This book provides undergraduates with a step-by-step guide to successfully carrying out an independent research project or dissertation. The book addresses each stage of the project by answering the questions that a student is likely to ask as the work progresses from choosing the subject area and planning the data collection through to producing illustrations and writing the final report. Most undergraduates in geography and related disciplines are required to undertake individual projects as part of their degree course; this book is a source of constructive, practical advice.

This new third edition continues the tradition of friendly, well-informed but informal support, and continues to focus on answering the specific questions that students typically ask at each stage of the project. The new edition brings the text completely up to date by taking into account changes within the discipline and changes in the ways that students work. New digital media, social networking, mobile technology, e-journals, anti-plagiarism software, ethics approval rules and risk assessments are among the issues that this new edition takes into account. The new edition also broadens the book's appeal by extending its coverage of the wide range of different approaches to geographical research, with expanded coverage of qualitative research, Geographic Information Systems, and new approaches to research design in both physical and human geographies