of dissertations, the general timeline of the dissertation cycle, and the way supervisors are allocated.

Guidelines for writing a master's dissertation

Most research begins with a question. Think about which topics and theories you are interested in and what you would like to know more about.

Think about the topics and theories you have studied in your degree programme. Is there some question you feel the body of knowledge in your field does not answer adequately?

Once you have a question in mind, begin looking for information relevant to the topic and its theoretical framework. Read everything you can - academic research and peer-reviewed journals, and information in the popular press and on the Internet.

As you become well-informed about your topic and prior research on the topic, your knowledge should suggest a purpose for your dissertation. When you can articulate this purpose clearly, you are ready to write your dissertation proposal.

Dissertation proposal

This proposal specifies:

• the purpose of the study
• the significance of the study
• a tentative review of the literature on the topic and its theoretical framework (a working bibliography should be attached)
• your research questions and/or hypotheses
• how you will collect and analyse your data (your proposed instrumentation should be attached)

Getting advice on your chosen topic

At this point, you are encouraged to go and see any staff members that you feel could advise your on their topic.

After a supervisor is allocated, you should try to set up a first meeting to refine your plans and to plan the process towards completion of the thesis.

At this stage it is very important to have a good understanding of the different sections most dissertations comprise. You will then start to work on drafting a first outline of your dissertation together with your supervisor.

Each supervisor prefers a distinct approach regarding the structure of a dissertation and is dependent on the kind of project you undertake. Please refer to your course guide and departmental regulations for further information.

A short description of dissertation chapters is provided in the section below. However, bear in mind that these are brief in scope and only advisory. Please refer to the secondary literature at the end of this page for more in-depth information.

Dissertation chapters

The following chapters are commonly used:

The title itself is an important opportunity to tell the potential reader what your research is about. You will need it to be succinct, specific, descriptive, and representative of the research you have done.

There is likely to be a required format for the title page in your discipline, so you will need to check what that is.

The abstract is a very short summary or digest of an article or dissertation whose basic task is to tell a potential reader, searching for scholarly or research-based material by topic or title, whether or not this is what she is looking for.

Writing a good one is quite a craft and there is no substitute for reading lots of abstracts to develop the knack of summarising and selecting the key points.

A good abstract gives information about the problem under investigation, research aims, methods and procedures, results and implications.

A quick test involves checking whether your abstract answers the questions ‘why?’, ‘how?’, ‘what?’ and ‘so what’?.

Acknowledgements (if applicable)

In the acknowledgements, you thank those who have helped you at any stage in the research or writing process; for example:

• your supervisor
• other academic and/or technical staff in your School
• experts in other institutions who may have provided advice or access to information
• funding bodies
• those close to you that have given you help or support

Contents page(s)

The contents pages will show up the structure of the dissertation.

Any imbalance in space devoted to different sections of content will become apparent. This is a useful check on whether amalgamation of sections, or creation of further sections or sub-sections is needed.

Introduction

The introduction should discuss:

• the field of study
• the research question
• the hypothesis (if any)
• the research question that is to be investigated

It should also include a summary of the contents and main arguments in the dissertation.

Literature review

Generally, a literature review is a survey of the work that has previously been published in your subject. It can be a separate assignment or it can form part of a larger body of work, such as a dissertation. It should be comprehensive and relevant in its scope.

A literature review can also mean the process of reviewing the literature. It starts when you pick up your first paper, book, or source, it continues as you research and question, write, and edit the piece, and finishes when you complete your final draft.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

Methodology and Methods

A key part of your dissertation or thesis is the methodology. This is not quite the same as ‘methods’.

The methodology describes the broad philosophical underpinning to your chosen research methods, including whether you are using qualitative or quantitative methods, or a mixture of both, and why.

If you are submitting your dissertation in sections, with the methodology submitted before you actually undertake the research, you should use this section to set out exactly what you plan to do.

The methodology should be linked back to the literature to explain why you are using certain methods, and the academic basis of your choice.

There are numerous research methods that can be used when researching scientific subjects; you should discuss which are the most appropriate for your research with your supervisor.

Here are some helpful pages on the Skills You Need website:

Writing your Dissertation: Methodology – Skills You Need Research Methods – Skills You Need

This is where you review your own research in relation to the wider context in which it is located.

You can refer back to the rationale that you gave for your research in the literature review, and discuss what your own research has added in this context.

It is important to show that you appreciate the limitations of your research, and how these may affect the validity or usefulness of your findings. Given the acknowledged limitations, you can report on the implications of your findings for theory, research, and practice.

Discussion or Findings

The discussion is arguably the most difficult section to write, as it is predominantly interpretative and discursive.

In this section, you will examine your results in relation to your research questions or hypotheses and, more broadly, in relation to existing research. This will enable you to assess the contribution of your research to the field, and to make suggestions for further research where appropriate.

Useful hints on the DOCEO website in the section on findings and discussion

Conclusions

In this section you will bring together the work of the dissertation by showing how the initial research plan has been addressed in such a way that conclusions may be formed from the evidence of the dissertation.

No new material or references should be placed here. The conclusions should make a statement on the extent to which each of the aims and objectives has been met.

You should bring back your research questions and state clearly your understanding of those questions. Be careful not to make claims that are not substantiated from the evidence you have presented in earlier chapters.

Additional chapters

• Institute for Academic Development (IAD): advice and resources on dissertation writing
• Skills You Need (external website): writing a Social Science dissertation

How to write a master's dissertation

• Biggam, John (2015) Succeeding with your master's dissertation a step-by-step handbook , Maidenhead, Berkshire, England: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education. (available online at DiscoverEd, University Library Catalogue)
• Hart, Chris (2005) Doing your masters dissertation : realizing your potential as a social scientist , London: SAGE. (available at University Library Catalogue)
• Rank, Scott (2015) How to Finish Your Dissertation in Six Months, Even if You Don't Know What to Write , Scholarpreneur Press. (free Kindle edition available)

Information on social research methods

• Bryman, Alan (2015) Social research methods , Oxford: Oxford University Press. (available at University Library Catalogue)

Other book recommendations

• Bui, Yvonne N. (2015) How to Write a Master's Thesis (2nd Edition) , London: SAGE.
• Joyner, Randy L., Rouse, William A. and Glatthorn, Allan A. (2013) Writing the Winning Thesis or Dissertation: A Step-by-Step Guide , Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
• Foss, Sonja K. and Waters, William (2007) Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation , Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

• Schools & departments

Submitting your dissertation for examination

The steps you need to carry out for submitting your dissertation plus LaTeX templates.

*Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic all PGR students should submit their thesis electronically until further notice. For information on this process please click  here  .

Dissertation binding.

You are required to submit at least 2 soft-bound copies of your dissertation to the College Office; however, if you have been or are currently a member of staff at the University you may be required to submit 3 soft-bound copies for examination.  You should discuss this with your Supervisor.

Each copy of your dissertation must contain the following:

• Signed declaration page
• Abstract of dissertation
• Electronic copy of dissertation (including abstract and dissertation) - please ensure the electronic copies are suitably attached to each dissertation.

The University has printing and binding services on the King's Buildings Campus (James Clerk Maxwell Building) and in the Central area (Infirmary Street).  For further information on locations to have your dissertation bound, see the 'Thesis Binding Information link below.  Please note, it is recommended that you print your dissertation single-sided so that examiners have space to make comments on the dissertation.  Your dissertation must conform to the College of Science and Engineering Thesis Format and Binding Guidelines.  The 'Temporary Binding' paragraph in the document relates to the requirements for a soft-bound dissertation.

Thesis binding Information

Thesis format and binding guidelines

Submitting your dissertation

You are required to submit on or before the Maximum End Date of your programme  (also known as your dissertation submission deadline) .  Your Maximum End Date can be found on your MyEd Portal.

In very rare circumstances, if you think you will need longer to complete your dissertation contact your supervisor and the Informatics Graduate School (IGS) immediately.  They will organise the request for an extension to your deadline.  An extension must be approved by the Deputy Head of the IGS and the College of Science and Engineering College Office.  Students will be charged a Continuation Fee for extensions; extension fees are calculated per month.  Please note, you may also need an extension to your Visa; you should contact Edinburgh Global for information.  Extensions to your funding may or may not be possible; you should contact your Supervisor and Institute Portfolio Manager.

Continuation fee

Edinburgh Global

You must submit two soft-bound copies of your dissertation (as described above) (three copies if a second external examiner has been appointed) to the College Office (Murchison House, north-west corner of the King's Buildings campus - via gate 1).

College contact details

If the nomination of examiners process has finished, the College Office will be able to send your dissertation to your examiners within 5 working days.  If the examiners have not been appointed yet, there may be some delay in sending your dissertation to the examiners.  Please read the Examination Process and Graduation pages for more information.

Examination Process

Examiners will normally be expected to read and examine your dissertation within two-three months of receiving it; but candidates should allow for examiners' other commitments.

The University takes plagiarism very seriously and is committed to ensuring that so far as possible it is detected and dealt with appropriately.

Plagiarism is the act of including in one’s work the work of another person without providing adequate acknowledgement of having done so, either deliberately or unintentionally. At whatever stage of a student’s course, whether discovered before or after graduation, plagiarism will be investigated and dealt with.

• Acknowledged all the sources they have used whether they be books, journal articles, any other printed material, or the internet (note that the references to sources on the internet should be as detailed as those for journal citations, including author, title, full url/web address, and the date you accessed that url)
• Used normal academic conventions such as quotations or indentations to identify direct quotations from others' work
• Acknowledged the sources if they have summarised or paraphrased someone's work
• Acknowledged any help they have received in writing their thesis, or gathering data for it, whether this be in an acknowledgement list or at the appropriate points in the thesis. This might include assistance with techniques, external collaborations, provision of substantial materials etc.
• Acknowledged their colleagues where information used in their thesis has been gathered in conjunction with other workers (such as team-working in laboratories).
• Students must consult with their supervisors on any issues relating to acknowledging the ideas or work of other people, and ask their supervisors to be mindful of their plagiarism concerns when they are reading thesis drafts.

      We strongly recommend you read the following Guidance document: Plagiarism guidance

Thesis LaTeX templates and Informatics logos

Several Informatics-specific LaTeX packages are provided in the DICE system. These are listed and documented at the Computing Support page:

Locally Installed LaTeX Packages Included are style files describing a thesis class, which allow you to ensure you conform to the relevant thesis regulations (see guidelines below).

Thesis Binding Guidance

If you wish to use the infthesis class on your own machine, the following archive contains the necessary files.

Infthesis files, April 2012

Useful links

Postgraduate Assessment Regulations for Research Degrees

Code of Practice for Supervisors and Research Students

Plagiarism prevention and detection - Information Services

IAD4RESEARCHERS

Researcher development at the university of edinburgh.

The Insiders’ Guide to Thesis Writing

We run a number of workshops on thesis writing which often feature supervisors and examiners talking about their roles in the production and examination of a PhD thesis. Early in the lockdown we noticed that our research staff were keen to share their insights and offer support to students who might be struggling to write away from their labs and offices in the University.

The first research staff led IAD Pop-Up session is on thesis writing and we hope that more will follow. If you are a member of research staff or part of a research staff society at Edinburgh, let us know how we can help turn your ideas into a development session.

This session was designed by thesis writing experts Dr Marie-Louise Monaghan, Dr Natalie Jones, Dr Marie-Louise Monaghan and Dr Antonis Asiminas, all from CMVM and all involved in one of our research staff societies.

As well as the recording of the session, this post includes the slides and a number of links that came up during the design of the session and from questions we received on the day.

Recording of the session (subtitles requested and will be included soon)

Slides for the session: Thesis writing Insider Guide

This session complements other support from the IAD. You can find useful links and a self-study pack of writing up qualitative research on the IAD website

IAD support for writing up your PhD

First some links on the formatting and regulations:

The Doctoral Education team in IAD have put together a page which includes all the codes and regulations relating to a PhD:  PhD Regulations

Information Services have a guide to help you Produce a Thesis using Word 2013

All of the forms related to Doctoral Thesis Submission , including University Guidance on Thesis Binding are on the Academic Services Research Students page .

As mentioned during the session, you’ll save hours and hours of time and stress if you set up your document effectively from the beginning.

Marlene mentioned the “sentence starters” summary that she found helpful whilst writing. It’s been pinned by Jo Coles on Pinterest 

And there’s some fantastic advice from another PhD student, Bérengère Digard who is writing her thesis at the moment!

Nothing says shut up and write like a pandemic

A few weeks ago I ran a short session on productivity which might help you to set yourselves up with realistic expectations: Productivity in Unproductive Circumstances .

And remember that thesis writing is incredibly hard at the best of times. Take care of your mental and physical health whilst you are writing with the help of other important members of our community.

Our counselling service is still open

Our Chaplaincy are now running weekly mindfulness drop-ins

The University has paid for students and staff to have access to a range of online services including Big White Wall , Feeling Good and SilverCloud .

Other services and support is available – Headspace got a mention in our session.

You might also want to review Information Security whilst working from home.

The Research Data Service website is also full of guidance about data management throughout your PhD, with some specific tips for the final stages – “ Approaching Completion ”

and their Library colleagues in Digital Research Services also offer lots of links to online training.

Or visit the Health and Wellbeing websites for

Staff – https://www.ed.ac.uk/staff/health-wellbeing

Students – https://www.ed.ac.uk/students/health-wellbeing

The Covid19 student webpage includes a section for PGRs – scroll down – https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/covid-19/current-students

If you’re concerned about becoming sedentary whilst working from home, there’s an online Sit Less Get Active course from Coursera.

Although the Health and Safety Executive has advised that there is no need during this interim period of homeworking to undertake workstation assessments, it’s important to be comfortable. Our local Health and Safety staff have written some simple homeworking set up sheets available online at the health & safety unit website https://www.ed.ac.uk/health-safety/guidance/workplaces-general/homeworking

Finally, if you are missing your local coffee shop and the ambient murmur of background noise, you can always try to recreate this with Coffivity .

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Clinical Psychology

Subject guide to library related topics.

Clinical psychology theses

University of Edinburgh theses awarded in Clinical Psychology are online in the University's research repository, Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA). They are Open Access (except where commercial and other restrictions apply).

Health in Social Science theses and dissertations on ERA

Information on finding and submitting theses

Thesis hub is an online course using Lynda.com videos and lecture recordings to show those Microsoft Word's features which are helpful in producing a long document such as a thesis or dissertation.

More details and instructions for self-enrolling on the course

The University of Edinburgh Open Educational Resources

• Edinburgh’s OERs

Nine videos from the Thesis Hub self-enrol Learn course on producing a thesis using Word run by the Digital Skills and Training team. Videos also include links to downloadable word document worksheets.

Thesis Hub – Before you start writing – Plan your document

Thesis Hub – Before you start writing – Back up your work

Thesis Hub – Before you start writing – University regulations

Thesis Hub – Formatting your document – Introduction to styles

Thesis Hub – Formatting your document – Modifying styles

Thesis Hub – Formatting your document – Creating your own styles

Thesis Hub – Formatting your document – Numbered headings

Thesis Hub – Page Layout – Using sections to change page numbers

Thesis Hub – Bringing it all together – Insert chapters into your final document

These videos were created by Catherine Koppe at The University of Edinburgh , and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence .

Header Image is a screenshot from the video frontslide

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Academic writing

Advice and resources to support you with effective academic writing.

Approaches to writing

Assignment writing is a process which involves planning, drafting and reviewing what you are going to say. You will find you need to review your initial plan and edit it as you go along. You should expect to have to redraft some sections of writing.

You should also check any guidance given to you as part of your course, as conventions vary between subject areas.

One of the hardest things can be to get started writing an assignment. Sometimes this is a question of taking the time to reflect on what you are being asked to do in the assignment brief. 

Getting started with an assignment

The handout Getting started suggests a way in which you can break down your task, think about aspects of it and commit some of your initial ideas to paper. It also suggests ways you can start to adapt this method to suit you. Alternatively you may prefer to use a prompt list to start to analyse your title.

Getting started (pdf)       Getting started (Word rtf)

Essay title prompts (pdf)       Essay title prompts (Word rtf)

You will want to respond to the assignments you have been set as well as you can. This means paying attention to key words in the question or assignment brief. These are sometimes known as command or directive words because they tell you what to do. The document Directive words provides definitions of some of the commonly used words.

Directive words (pdf)       Directive words (Word rtf)   Directive words – British Sign Language translation (Media Hopper video)

Getting your ideas in order

In any written assignment you will be expected to organise and structure information which is synthesised from a range of sources. You will need to make notes from your readings to help you consolidate and connect your research to your question. The Reading at university page has strategies to help you develop effective skills for making notes from reading.

Reading at university

Making notes means you end up with lots of bits of writing which you need to link together for your reader. Sometimes it can be hard to know what to select and how to identify relationships between ideas and concepts.

There are suggestions in the Getting your ideas in order handout of practical ways in which you might reorganise your material in response to the task set. Playing around with the order can help you arrive at a line reasoning that will convince the reader. Aim to experiment and find out what works for you.

Getting your ideas in order (pdf)           Getting your ideas in order (Word rtf)

Essay parts and paragraphs

If you have been asked to write an academic essay, and you haven't done this before, you may be unsure of what is expected. The Parts of an essay handout gives a brief introductory overview of the component parts of an essay.

Parts of an essay (pdf)           Parts of an essay (Word rtf)

Paragraphs are the building blocks of an essay and are a way of organising your thinking and making your meaning clear in your writing for your reader. The handout Developing writing in paragraphs encourages you to think about the way you shape your paragraphs and when to move on to a new one.

Developing writing in paragraphs (pdf)          Developing writing in paragraphs (Word rtf) 

Build an argument as you go

Identifying and writing about good evidence is not enough. You need to build an argument. An argument is:

Using reasons to support a point of view, so that known or unknown audiences may be persuaded to agree. Cottrell, S. (2011)Critical thinking skills: developing effective analysis and argument. 2nd edn. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p52.

You can develop your argument as you read and write by creating a working hypothesis or basic answer in response to the assignment brief.  

Building an argument as you go (pdf)            Building an argument as you go (Word rtf)

As you move through your studies lecturers will expect more from your written work. They will expect the accurate attribution of ideas from others (including academic and other authors, and the ideas of those who teach you). There is general advice and resources for referencing and citations (and avoiding plagiarism) on the Referencing and citations page.

Referencing and citations

Your marker(s) will expect written pieces to be logically structured with fluid expression of thought, and with deeper and more critical engagement with the subjects and ideas you are reading and learning about. 

Aim to become familiar with the level of writing required by reading good quality examples.  At an advanced level you are aiming to write to the style you read in academic journals. 

As your written tasks become longer and more complex it can be helpful to reflect on your own writing process.

Reflect on your writing process (pdf)            Reflect on your writing process (Word rtf)

Different types of academic writing

Academic writing is much more than just an essay. You might be asked to write a lab or business report, a policy brief, a blog post, a journal article or a reflection piece for example. These tend to be subject and task specific so you need to check the assignment brief and any criteria for details of their purpose, formatting, structure, things to include etc.

Reflective academic writing

In some subjects, assessment may be based on critical reflection. This can be a challenge as it is a very particular style and form of writing which you may not have come across before. As well as check your assignment brief for specifics, the University’s Employability Consultancy have created a Reflection Toolkit of resources, models and questions to help you develop your reflective writing skills.

The Reflection Toolkit

School-level support

Take advantage of any writing development sessions organised through or learning materials offered by your School, Deanery or course. These will help you develop the specific writing skills you need for your discipline or subject area.

Writing your own title

If you have to write your own title in response to the brief you have been set, you need to think about how to frame this.  The Formulating your own title handout suggests some aspects to consider.

Formulating your own title (pdf)          Formulating your own title (Word rtf)

Differences from non-academic writing

If you are studying during a career break, or part-time while still working, you need to be aware that academic writing is a very different skill from other forms of writing you may have done in the workplace. Academic writing tends to be more formal, requiring succinct prose rather than bullet points, and it is more about the argument than simply conveying, or describing, information. Writing for assessment requires you to think carefully about your assignment and criteria, your argument and content, use of your subject specific conventions (e.g. language, style etc.), and your audience.

Your written work needs to be grounded in and backed up by appropriate and informed opinion and sources, rather than solely by personal opinion and experience. Academic written work will also make fewer absolute statements. Language is often more tentative or cautious.

Academic Phrasebank is a collection of general phrases taken from academic sources created by John Morley at the University of Manchester. The phrases are sorted into writing and assignment themes such as being critical and writing conclusions.

This article was published on 2024-02-26

Chemistry Spotlight: Erin Onarecker-Nee

As the spring quarter comes to a close and summer break looms on the horizon, we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight some UChicago Chemistry staff members who have helped contribute to making this academic year so successful.

Erin Onarecker-Nee is an administrative staff member and business coordinator with the UChicago Chemistry department. She is often the first face a person sees when they enter Searle Chemistry Building. We asked Erin some questions about herself and her experiences.

People can come to me for …

All sorts of things, really. In particular, I assist with seminar planning and providing information relating to seminars. This includes everything from travel and lodging to scheduling, room requests, catering, processing honorariums, and planning receptions. I also assist with organizing and facilitating other departmental events. Outside of events, I schedule rooms, order supplies, and collaborate with others in the department.

What do you enjoy about being a part of the Chemistry Department community?

Be they students, staff, faculty, or visiting faculty, I’m constantly meeting fascinating people who are passionate about their interests. I really enjoy the conversations I have with those who work in or are visiting the department. It’s a fun and enriching place to work!

What’s the best book you’ve read recently?

I recently read Tony Morrison’s Beloved— it’s a novel I’ve wanted to read for years and finally did. I was mesmerized by Morrison’s sjuzhet and literary form. The way she led the reader through the text using fragmented memories and experiences was compelling and nuanced.

What’s something you’ve accomplished that you are proud of?

I’m really proud of my college honors thesis. It required about a year of research and six months of writing to complete. It analyzed the use of Wittgensteinian ordinary language philosophy in literary studies following the post-critical turn and its effect on undergraduate pedagogy.

What’s something you’ve done, but would never do again?

I backpacked the Golden Trout Wilderness near Mount Whitney with my dad. The trail was beautiful, and we saw a marmot, which was fun. The weather, however, was less than ideal. I’ll never backpack in subzero windchill again.

What three words best describe you?

Curious, funny, determined.

Where did you work before UChicago?

Before coming to UChicago, I was an academic editor. I worked with a variety of texts including research publications, PhD and EdD dissertations, and textbooks. One of my favorite projects was editing a publication for the Luskin Center for History and Policy at UCLA. It was used to guide policy at the university as they navigated the complexities of First Amendment rights to free speech in the midst of political extremism.

Do you have pets, and if so, what are their names?

I have a green cheek conure named Olive. She weighs 2.5 ounces, loves to eat fruit, chew on ice cubes, hunt houseflies, and enjoys traveling with me and my partner. She’s also learned to mimic “kiss” noises and will lean over to give kisses.  

What is your favorite place to hangout or visit in Chicago?

This is tough—there are a lot of great places in Chicago. When the weather’s nice, I love walking Jackson Park, Bob-o-Link Meadow, and swimming at the Point.

What hobby do you spend the most time on?

I love practicing different forms of art, especially drawing and painting. Recently, I’ve gotten into doing stick n poke tattoos.

What are some words of wisdom you try to live by, or that you’d like to impart to others?

Something I’ve leaned into over the last few years is that I simply don’t know what I don’t know. It’s a reminder to be open-minded, give myself and others grace, ask questions, and to remain curious.

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IMPLEMENTATION OF A POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION SCREENING AND MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCE GUIDELINE IN THE NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

Add to collection, downloadable content.

• Affiliation: School of Nursing
• Caroline Martineau: Implementation of a Postpartum Depression Screening and Mental Health Resource Guideline in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Introduction: Postpartum depression is the most common complication following childbirth for mothers across the globe. Mothers of infants admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit following birth are at an increased risk of developing postpartum depression. Postpartum depression screenings for new mothers typically occur at the pediatrician’s office during well-child visits. Mothers of infants hospitalized following birth are unable to attend these visits and thus are not screened for symptoms of postpartum depression. This project aimed to develop a postpartum depression screening guideline and subsequent mental health referral in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UNC Health Rex. Methods: The project design followed the Iowa Model for Evidence-Based Practice Framework as well as the Plan-Do-Study-Act method. A literature review was conducted prior to implementation. Intervention: Nurses in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at UNC Health Rex screened mothers for symptoms of postpartum depression via the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale at three days, seven days, 14 days, and 30 days postpartum. Scores on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were tallied, and mental health resources were provided according to the score. Mothers were screened for the duration of their infant’s stay. Results: Eighteen screenings were conducted during the eight-week implementation period. Twenty-eight percent of the mothers screened were positive for symptoms of postpartum depression. Conclusion: This project successfully identified symptoms of postpartum depression in mothers of infants currently hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Additional quality improvement is needed to integrate postpartum depression screenings into standard practice.
• Postpartum Depression
• https://doi.org/10.17615/88gn-ny14
• Dissertation
• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• McInerney, Rachel
• Aucoin, Julia
• Sheffield-Abdullah, Karen
• Doctor of Nursing Practice
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School

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Edinburgh Research Archive

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Psychology PhD thesis collection

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This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Recent Submissions

What items assess: evidence, applications, and implications of narrow personality traits , developmental pathways of suicidality and self-harm among youth , power of the quill: consciousness presentation and the literary use of reference , discovery of genetic factors for reading ability and dyslexia , neuroimaging investigations of cortical specialisation for different types of semantic knowledge , priming prepositional-phrase attachment ambiguities in english and spanish-speaking children and adults during language comprehension , making sense of psychological abuse in romantic relationships: a thematic analysis , linking language and emotion: how emotion is understood in language comprehension, production and prediction using psycholinguistic methods , relationship between disfluencies, associations, and inferences in speech comprehension , neural basis of semantic processing across comprehension contexts , know yourself better in and through peer disagreement , new insights on the multidimensionality of fatigue and on its relationship with cognitive impairments in multiple sclerosis , causal induction in time , ‘north indians’ and ‘south indians’ online: a discursive psychological study of the use of membership categories on social media , pregnancy and children’s development (precede): how maternal inflammation in pregnancy affects child outcomes , effects of modality, administration and stimulus on picture descriptions in adults , binocular strategies in reading and non-reading visual tasks: from oculomotor behaviours to higher cognition , application of gene-set analysis to identify the molecular genetic correlates of human cognitive abilities , computational framework of human causal generalization , social biases of mention order .

UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this community https://hdl.handle.net/2152/4

This collection contains University of Texas at Austin electronic theses and dissertations (ETDs). The collection includes ETDs primarily from 2001 to the present. Some pre-2001 theses and dissertations have been digitized and added to this collection, but those are uncommon. The library catalog is the most comprehensive list of UT Austin theses and dissertations.

Since 2010, the Office of Graduate Studies at UT Austin has required all theses and dissertations to be made publicly available in Texas ScholarWorks; however, authors are able to request an embargo of up to seven years. Embargoed ETDs will not show up in this collection. Most of the ETDs in this collection are freely accessible to all users, but some pre-2010 works require a current UT EID at point of use. Please see the FAQs for more information. If you have a question about the availability of a specific ETD, please contact [email protected].

Some items in this collection may contain offensive images or text. The University of Texas Libraries is committed to maintaining an accurate and authentic scholarly and historic record. An authentic record is essential for understanding our past and informing the present. In order to preserve the authenticity of the historical record we will not honor requests to redact content, correct errors, or otherwise remove content, except in cases where there are legal concerns (e.g. potential copyright infringement, inclusion of HIPAA/FERPA protected information or Social Security Numbers) or evidence of a clear and imminent threat to personal safety or well-being.

This policy is in keeping with the  American Library Association code of ethics  to resist efforts to censor library resources, and the  Society of American Archivists code of ethics  that states "archivists may not willfully alter, manipulate, or destroy data or records to conceal facts or distort evidence." Please see UT Libraries'  Statement on Harmful Language and Content  for more information.

Authors of these ETDs have retained their copyright while granting the University of Texas Libraries the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute their works.

Collections in this Community

• UT Electronic Theses and Dissertations   30995