Admin
• Word count: 7 500 minimum – 10 000 maximum
• Main content, excluding appendices
• Submission date: 27 October
• Poster submission:
• A1 digital file to be printed by Mech Eng
• Submission date: 7 November
• Plans for exhibition on Friday 21 November DRAFT
• Class photo @ 5:20pm
• Poster presentation slots 5 x 10 min slots @6pm
• Presentations by 4/5 students @7:30pm
• Speech by HoD and awarding of the Penny Wilson award
MEC4128S
WORKING TOWARDS A COHESIVE REPORT
Tying the aims, objectives and conclusions together.
Final-Year Engineering Project (FYP)
SKILLS
Independent of topic
Investigate a
complex
engineering
topic
Independent
learning
Identify
research
questions to
solve a problem
Engineering
professionalis
m
Planning and
management
Draw on
literature and
data
Communication
Document
findings & deep
understanding
of topic
Analysis
Story telling
Your project so far
Defined project
with aims and
objectives
Literature review
(knowledge
building)
Methodology
and analysis of
results
Inputting
information into
your report
document
Project management and graduate attributes
Discussion of
your findings
with respect to
literature
Finding your
main findings
and using them
as conclusions
Your project so far
• Reality is there is project growth and evolution during term
• Need to ask some critical questions:
• Do(es) your conclusion(s) answer the original aim?
• Do the tasks you actually performed match the tasks in the objectives?
• Were you able to complete the scope of work as planned?
• Did you go beyond the original scope of work and do more?
Defined project
with aims and
objectives
What happens if these don’t match?
Finding your
main findings
and using them
as conclusions
A cohesive report
A cohesive report tells a story and has a narrative
• A narrative includes not just the sequence of events, but is how a sequence of
events is recounted.
• A narrative is a detailed descriptive account that connects events or findings,
allowing the author to convey the overall message effectively.
• The narrative in a scientific “story” aims to contextualize generated data or
findings in a way that answers some critical questions.
Why did you
look for more
information in
this research
area?
How did you
go about
generating and
analysing
data?
What do you
think your data
means?
How does your
work fit within
what is already
known?
What are the
implications of
your study /
work?
Elements of a scientific narrative
Establishing
Rationale
Largely comprises the introduction section, although the methods section may also be involved.
Here, authors must introduce the problem that they are trying to solve, the obstacles in their way,
and how prior work—whether by the authors themselves or by others—has led them to their
current position
Building
Proof
How you addressed the problem. Presenting the selected experimentation strategy and the databased evidence. Linking the data and findings together into a cohesive sequence, where the
findings build upon each other rather than existing as a loose assortment of facts.
Making a
Convincing
Argument
This is where you must tie the narrative together by explaining what it all means and why it
matters. Here, it is important to circle back to all of the questions initially raised during the
establish phase and outline how the new data addresses them.
Your narrative elements
Establishing your rationale
• What is your project about?
• Does your title make sense?
• What did you find out? What are your conclusions?
• Does the main aim still hold true?
• What steps did you follow to get to your main conclusions?
• Do your objectives describe the steps you took to meet the aim(s)?
Your narrative elements
Building proof
• Does your methodology describe the approach and techniques used?
• Is there enough information there for someone to repeat your work based on
the document?
• Is the data-based evidence presented in a logical way?
• Are your results in chronological order? Or have you presented them to
support the data that follows in the report?
Your narrative elements
Making a Convincing Argument
• Have you discussed your findings relative to the work of others?
• A list of results / findings with no observations and comparison to other
peoples work is not an argument, it is a list!
• Have you drawn pieces of evidence together outside of your results as part of
your argument?
• The use of composite images in a figure in the discussion chapter can lead the
reader to follow your argument.
What is a composite image?
Mg
Figure 1: An EBSD map of AA5182 aluminium after
rolling and coating.
Mn
Fe
Figure 2: EDS composition maps of particles containing magnesium (Mg), manganese
(Mn) and iron (Fe).
Do these two images help you understand what the work is about?
What is a composite image?
Mg
Mn
Figure 1: AA5182 microstructural characterisation results for low TSA indicating (a) the ADF image with (b) corresponding
EDS maps to illustrate the presence of Fe-Mn rich particles and Mg rich particles which are Mg2Si dispersoid, circled in
yellow and red respectively. The corresponding TKD maps illustrate (c) band contrast and (d) inverse pole figure false colour
to illustrate change in orientation.
Does this tie many pieces of information together?
How to tell a good “story”
BEGINNING
INTRODUCTION
Context
MIDDLE
LITERATURE
REVIEW
Knowledge
building
METHODOLOGY
Experimental
and analytical
approach
RESULTS
Presentation of
data-based
evidence
NARRATIVE (GOLDEN THREAD)
END
DISCUSSION
Contextualising
your findings in
an argument
CONCLUSIONS
List of findings
that answer the
research
questions
Revisiting for cohesion
• Write your conclusion.
• Write the aims and objectives that suit the conclusions.
• Make sure your scope and limitations are clear and illustrate any
aspects that were not part of the project.
• If there is a gap between initial and final aims, use this to build your
future work / recommendations.
• Write your abstract.