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Open Content

This guide brings together information about Open Access Resources and Open Educational Resources. It aims to make Open Access resources easier to find and use for study, teaching and research.

Finding open Theses and Dissertations

University of edinburgh and uk theses.

Edinburgh Research Archive - Full text electronic copies of most University of Edinburgh PhD theses can be found online in the Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA). The collection comprises 23,500 items and includes MD theses from the 1700s through to PhDs recently awarded in 2020.

EThoS: e-theses online service - This service from the British Library aims to provide a national aggregated record of all doctoral theses awarded by UK Higher Education institutions, and free access to the full text of as many theses as possible for use by researchers.

Google Scholar Search

If you know the details of the thesis you wish to consult then an effective way to find the full text is via  Google Scholar. Search for the full title in quotes, followed by the author last name, and/or date if known. 

International theses

DART-Europe is a searchable database of electronic research theses held in European repositories. It covers around 586 Universities in 29 European countries.

EBSCO Open Dissertations   is a free database with records for more than 1.4 million electronic theses and dissertations from more than 320 universities around the world. 

Global ETD Search  from the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) contains around 6 million records, the majority of which are open, but some may not be publicly available.

Open Access Theses & Dissertations  currently indexes around 5 million open access theses and dissertations from 1100 institutions worldwide.

Making your thesis open access

Theses and dissertations from the University of Edinburgh are published online in the Edinburgh Research Archive  (ERA). In 2020, UoE theses were downloaded 829,804 times from ERA (source IRUS-UK download report).  The University has an expectation that a PhD thesis is a document available for public consultation. As such, unless a legitimate reason for restricting access to the thesis exists, all PhD theses will be made publicly available on the internet. Masters dissertations are not routinely made available online, but exceptional dissertations can be made open access.

PhD and other doctoral theses

Masters dissertations.

Only Masters Dissertations from the School of Philosophy, Psychology & Language Sciences and the School of Geosciences are routinely deposited in the Edinburgh Research Archive (ERA). If you are from a different School you can make your master dissertation open access by depositing in ERA. You can do this by logging in with your EASE credentials, then selecting your Schools Thesis & Dissertation Collection and follow the prompts for submitting a new item to the collection.

• Schools & departments

Literature review

A general guide on how to conduct and write a literature review.

Please check course or programme information and materials provided by teaching staff, including your project supervisor, for subject-specific guidance.

What is a literature review?

A literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge and understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context.  A literature review also includes a critical evaluation of the material; this is why it is called a literature review rather than a literature report. It is a process of reviewing the literature, as well as a form of writing.

To illustrate the difference between reporting and reviewing, think about television or film review articles.  These articles include content such as a brief synopsis or the key points of the film or programme plus the critic’s own evaluation.  Similarly the two main objectives of a literature review are firstly the content covering existing research, theories and evidence, and secondly your own critical evaluation and discussion of this content. 

Usually a literature review forms a section or part of a dissertation, research project or long essay.  However, it can also be set and assessed as a standalone piece of work.

What is the purpose of a literature review?

…your task is to build an argument, not a library. Rudestam, K.E. and Newton, R.R. (1992) Surviving your dissertation: A comprehensive guide to content and process. California: Sage, p49.

In a larger piece of written work, such as a dissertation or project, a literature review is usually one of the first tasks carried out after deciding on a topic.  Reading combined with critical analysis can help to refine a topic and frame research questions.  Conducting a literature review establishes your familiarity with and understanding of current research in a particular field before carrying out a new investigation. After doing a literature review, you should know what research has already been done and be able to identify what is unknown within your topic.

When doing and writing a literature review, it is good practice to:

• summarise and analyse previous research and theories;
• identify areas of controversy and contested claims;
• highlight any gaps that may exist in research to date.

Conducting a literature review

Focusing on different aspects of your literature review can be useful to help plan, develop, refine and write it.  You can use and adapt the prompt questions in our worksheet below at different points in the process of researching and writing your review.  These are suggestions to get you thinking and writing.

Developing and refining your literature review (pdf)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word)

Developing and refining your literature review (Word rtf)

Writing a literature review has a lot in common with other assignment tasks.  There is advice on our other pages about thinking critically, reading strategies and academic writing.  Our literature review top tips suggest some specific things you can do to help you submit a successful review.

Literature review top tips (pdf)

Literature review top tips (Word rtf)

Our reading page includes strategies and advice on using books and articles and a notes record sheet grid you can use.

Reading at university

The Academic writing page suggests ways to organise and structure information from a range of sources and how you can develop your argument as you read and write.

Academic writing

The Critical thinking page has advice on how to be a more critical researcher and a form you can use to help you think and break down the stages of developing your argument.

Critical thinking

As with other forms of academic writing, your literature review needs to demonstrate good academic practice by following the Code of Student Conduct and acknowledging the work of others through citing and referencing your sources.  

Good academic practice

As with any writing task, you will need to review, edit and rewrite sections of your literature review.  The Editing and proofreading page includes tips on how to do this and strategies for standing back and thinking about your structure and checking the flow of your argument.

Editing and proofreading

Guidance on literature searching from the University Library

The Academic Support Librarians have developed LibSmart I and II, Learn courses to help you develop and enhance your digital research skills and capabilities; from getting started with the Library to managing data for your dissertation.

Searching using the library’s DiscoverEd tool: DiscoverEd

Finding resources in your subject: Subject guides

The Academic Support Librarians also provide one-to-one appointments to help you develop your research strategies.

1 to 1 support for literature searching and systematic reviews

Advice to help you optimise use of Google Scholar, Google Books and Google for your research and study: Using Google

Managing and curating your references

A referencing management tool can help you to collect and organise and your source material to produce a bibliography or reference list. 

Referencing and reference management

Information Services provide access to Cite them right online which is a guide to the main referencing systems and tells you how to reference just about any source (EASE log-in may be required).

Cite them right

Published study guides

There are a number of scholarship skills books and guides available which can help with writing a literature review.  Our Resource List of study skills guides includes sections on Referencing, Dissertation and project writing and Literature reviews.

Study skills guides

This article was published on 2024-02-26

Sponsored dissertations

Organisations can commission a Company Sponsored Dissertation to investigate a specific issue or problem. This will be delivered free by Masters students and supported by our world-leading academics.

We have opportunities for projects across most of our MSc programmes. The project investigates a defined research area, and results in a substantial report with extensive research, analysis, and practical conclusions.

Benefits for your business

• Access specialised business thinking to undertake a piece of research or analysis that you may not have the resources to tackle in-house
• A dedicated piece of work for your business completed by a student approaching the end of an intensive Masters programme
• Receive a rigorous report setting out research, analysis and recommendations
• No cost to your business apart from your time; the consultancy is free
• Build a relationship with the University of Edinburgh Business School
• Bring fresh perspectives and ideas into your business

Why work with our students?

Our students are among the best in their field and combine their strategic business and management skills and specialist knowledge with the refinement offered through our 12-month, intensive programmes. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds, offering each group a unique international perspective as they learn.

What kinds of project are suitable?

We offer different types of projects and will match you with an individual postgraduate student with the specialised skill set suited to your research needs.

Discuss your ideas

If you would like more information on student projects please contact Rachel Parks, our Business Engagement Manager . Please include details of:

• Which project(s) are best suited to your proposal
• Your contact information
• Project title, objectives and outcomes, location, knowledge and any skills required

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Edinburgh Research Archive

•   ERA Home
• Edinburgh College of Art

History of Art thesis and dissertation collection

By Issue Date Authors Titles Subjects Publication Type Sponsor Supervisors

Search within this Collection:

Recent Submissions

Joseph beuys's non-objective works on paper, in the artist rooms collection , ‘oh, england my lionheart’: englishness and the countryside in art between the wars , reflecting on the mirror in the fifteenth century: the case of jan van eyck's arnolfini portrait , franki raffles’s lot’s wife: a ‘reinvented documentary’ for a feminist art of knowledge production , watch me watching: surveillance art and the politics of observation , anachrony and the archive: on the production of feminist and queer temporalities in contemporary art , the utopian has arrived: vr and ar in the art world , art in production - the use of technicians in contemporary art making , the aesthetics of reversibility in modern art , anselm kiefer’s concrete towers: fragile architectures, haunted memorials , pink disease .

• Schools & departments

Data and Decision Analytics (Online Learning) MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Part-time

Online learning

Funding opportunities

Postgraduate Online Learning Open Days

Join us on 22 and 23 May to learn about studying an online degree at Edinburgh.

Find out more and register for the Online Learning Open Days

Programme description

The MSc Data and Decision Analytics programme prepares you to not only be able to analyse and digest data, but also to translate this into effective decision-making in this Big Data Age.

You will learn from world-class faculty how to apply cutting-edge business analytics and computing tools to make data-driven decisions in a plethora of business areas, such as:

• human resources
• technology and equipment

The courses provide you with methodological foundations and techniques, as well as applications in business, management, and economics.

To enhance your learning experience, develop your practical skills in analytics, and prepare you for the job market, the programme uses a combination of:

• problem-based learning
• case study-based learning
• hands-on experience using prominent analytics software

Through a balance of academic theory, crucial soft skills and the very latest industry practice, the programme provides opportunities for you to gain experience in planning, designing, executing, and reporting findings to a critical audience of specialists and non-specialists.

You will also gain experience through research processes, such as:

• primary data collection from individuals
• securing their cooperation and consent
• analysing and evaluating data
• framing recommendations
• other methods of field study and data collection

You will learn how to communicate complex ideas and information in a coherent and structured manner throughout the programme courses. The programme also provides opportunities for you to engage with each other through group projects, discussion forums and peer assessment.

The distinguishing feature of the MSc in Data and Decision Analytics (online learning) is that it will expose you to unique and balanced courses in the two most important analytics areas, namely, predictive and prescriptive. This enables you to not only make use of state-of-art machine learning methods to predict and understand data behaviours, but also to effectively apply decision optimisation to make better informed decisions as current business managers. The programme combines a plethora of state-of-the-art elective courses that enable you to make use of the most innovative and efficient methods to solve data and decision analytics problems.

Scheduling your studies

You will need to set aside approximately 15 hours per week for reading, viewing lectures, tutorials, and assignments. This is an average across the duration of the entire two years, and it will vary depending on the course and also when assignments are due. Therefore, at peak times, you may need to put aside more time for your studies.

Live sessions

These sessions will be scheduled to take place between 09:00 and 18:00 GMT.

We are currently planning for live sessions to take place on Mondays and Tuesdays only. There will be a maximum of 4 hours required during these two days of the week for participating in the live online sessions.

Depending on your location this may mean attending before or after your usual day of work. We appreciate though for some it may mean requesting flexible working from your employers to attend these. Equally, if you are not able to attend some of these sessions, there will be recordings made available so you can catch up afterwards.

The courses will consist of live sessions that will be made up of a mixture of:

• computer lab sessions.

Lectures will introduce the theoretical foundation of the given subjects, while tutorials and computer labs will give you hands-on experience and allow you to practice the concepts covered by the lectures.

The programme's materials (access to videos, slides, briefings, and so on) and overall resources will be available on the online platform called Learn. Recordings of all online lectures, tutorials and computer lab sessions will be made available giving you a certain level of flexibility to study around other commitments as we appreciate that you may not be able to attend all the live sessions. Each individual course has its own Learn page. Assessment will consist of coursework. Students will submit their projects, essays, and so on through Learn and Turnitin. Feedback will also be provided through the same system.

• About Learn

Students will also interact and engage with each other through discussion forums, group projects, and other online tools.

Programme structure

The online Data and Decision Analytics MSc is delivered part-time with a start date in September each year. The programme takes 24 months to complete and combines academic study with practical application.

Please note that live sessions will be scheduled to take place on Mondays and Tuesdays during term time (c. 20 weeks each year). These live sessions will be a maximum of 8 hours per week and scheduled 9am-6pm GMT.

The programme encompasses a number of core courses and your studies will culminate with a dissertation.

Compulsory courses

• Applied Decision Optimisation
• Applied Machine Learning
• Data Analysis and Statistics for Business
• Python Programming
• Storytelling in Data and Decision Analytics

Option courses

• Time Series
• Data Management
• Analytics of Decision Making under Multiple Criteria
• Heuristic Optimisation
• Introduction to Stochastic Optimisation
• Advanced Stochastic Optimisation

Option courses are subject to change and demand. We cannot guarantee that all option courses will run each year and occasionally there will be last-minute amendments after this date due to unforeseen circumstances such as staff illness.

The content of individual courses and the programme for any given degree are under constant academic review in light of current circumstances and may change from time to time, with some programmes and courses being modified, discontinued, or replaced.

Dissertation

• Dissertation in Data and Decision Analytics

The dissertation is an in-depth study of a topic in which you are particularly interested in within the field of Data and Decision Analytics. Undertaking the dissertation requires you to develop a deep level of analysis and understanding of the theory and processes of organisations and the business environment through the completion of a piece of individual research.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme, you will be able to:

• understand and critically apply the concepts and methods of business analytics
• identify, model, and solve decision problems in different settings
• interpret results/solutions and identify appropriate courses of action for a given managerial situation, whether a problem or an opportunity
• create viable solutions to decision-making problems

MSc Data and Decision Analytics learning outcomes

Career opportunities

Organisations hold more information about their business environments than ever before. Increasingly, these organisations are recognising the role of data in gaining insights and out-thinking competitors. The worldwide big data analytics market was valued at USD 37.34 billion in 2018 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 12.3% to arrive at USD 105.08 billion by 2027. This will inevitably lead to further growth of the market for employees in the area of analytics.

The MSc in Data and Decision Analytics will offer you, from a range of degree backgrounds, the opportunity to equip yourself with an artillery of concepts, methods and applications of data analytics along with hands-on and practical experience in applying them. It is not just about being able to analyse and digest the data available but to then translate this into effective decision-making.

We expect the programme to open a range of career pathways in analytics for our graduates or to allow them to progress further within their existing career. Roles we anticipate to be amongst these pathways include:

• business consultants
• business analysts
• data analysts
• business intelligence & analytics consultants
• metrics & analytics specialists
• analytics associates
• solution architects
• business process analysts
• management consulting associates
• operational research consultants

MSc Data and Decision Analytics career development

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 11 July 2024.

Entrance to our MSc programmes is strongly competitive. You can increase your chances of a successful application by exceeding the minimum programme requirements.

• Important points to note when applying for this programme

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in an area related to management science, operational research, statistics, econometrics, mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering, or business and management with a distinct quantitative content.

Your background should ideally include courses and/or experience gained in topics such as linear algebra, calculus, probability, statistics, and computer programming.

If you have a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent in an unrelated subject we may consider your application if you have relevant work experience.

Work experience is desirable but not mandatory.

All students are recommended to have their own laptop for this programme.

Credit transfer from the MicroMasters in Predictive Analytics

We welcome applications from students who have successfully completed the University of Edinburgh's MicroMasters in Predictive Analytics. Learners who successfully completed the MicroMasters programme will be awarded 30 postgraduate credits towards our Data and Decision Analytics MSc (online).

• MicroMasters in Predictive Analytics

Learners who meet all the entry requirements and are successfully admitted onto the MSc Data and Decision Analytics can expect that their MicroMasters coursework will count towards their degree, comprising 20 credits of the total 180 credits of the masters programme. 10 credits would be recognised for the course in Python Programming where there is a strong equivalence between the course content and the other 10 credits would act as a discount towards the elective courses on the programme.

The MicroMasters must have been completed within two years of starting on the Data and Decision Analytics MSc, with September 2024 the last entry date when the credits will be accepted. Completing the MicroMasters will not guarantee acceptance and the standard University admissions process and criteria will apply. Decisions on admission to the programme lie solely with the University.

If you would like the 20 credits to count towards recognised prior learning, when applying you should upload your MicroMasters certificate to your application.

Students from China

This degree is Band B.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

If you receive an offer of admission, either unconditional or conditional, you will be asked to pay a tuition fee deposit within 28 days to secure your place on the programme:

• £1,500 (this contributes towards your tuition fees)

The fee does not include the cost of textbooks for core and option courses so you should budget an additional amount for this required expenditure.

As this is an online programme, you will also require, and need to budget for, relevant IT equipment and broadband internet in order to pursue your studies.

See the programme website for more information on fees and deposits.

Tuition Fees

Scholarships and funding, uk government postgraduate loans.

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s government loan schemes.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

We offer a 10% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for alumni who have graduated with an undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh.

We also offer a 10% discount on postgraduate tuition fees for students who have previously matriculated on a "Visiting Programme" as an undergraduate student and completed a minimum of one semester of study at the University of Edinburgh.

The Scholarship and Student Funding site provides a list of programmes not covered by the discount scheme.

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Enquiry Management Team
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 9663
• Contact: [email protected]
• Programme Director, Douglas Alem
• Phone: +44 (0)131 651 1036
• Contact: [email protected]
• University of Edinburgh Business School
• 29 Buccleuch Place
• School: Business School
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

MSc Data and Decision Analytics (Online Learning) - 24 months (Part-time)

Application deadlines.

If the programme is not full by the final application deadline, we may be able to consider applications submitted after that date. If we are still accepting applications following the final deadline, we will clearly indicate that on the programme's application page.

• How to apply

You must submit one reference with your application.

You will be required to supply a number of documents as part of your application. This includes:

• an official transcript
• degree certificate
• one reference
• personal statement
• English language qualification

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes: