How to write up a project
MSc project
co-ordinator
(old):
Dr Jim Briggs
Phone: (023) 9284
6438
Office: BT1.08
MSc project
co-ordinator
(new):
Dr Matthew Poole
Phone: (023) 9284
6469
Office: BK 1.??
BSc project
co-ordinator:
Mrs Penny Hart
Phone: (023) 9284
6665
Office: BT1.19
http://www.pums.cam.port.ac.uk/projects/index.htm
How to write up a project
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Project deliverables
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Artefact to solve a problem
Requirements document
Design document
Test results
Survey results
Report (the only one that is directly assessed)
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The assessment schedule
• Deadline is:
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Wednesday 4th May 2005 (MSc May)
Friday 6th May 2005 (BSc)
Friday 16th September 2005 (MSc Sept)
Friday 2nd December 2005 (BSc February entry)
• Before then - write it, print it, bind it
How to write up a project
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The assessment process
• Assessed by two markers
• Third marker/external examiner may arbitrate
• Good ones (60%+) go in Frewen library (see
past ones there!)
– List at
http://www.pums.cam.port.ac.uk/projects/cohorts/past.htm
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Assessment categories
• Statement of project's context,
aims and objectives
• Critical review of relevant
literature
• Methodological approach
• Specification and discussion of the
requirements (E)
• Primary research and results (if
any) (S)
• Analysis and discussion of the IT
design (E)
• Content (S)
• Discussion of implementation (E)
• Originality (S)
• Discussion of verification and
validation (E)
• Evaluation against requirements (E)
• Evidence of project planning and
management
• Attributes of the solution (E)
• Summary, conclusions and
recommendations
• Structure and presentation
• Overall understanding and reflection
(E) = Engineering only (S) = Study only
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Assessment criteria 1
Good things:
– work of publishable
standard;
– clearly defined aims and
objectives;
– clear statement of
requirements of artefact;
– well-reasoned
explanations for design;
– perceptive analysis;
– interesting conclusions;
– answers the question
definitively
– development of high
quality artefacts;
– work that was
challenging;
– good quality presentation
PJE*, PJ45/60P:
Note also requirements set by BCS
accreditation
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Assessment criteria 2
Bad things:
– errors of fact;
– vague aims and objectives;
– vague requirements for
artefacts;
– unexplained or ill-judged
design decisions;
– little or no analysis, solely
descriptive;
– trite conclusions;
– misinterpretations of
literature;
– has no question or doesn't
answer it
– development of poor
quality artefacts;
– work that was facile;
– little evidence of work
done by the student;
– spelling mistakes, poor
grammar, lousy structure,
crazy layout
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Common problems
• Inadequate critical literature
review (quantity and quality)
– Descriptive/superficial vs. deep
understanding/critique
• No discussion of design
decisions and alternatives
– Failed to justify why the
approach taken was the best
one
• Did not take an “engineering
approach”
• “Closed mindset”
– Only looked at solutions close to
home
• Students who think this
summary is all they need to read
on how to write their report
NOT AN INSURMOUNTABLE
PROBLEM…
• non-“complete” artefact
– Failed to use methods
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Planning your report
• Plan it well in advance of submission
• Outline
– Chapter headings
– Section headings
• Identify what you have done and what you still
have to do
• Write one bit at a time (like developing a
program procedure by procedure)
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An example of an outline
1. Introduction
1.1 background to the project
1.1.1 history and context
1.1.2 organisational structure
1.2 aims and objectives
1.3 constraints
1.4 structure of the rest of the report
2. Review
…
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Practical issues
• Word-processing: use
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paragraph styles
automatic numbering
tables of contents, etc.
spell checkers, etc.
• Beware lab congestion
• Covers will be available
2-3 term weeks before
deadline
• Binding (comb or
perfect) is your
responsibility
• Normal coursework
rules apply
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Regulations for reports
• Guideline word count
(excluding appendices):
– 20/30pt: 10,000-12,000
– 40/45/60pt: 12,000-15,000
• A4 paper, one side only
• Recommend for text:
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12pt typescript
Times-roman or Arial font
Single-spaced [change]
At least 9pt for diagrams, etc.
• Margins >= 20mm
• Number chapters and
sections to <= 3 levels Page
numbers at bottom
• First page is special
• No need to submit floppy
disk
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Write with style
• Think of your audience
(fellow students)
• Cheque speling and
gramer; read your work
• Be concise and clear
– break down complicated
bits
• Use diagrams, pictures,
graphs (but don’t over-use)
• Use numbers/bullet pts
• Think up clear chapter
and section headings
• Emphasise but DON’T
over-emphasise
• Link sections together
• Be accurate, concise,
interesting, relevant, incisive,
discriminating
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Structure of a report
• Usually 6 areas to address: introduction, review,
design, implementation, evaluation, conclusions
• Order is indicative rather than mandatory
• May re-arrange according to aspects of project
• Make sure you talk about requirements
• Make sure you talk about your question
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1. Introduction
• Context of project (where did it come from?)
– broad statement then refine it down
– why is it an interesting/relevant problem?
– what is the academic question you are trying to answer?
• Aim & objectives (what did you set out to do?)
– broad single aim and several specific objectives
• Constraints (what limited what you could do?)
– time, money, equipment available, your skills, etc.
• Lead-in to rest of report
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2. Review
• What else has been written:
– about your problem?
– about possible solutions to it?
• Reader needs:
– background to be able to tell whether your approach was valid or best.
– to know you considered all possible solutions
• Read/review widely; academic focus – quality, currency
• Be relevant and explain how and why it is
– use examples to illustrate important points
– be “critical” in the positive sense of the word
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3. Design
• Address issues such as:
– Why did you do X that way?
– Why did you do Y but not Z?
– What was important and what not?
• Relate back to objectives and requirements
– show completeness and correctness
• Show process
• What, HOW, WHY
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1/2/3 requirements
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Building an artefact => have “requirements”
Given by customer / elicited as part of project
Detail in an appendix - must write them down
Discuss somewhere relevant:
– “introduction” if given them
– “design” if yours but small
– separate chapter if yours but big
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4. Implementation
• Address:
– tools/methods used
– difficulties encountered; how you overcame them
– how you tested your artefact as you built it
•
•
•
•
NOT internal documentation (that’s an appendix)
More important to be interesting than complete
Arrange by project stages or by major components
If design only, consider future implementation issues
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5. Evaluation
• Compare
– what you did with objectives
• i.e. has customer got what they wanted?
– what you did with something else that does same
• is what you’ve done better than the other thing?
• Involve customer and/or users
• Structured evaluation best; not simply word of mouth
• Again, interesting stuff only - leave mundane detail in
appendix
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6. Conclusions
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How did what you did contribute to objectives?
Sum up key bits of evidence
What is the answer to the academic question?
Evidence needs to hang together to make a case
Loose ends are OK (suggestions for future work)
Reflection
Apply to context (opposite of introduction)
– start specific and become more general
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Non-standard report structures
• Projects of many small (independent?) parts
– one chapter per part?
• Entirely review (PJS* only)
– review of X; review of Y; …; summing up
• Scientific experiment/survey:
– hypothesis (and justification); experiment (explain
how you carried it out); control; results (what did
you observe?)
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Choosing a title for your report
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Limited space
Avoid noise phrases (e.g. “A report into”)
What differentiates your project from all others?
Most important words first
Problems not usually solutions
The question you attempted to answer or the
problem you attempted to solve
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Appendices
• Things not important or interesting enough to be
in main body of report
• Examples:
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program listings
requirements / design specifications
documentation
test case results
data
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References
• Citations in text, either
• numeric 1, or
• labelled [Briggs99]
• List of references contains full bibliographic details of
what you have referred to
• Example:
[Barnes98] Barnes, J.P.G., Programming in Ada 95, Addison-Wesley, 2nd
edition 1998.
• See “How to cite references and avoid plagiarism”
(http://www.pums.cam.port.ac.uk/projects/docs/projcite.htm)
for full details
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When to cite a reference
• All direct quotes must be cited (and placed
either inside quotation marks or indented paras)
• Preferable to paraphrase (translate author's
words into your own) but must still give credit
• If something is “common knowledge” (referred
to in many sources), no need to cite
• Everything else is assumed to be your idea
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Plagiarism
• Examples:
– Using directly quoted material without marking it (e.g. by
placing it within quotation marks or indented paragraph) and
citing it
– Paraphrasing the work of an author and attempting to pass it
off as your own by not including a citation
– Submitting the work of another student as if it is your own
• Plagiarism is a serious matter
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Abstract
• Abstract is a summary (précis) of the entire
report (introduction, review, design, …,
conclusions)
• Must be able to stand entirely on its own
• Our regulations require it to be 150-300 words
and on first page
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Lifecycles and your report
• What lifecycle model did your project
adopt/follow? (Was this what you expected?)
• One chapter per stage?
• One chapter per cycle?
• Chronological vs. other logical structures
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Bibliography
• Christian W. Dawson. The essence of computing projects: a
student's guide. Prentice Hall, 2000. ISBN 0-13-021972-X.
Publisher's price £16.99.
• Gavin Fairbairn and Christopher Winch, Reading, writing and
reasoning - a guide for students, Open University Press, 2nd
edition 1996.
• Phyllis Creme and Mary Lea, Writing at university - a guide for
students, Open University Press, 1997.
• H.W. Fowler and Robert Burchfield, The New Fowler’s Modern
English Usage, Oxford University Press, 1996
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Penultimate words
• The only final-year project you’ll ever do!
• Do it right
• Think about the problem and how you solved it
(practically)
• Present your work in the best possible light
compatible with reality
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Last words
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Think about your audience
There are no right answers, only wrong ones
Be honest and fair in your judgements
Don’t take credit for what you didn’t do
Make sure you take the credit for what you did
Be proud of your accomplishment
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