MSc Dissertation Introduction
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A brief guide to the dissertation
Importance of dissertation within MSc degree
The project proposal
Project supervisor
Project Workbook
The Dissertation
Student's Deadline
Help and Supervision
Importance dissertation in MSc degree
• Dissertation is the important aspect of the MSc Programme
– MSc Degree is not awarded without a successful completion of MSc
dissertation.
• Equivalent to 4 units of study or the third of MSc Programme
• Major project - research, development- is done by student
• It maps the future direction that you will be taking for your career or
further post graduate studies
• It is natural path to MPh or PhD research study for some students
• Stage 1
MSc Project Process
– Identify subject area of interest
– Design a suitable project specification
– Register your project and supervisor online
<http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcimmsc/>
• Stage 2
– Meet your supervisor regularly
– Produce a plan of work for:
• Research; Practical and experimental Development; Write-up
– Keep an up to date workbook
– Hand a draft version to you supervisor by the deadlines
• Stage 3
– Submit:
• Your final project online
• Two hard copies of final version + workbook by the deadlines
The Project Proposal
• Identify MSc Project Interest
– Suggest your own project
– Attempt company’s project:
Think carefully
about the project
subject area and
the theme
• Consult placement officer
• Attempt university based project:
– Consult placement officer/ Project coordinator/
Research centers, groups and individual lecturers
• Discuss your Project idea and supervision with:
– Research Method Unit team
– Project coordinator
• Register your project proposal online before the
deadline <14 May 2008>
Appendix 1: MSc Dissertation Proposal Form
online submission only
• YOUR DETAILS:
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First Name:
Family Name:
Course Title:
Student No:
Contact details:
• email address:
• Phone number:
Title of your dissertation:
– Main area of the dissertation (Key words to describe your
– projects)
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Industry Supervisor <if any>:
University Supervisor
Second Supervisor (if any)
Dissertation Outline - Research Method Unit
Assignment
• A self-contained description of the proposed
project
• - the case for support.
– The case for support should be presented in six parts
as described below:
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Part-1: Aims and objectives. - 1 side A4
Part-2: Method of approach. - 1 side A4
Part-3: Resource required or to be used. - half side of A4
Part-4: Evidence of analysis from literature search and
identified as appropriate approaches to the problem
specified. - 2 sides A4
• Part-5: Key references. 1 side A4
• Part-6: Diagrammatic Plan for dissertation plan. - 1 side A4
Research Centres/Groups
• You may use the following and other Research Ceners to do your
placement.
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Institute for Computing Research <Mark Joseph>
Centre for Research in Information Engineering
Centre for Information and Organisation Studies
The Information Management and Modelling Research Group
Centre for Concurrent Systems and VSLI
Library Information Technology Centre <Dilip Patel>
Centre for Systems and Software Engineering
Centre for Applied Formal Methods
Visualisation and Graphics Research Unit <Ebad Banissi>
• Placement is full time activity during project period and you are
expected to do work on research and development project that is
assigned and your project will be dependant on it.
Project supervisor
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In choose a project supervisor
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Try to match your project area to supervisor interest by:
Consult school/ university, Research centre and MSc project web-site
Contact potential supervisors well in advance
Consult MSc project coordinator if in doubt
Discuss your ideas with potential supervisor and take on board their
suggestions
Ask for ideas from potential supervisors
Prepare project proposal that is agreeable both to you and to your
supervisor
Register your project proposal online
<http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcimmsc/>
You should keep a copy of all documentation in the form of log book.
If you cannot find supervisor consult Project co-ordinator well before
the deadlines during MSc Project Surgery Hour( at least two weeks
before the deadline) and you will be assigned a supervisor)
Project PROCESS
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Meet your supervisor regularly - face to face consultation is the best
Produce a detail plan of work for:
– Research - papers, journals, previous projects, internet and so on.
– Practical and experimental Development - need to support
theoretical understanding of your practical work.
– Write-up - it should reflect what you have been doing - any form of
copying will be considered as of not your work and could result in failing
your project –
– quotation and inclusion of diagrams must be clearly referenced- if in
doubt, consult your project supervisor.
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Workbook is to record your activities during project- essential.
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Need to be submitted for assessment
Its content should reflect what you have in final dissertation,
it is one way showing that the work submitted is of your own
Its contents to be reflect your activities as it happens and you write as project
progresses and not it at the end of the project to satisfy requirements.
The Dissertation
• Main component to be assessed are:
• Before the final version, a draft version must be given to your
supervisor for comments and feed back - allow plenty of time for this
• Instruction how to format and layout the final version is given in
• the unit guide.
• Submission online + 2 copies required to hand in. Make an extra
copy for yourself and future reference.
• It must be handed on or before the deadlines
• Exceptional cases for deferral/extension may be considered well
before submission deadline by your course director <you need to
make application two weeks before submission>
• Examination board needs to approve all deferrals
• you may be also asked to pay further fee for the deferral/extension.
Appendix I:
PDP – Personal Development Planning
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Reflective statements as part of project
work. Preparation of a proposal in
respect of the dissertation and
completion of the dissertation.
Provide the means by which selfreflection, evaluation and planned
development is supported (e.g. paperbased or electronic learning log/diary).
Academic Misconduct & Plagiarism
http://www.lisa.sbu.ac.uk/helpsheets/hs4.pdf
http://cise.sbu.ac.uk/plagposter/
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The dissertation that you produce is expected to be written using your own
original words, sentences, paragraphs and chapters. If you do use extracts
from non-original sources you should indicate exactly, by using quotation
marks and indentation, which parts are non-original. The exact source of the
non-original material must be clearly given, using a standard reference
convention, every time it is cited.
http://www.lisa.lsbu.ac.uk/006_services/student/ReferencingStudents.htm
The extracts from non-original material that you use should be relatively
short and largely factual. They should be used to support your arguments
not to replace them. If you feel that you need to include large extracts of
non-original material; they should be included in an appendix (where they
will be given non academic credit.)
Paraphrasing is where a summary of the content of non-original material is
presented as original material. If this is a true summary, using your own
words and phrases, this is probably acceptable. If it is a near transcription,
that is phrases from the non-original source are included and/or the ideas
from the non-original source are directly included and/or the citations or
examples from the non-original source are included; then this is probably
unacceptable.
Dissertation Assessment
• Three aspect of project is examined <marking
scheme>:
– Project Planning and development (Marks Awarded - MAX. 25%)
– Dissertation - Contents (Marks Awarded - MAX. 50%
– Dissertation - Report (Marks Awarded - MAX. 25%)
• Two independent examiners
• To pass:
– Minimum pass mark of 50% is required for each component:
• Moderation are required if:
– there is a big disparity of marks from two examiners for the
contents and presentation
– Border line cases, where two examiners of differing opinion
whether a project is a fail/pass or distinction/pass
MSc Project Deadlines - Student• 14 May 2008:
Part-time students submit their project proposals
• 14 May 2008:
Full-time students submit their project proposals
• Online Project registration:
www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcimmsc
• 29 Sep. 2008:
• 31 Oct. 2008:
Full-time students submit their draft Dissertations
Full-time students submit final DISSERTATIONS
• 15 Dec 2008:
• 30 Jan. 2009:
Part-time students submit their draft Dissertations
Part-time students submit final DISSERTATIONS
• Submission instruction:
www.scism.sbu.ac.uk/banissi/Msc_diss/submission.htm
Help and Supervision
• Weekly project surgery hour:
– Mondays
12:00-1:00, Room L5
• Regular pre-planned arrangement from
your supervisor
• Consultation with other staff
• Project Site will have latest:
– Blackboard
http://www.scism.lsbu.ac.uk/banissi/Msc_diss/