Organisation of an experiment –
objective
planning
preparation
initial test
main test
data acquisition
data analysis
report
•
Title
•
Synopsis, Abstract
•
Acknowledgement
•
Table of contents
•
List of figures
•
List of tables
•
List of symbols
•
Introduction
•
Literature Survey
•
Theory
•
Equipment and Experimental Setup / Materials and Methods / Methodology
•
Experimental Results
•
Discussion of results
•
Conclusion & Recommendation
•
Appendices
•
Reference & bibliography
Title
Abstract
200 and 500 words
a brief statement of the problem and
objectives of the project
a concise description of the project method
and design, a summary of the major findings
including their significance, and conclusions
what was done, and the conclusions which
resulted from the work.
Acknowledgements
contain written expressions of appreciation
for guidance and assistance received from
individuals and institutions
Table of Contents
The Table of Contents lists in sequence all
relevant subdivisions of the project report
with their corresponding page numbers.
Body of the Thesis
The main sections and subsections of a chapter may be
identified by numbers where the former are regarded as being the
first level.
For example, Sections 2.1 and 2.2 would denote two consecutive
main sections in Chapter 2, and Sections 3.1 and 3.2 would
similarly denote two consecutive main sections in Chapter 3.
A subsection would be found in a major section of a chapter
and is regarded as the second level. It should be numbered
2.1.1., 2.1.2 etc.
The numbering style should be consistent throughout the
project report and should be limited to 4 levels. Please refer
Appendix G.
Chapter Layout
style in formatting the chapters of a project
Chapter
1
2
3
4
5
6
Item
Introduction (including objectives)
Literature review
Materials and Methods/Methodology
*Results/Findings
*Discussion
Summary, Conclusion and Recommendations for Future
Research
*Results/Findings may be combined with
Discussion in a single chapter
Introduction:
Introduces the subject matter and problem(s)
under study, and indicates its importance and
validity.
It sets out the hypotheses to be tested and
research objectives to be attained.
The research objectives stated in the project report
should match the findings of the study
Introduction:
The purpose of the introduction is to lay the
groundwork for the more detailed discussions in
the body of the report.
a review of previous work is given in the
introduction.
is used to state clearly the motivation for
performing the work, i.e., to define the problem.
Literature Review:
Encompasses a critical and comprehensive
review of the literature related to the topic of thesis.
to act as a base for the experimental and
analytical sections of the thesis.
Literature selected must be up to date, and be
analyzed and synthesized logically.
Literature Review:
It is not a mere summary of works of different
authors.
The review should give the gist of each book or
pertinent findings of a journal article, should
explain how it relates to the topic.
Text book materials on basic principles or
theories should be kept to a minimum
Materials and Methods / Methodology:
It contains a description and justification of
the materials, theoretical approaches,
experimental designs and methods
(including statistical analysis) used to
achieve the stated objectives of the study
undertaken.
Materials and Methods / Methodology:
This may include, but is not limited to, a
description of the methodology, theoretical
development, fundamental philosophical
foundation, experimental design and
standard procedure description.
Materials and Methods / Methodology:
The materials and methods used in the study
should be described in detail and concisely such
that it would be possible for the reader to
replicate the experiment that was conducted
solely with the information contained within this
section.
References must be cited for published protocol
or method.
Experimental Apparatus and Procedure
• Sufficient information must be supplied on the
apparatus and experimental procedures for
the reader to understand what was done.
• If the report is concerned with research and
new knowledge, a rather detailed discussion of
the apparatus may be necessary.
• If test results are being reported in accordance
with standard procedures (ASME, ASTM,
etc.), then the appropriate procedures can be
cited without furnishing details in the report.
Experimental Apparatus and
Procedure
• Any deviations from the standard
procedures should be noted.
• An extensive report might include all
details of the apparatus and
instrumentation, while a technical paper
or journal article would give only a brief
summary.
Theoretical Presentation(s)
• a large section will be devoted to development of
theoretical information applicable to the subject
• the reader to understand the implications of the
experimental work and aids in proper
interpretation of the data
• HEART OF THE PRESENTATION
Results or Findings:
This section of the project report may also be
combined with the Discussion section because
their contents tend to be interrelated.
This section may be further broken down into
subsections.
The section presents a complete account of the
results obtained in the study in the form of text,
figures, or tables so that the key information is
highlighted.
The same set of results or data should
not be presented in more than one
format (e.g. either as a table or figure,
but not both).
When results are placed in one
chapter, subheadings may be used to
demarcate the different aspects of the
study.
Interpretation of Results
• Clear form of the experimental results have
been presented
• Responsibility to interpret the results in the
light of the theoretical presentation and the
work of others in the same general subject
area.
• The background, theoretical presentation, and
experimental results are all brought together
to lead the reader to the conclusions of the
study.
• The results speak for themselves.
DISCUSSION:
This part bridges the data presented or
described in the preceding section and
contains the analyses or interpretations of
the results obtained, and the conclusions
eventually drawn.
The student should discuss these results in
relation to the hypotheses or objectives set
out in ‘Introduction’, and how they fit into
existing or current body of knowledge.
The significance and implications of the
main findings should be made clear.
Summary, Conclusion and
Recommendations for Future Studies
it gives an overall significance of the study,
and stresses the findings upon which a
conclusion or conclusions
Conclusion and Recommendations for Future
Studies:
it gives an overall significance of the study, and
stresses the findings upon which a conclusion
or conclusions are drawn in line with the
objectives set, acknowledges the limitations,
and suggests further research which may be
usefully carried out on the topic
TABLES
Tables should be numbered with Arabic
numerals throughout the project report (including
both text and appendices).
There are two possible numbering schemes: either
(a) number the tables consecutively throughout the
project report, e.g. 1,2,3 and so on
(b) number them by chapter, e.g. Table 1.1,
Table 1.2 and Table 1.3 to indicate they belong to
Chapter 1, Table 2.1, Table 2.2 and Table 2.3 to
Chapter 2, and so on.
TABLES
A table should be on the same page following
the first reference to it, or if this is not
possible, as soon as possible in the following
pages.
When a large table is placed in a landscape
orientation, the top of the printed page
should be at the project report binding edge.
TABLES
The table number, title and caption are typed singlespaced and placed above the table (Appendix H)
The style used must be consistent throughout the thesis.
Table sources and notes should be placed directly below
the table.
If a table has a source, but has been adapted, indicate
by using “Adapted from . . .” instead of “Source: ...”.
Avoid the use of vertical lines to separate columns
within a table unless absolutely necessary.
FIGURES
As with tables, ensure that each figure in
the project report is referred to in the text
Figures include maps, charts, graphs,
diagrams, photographs (or plates),
engineering drawings and printed images.
They are numbered consecutively or
according to the chapter throughout the
project report, including those in the
Appendices.
FIGURES
The figure number, title and caption should be
typed single-spaced and placed below the figure
using Arabic numeral and lowercase, except for
proper nouns and the first letters of principal
words (Appendix I).
Figures should be inserted as soon as possible
after their first mention in the text
As with tables, the style used must be consistent
throughout the thesis.
FIGURES
If a figure occupies an entire page, the caption may be
typed on the lefthand page (reverse side blank) facing
the figure.
It is counted but not paginated.
A figure drawn in the landscape format should have the
top of the figure at the binding edge.
The figure number, title and caption should be typed
parallel to the orientation of the figure.
Figures should conform to standard margin
requirements.
Engineering drawings should follow the appropriate
standards, with any large size drawings placed as
References/Bibliography
The References or Bibliography section
contains a list of works cited in the thesis.
However, the student is advised to follow a style
used by an authoritative journal in the field of
study.
Although different journals and publishers use
different reference styles, a project report has
to have one consistent style
Samples of commonly used reference styles are
given in Appendix J.
The student should check for the latest versions
of the different reference styles. Some systems,
such as the American Psychological Association
(APA) reference format, are continually
updated.
APPENDICES
Information or data that are too detailed for
inclusion in the main body of the project report
may be included as appendices, and these are
placed after the reference list.
Appendices include original data, summary, sideline or preliminary tests, tabulations, tables that
contain data of lesser importance, very lengthy
quotations, supporting decisions, forms and
documents, computer printouts, detailed
engineering drawings and other pertinent
documents.
Appendix materials should be grouped by
type,
e.g. Appendix A: Questionnaire;
Appendix B: Original data;
Appendix C: Tables of results.
Appendices must be paginated
consecutively with the main text.
.
If there are three or less appendices, their
details such as number and titles should be
listed as items in the Table of Contents
If there are more than three, then the Table of
Contents should include a List of Appendices
with its page number.
The list itself should come immediately after the
List of Figures.