1
Faculty of Technology
IMAT3451
Final Year Computing Project 2012-2013
1
Contents
1.
Introduction ................................................................................................................ 3
2.
Information and Support ............................................................................................. 3
3.
What is the Final Year Project? .................................................................................. 3
3.1
Types of project and their deliverables ................................................................ 3
3.3
Professional Accreditation ................................................................................... 4
4.
People Involved: Roles and Responsibilities ............................................................. 5
4.1
4.2
The Student......................................................................................................... 5
The Proposer or Client ............................................................................................ 6
4.3
The Supervisor .................................................................................................... 6
4.4
The Second Marker ............................................................................................. 6
4.5
The Project Co-ordinator ..................................................................................... 6
5 Early Days ...................................................................................................................... 7
6.
5.1
Project Contract................................................................................................... 7
5.2
Ethical Review ..................................................................................................... 7
5.3
Literature Review ................................................................................................ 8
Project Management .................................................................................................. 8
6.1
Time Management .............................................................................................. 8
6.2
Supervision ......................................................................................................... 9
6.3
Project Diary ...................................................................................................... 10
6.4
Project Blog ....................................................................................................... 10
6.4 Making the most of Supervision ............................................................................. 10
7.
6.5
Feedback .......................................................................................................... 11
6.6
Project Management Assessment ..................................................................... 11
Project Deliverables.................................................................................................. 11
7.1
Final Report....................................................................................................... 12
7.2
Project Report: Software Development Project ................................................. 12
7.3
Project Report: Research ................................................................................. 13
7.4 Consultancy Projects ................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
7.5
Being ‘critical’ and ‘reflective’ ............................................................................. 14
7.6
Demonstration/Presentation/Viva ...................................................................... 14
7.7 Turnitin ................................................................................................................... 15
2
1.
Introduction
This booklet provides essential information about your final year project. Read through it now to find
out more about what it will entail. But remember to re-read appropriate sections later in the year at
the point where they will be most useful. It is intentionally brief, further details and information that you
will need later in the year may be found on the blackboard site.
2.
Information and Support
Sources of information and support for your final year project include:






3.
This booklet;
The IMAT3451 Blackboard site, especially the content areas ‘Important Dates’, ‘Module
Documents’ and ‘Resources’. The site is updated regularly, and will be used to communicate
with you – remember to check for new announcements and to check your DMU email account
regularly. Any updates to sections of this handbook will be notified to you via the site;
The various project briefing/workshop sessions that will be held from time to time, starting
with Induction Week (the week prior to week 1 of the Autumn Term) onwards;
Your supervisor; see Section 4.3
The Supervisor below for their role;
Reading list: suggested texts for the module may be found under ‘Resources’ on the
IMAT3451 Blackboard site;
Other sources are provided in appropriate sections of this guide, or under ‘Resources’ on this
module’s Blackboard site.
What is the Final Year Project?
The project is an extended piece of individual work undertaken during the final year of study. It is a
30-credit module, one quarter of the 120 Level 6 credits normally studied in the final year, so it has a
significant effect on the degree classification. Like all 30-credit modules, it entails approximately 300
hours of learning – an average of 10 hours per week throughout the academic year. However,
unlike other 30-credit modules, most of those 300 hours comprise independent learning. You
are entitled to around 5 hours of supervision time and there will be a few project briefings or
workshops to attend, but that still leaves around 290 hours of independent study time. You will,
therefore, be responsible for managing your own time: see section 6.1 Time Management.
Project management is a vital part of the project. The project is assessed not only on the finished
product, but on the way in which you have managed your time and responded to supervision
throughout the year. The project, therefore, begins at the start of the academic year, and supervision
is an important part of it.
3.1
Types of project and their deliverables
Depending on the programme you are enrolled on, your project may be:
A Software Development Project. The product = a software application and accompanying
documentation.
The project deliverables include the software product and a set of supporting documentation,
including reports on areas researched in support of the development activity.
A Research Project. The product = a research report based on the research activity undertaken.
3
The project deliverables include the definition of the research question, literature reviews, selection
and justification of research approach, analysis and synthesis of research data leading to the
research finding, recommendations for further work, etc.
All projects include a demonstration and or presentation projects, and viva. See Section 7.6
Demonstration/Presentation/Viva.
More information about the project deliverables and report will be found in Section 7.
Deliverables.
Project
The project must be an appropriate one for your programme; see the following table and Section 3.3
Professional Accreditation
Programme
Computer Science
Software Engineering
Internet Computing
AI with Robotics
Forensic Computing
Computer Games Programming
Computer Security
Business Information Systems
Computing Information Management
Computing joints
Information Systems Management
Computing for Business
Business Information Technology
Computing
ICT
Multimedia
3.3
Type of Project
Software Development
Must be a topic/type approved by
the programme team.
Software Development or
Research
Professional Accreditation
Some programmes have, or have been recommended for, BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT (BCS)
accreditation for Chartered IT Professional (CITP) and in some cases partial fulfilment for Chartered
Engineer (CEng) or Chartered Scientist (CSci). Current information about the accreditation status of
each programme will be found under ‘Module Documents -> BCS Accreditation’ on the IMAT3451
Blackboard site. If you are on an accredited program your project must meet BSC requirements.
4
4.
People Involved: Roles and Responsibilities
4.1
The Student
You are the person with the main responsibility for your project. It is likely to be the most challenging
single piece of work that you have tackled to date – but it should also be the most enjoyable. It is
important to understand that it is YOUR project: success or failure is very much in your own hands.
You will receive guidance from your supervisor and there are many sources of help available (see
Section 2.
Information and Support ); but the project management and execution will be driven
by you. You will need to be positive and pro-active in your approach.
When you encounter problems (you will – that is the nature of projects!) you will be expected to find
solutions. It is not your supervisor’s role to solve them for you, although they will provide guidance
where appropriate. The way in which you rise to the challenges that you face will determine how
much you learn and will be reflected in your final mark. You will also derive considerable satisfaction
from having managed your project and overcome problems along the way.
4.1.1 Student Responsibilities
Project selection:
Agree a project with a supervisor well before the start of the final year. There may be some
circumstances where this is not possible, in which case you need to find a project and a supervisor
without delay.
Project Contract (Terms of Reference):
As your first deliverable, write the Project Contract (or ‘Terms of Reference’).
Get these signed off by the proposer/supervisor by week 4.
Ethics Approval:
With your supervisor’s help, undertake an Ethical Review (it is a University requirement to do so).
Complete and sign off the Ethical Review Form. If necessary, review this later.
Remember that it is part of project management to have these documents signed off by week 7 and to
provide them in the appendices of your final report – failure to do so will be reflected in the marking of
your project.
Project Management:
Prepare a project plan and work to it.
Manage your own time effectively.
As a 30 credit module, the project represents 300 hours of learning; that is, about 10 hours per week
from the start of the academic year to project hand-in. Unlike your taught modules, this is all your
own time to spend on the module: the project is therefore significantly larger in scale than any
piece of assessed coursework. A common cause of failure is underestimation of the scale of this
work.
Supervision:
Attend supervision meetings, prepare paperwork in advance.
Agree with your supervisor how you will get in touch to arrange supervision.
Check your DMU email daily, also look for announcements on the Blackboard site.
You can expect to have 5 hours of supervision time from your supervisor over the year; see section
4.3
The Supervisor for details.
Deadlines:
Meet the final and interim hand-in deadlines (e.g. for completing the Project Contract).
5
Make appropriate arrangements for the final demonstration/presentation.
N.B: unauthorised late submission or failure to attend the demo/presentation will result in a mark of
zero for the whole project.
Project Lectures/Workshops
A series of targeted lectures and workshops occur through the year and appear on your timetable.
You are expected to attend.
Mitigating circumstances:
Inform your supervisor if you have problems that affect your work. Note, however, that as the project
takes place over several months, small episodes of a few days or a couple of weeks’ disruption to
your study is not expected to impact on your ability to meet the final deadline. Severe or prolonged
problems need to be discussed with your supervisor. The normal Faculty procedures for extensions
and deferrals apply where appropriate; see the Blackboard shell for more details.
4.2
The Proposer or Client
The ‘proposer’ or ‘client’ is the person for whom you are carrying out the project. In the majority of
cases, this is likely to be the same person as the supervisor. However, it could be a different person,
for example:
Somebody outside the university, such as your placement employer;
Another member of staff within the university, who has proposed the project but who is not
supervising you.
See Blackboard ‘Getting Started’ (and email sent in May) for further information about proposals from
outside the University.
You will need to obtain your proposer’s agreement to the Project Contract (see Section 5.1) and to
liase with them as appropriate.
4.3
The Supervisor
You will be allocated to a supervisor. This is the person with whom you will have the most contact
throughout the year. The supervisor is the first marker of your project.
You can expect to have about 5 hours of supervision time from your supervisor. This might typically
take the form of 10 30-minute meetings. However, this is only a guide: if your supervisor takes a
deliverable to read and comment on (e.g. the literature review for a research project) then this is
supervision time and may take the place of a face-to-face meeting.
It is important to maintain regular contact with your supervisor, to keep them informed of your
progress and to discuss with them any queries or problems that arise.
For further notes on supervision and how to make the most of it, see Section 6.4 Making the most of
Supervision.
A summary of your supervisor’s responsibilities will be found on the imat3451 blackboard site.
4.4
The Second Marker
Your project will be marked independently by two members of staff, your supervisor and the second
marker. In some cases the second marker will be present at all supervision meetings, different
supervisors make use of different supervision patterns.
4.5
The Project Co-ordinator
6
The Project Co-ordinator is the member of academic staff responsible for the overall administration of
IMAT3451; currently this is Susan Bramer. She will organise the project briefings and other support
sessions, maintain the Student Handbook and Blackboard site and administer/co-ordinate the efforts
of supervisors with respect to the sourcing, allocation, supervision and assessment of projects.
Note that once you have a supervisor, queries concerning your project should always be directed to
your supervisor first, not to the Project Co-ordinator.
5 Early Days
You should have received a ‘getting started’ document during the previous summer term. A copy of
this may be found on the projects web page www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/projects
5.1
Project Contract
Your first deliverable at the beginning of the autumn term will be the Project Contract (also known as
‘Terms of Reference’). This forms a ‘contract’ between you, your supervisor and your proposer (if
different from the supervisor). It states what you intend to do: what is the background to and scope of
your project, and what are its aims and objectives. It provides a ‘yardstick’ against which your
achievements at the end of the project can be assessed.
It is not easy to complete a suitable Project Contract; you will need to discuss it with your supervisor
and may have to prepare several versions before it is finalised. More information about the typical
content of a Project Contract will be found on the imat3451 Blackboard shell
The Project Contract must be signed and dated by you, your supervisor and proposer/client (if
different from the supervisor). Keep the signed copy carefully: you will need to submit it with your
project report at the end of the year. You should have a completed, signed Project Contract by the
end of Week 4 of the autumn term.
If a change in circumstances means that modifications have to be made to your Project Contract
during the year, these should be agreed with your supervisor and proposer (where different from the
supervisor) and carefully documented.
With your Project Contract you will need to provide a Project Plan: see Section 6.1.1
Both contract and plan must be handed in with your submission in week 11.
5.2
Ethical Review
It is a University requirement that every project must undergo an Ethical Review. This is to ensure the
protection of the interests of any humans affected by research studies. Your project may involve a
client or end users whose interests must be protected; these can be considered the human subjects
of the project and they may be affected by:
Collection of data directly from people (e.g. via interviews, surveys, questionnaires, observation);
Collection of data about individuals whose identity can be detected from the data;
Research involving illegal activities, activities at the margins of the law (e.g. software piracy, illegal
downloads of music) or activities that have a risk of injury.
The University policy states that research (including student projects) involving human subjects
should ensure:
 All participants volunteer, normally without inducement and give their written consent to
participation;
 Written consent is given in the light of full awareness of the objectives of the
teaching/research, the procedures to be followed and the anticipated outcomes particularly in
the respect of publication of findings;
 All participants be given a written description of their involvement in the project, the demands
to be made, their rights and how their rights and interests will be protected, particularly in
respect of publication of findings;
7


All participants are made aware of their freedom to withdraw consent and discontinue
participation at any time;
Appropriate documentation be designed to meet these objectives and to keep appropriate
records, for example information regarding the project should be given in writing and the
participant should sign to acknowledge receipt of the material.
You should discuss with your supervisor whether your project will give rise to any ethical issues, and if
so how they will be addressed.
A simplified form has been approved for the Ethical Review process on the Computing project; you
will find this on the IMAT3451 Blackboard site under ‘Module Documents -> Ethical Approval’. This
form is to be completed and signed by week 7. If necessary, it can be reviewed later; it may be that
you decide later to involve some human subjects (for example, to carry out some user testing); or if
you are undertaking a ‘research’ project you might not have completed your research design, and
thus cannot identify what ethical issues may be involved, by week 7.
The possible outcomes of the Ethical Review are:
1. No ethical issues.
2. Minor ethical issues which have been addressed.
3. Major ethical issues which have been addressed.
4. Ethical issues that have not been resolved/addressed.
It is likely that for the majority of projects the outcome will be 1 or 2: in these cases, the Ethical
Review form is completed accordingly, and signed off by the student and supervisors at the PMP.
If the outcome is 3 or 4, the completed form must be forwarded to the Faculty Research Ethics
committee.
You must keep a copy of the completed and signed Ethical Review form and include it in the week 11
submission. If changes are made in the spring term then the new form must be handed in as an
appendix to your final report..
Further information about the University’s Human Research Ethics policy can be found at:
http://www.dmu.ac.uk/faculties/technology/student_support/hre/index.jspke
Take care if you plan to use publicly available websites to support questionnaires, these may request
data from respondents that is additional to the questions you have submitted and possibly in violation
of your ethical review.
5.3
Literature Review
All projects will involve some form of literature review; for ‘Research’ projects this is a major
component. Sources for guidance on conducting a literature search and writing a literature review will
be found under ‘Resources’ on Blackboard as well as on the DMU Library website:
http://www.library.dmu.ac.uk/Images/Howto/LiteratureSearch.pdf
[link active 3-08-2012].
A literature review workshop will take place in the second week of the Autumn term.
6.
Project Management
6.1
Time Management
Good time management is crucial to success in your project. As a 30-credit module it entails
approximately 300 hours of learning – an average of 10 hours per week throughout the academic
year. However, unlike other 30-credit modules, nearly all of that time comprises independent study.
That means you will need to be disciplined, particularly when experiencing the pressure of other
8
deadlines. It is tempting to put the project to one side in order to concentrate on other coursework –
don’t give in to this temptation.
You have two major hand in dates: the first in week 11 and the final around Easter (see Blackboard
for actual dates).
Remember, the average amount of effort expected is 10 hours per week – so if you do no work on the
project one week, that means 20 hours of effort will be required the following week to catch up! Plan
to spend time on your project every week.
6.1.1 Project Plan
Alongside your Project Contract you need to prepare a Project Plan. This is usually in the form of a
Gantt chart. To complete the plan you will need to:
 Identify the tasks you intend to undertake and their order, remembering that some tasks can
be undertaken in parallel;
 Allocate time for each task to be carried out.
You are likely to find it difficult to allocate time to each task as you may not know what a realistic
amount of time is. But work backwards from the deadline for project report hand-in (see the
IMAT3451 Blackboard site): all tasks will need to be completed by then. You may find it helpful to do a
crtical path analysis. Allow some contingency for falling behind (you might get sick, or have some
unavoidable delays). Your supervisor will advise whether your initial plan looks realistic.
As you progress through your project you will need to update your plan. Use it to indicate what
progress you have made by showing which tasks are complete and which are ongoing. Take it to
every supervision meeting.
Often a plan shows more detail for the first half of the project (October – December) and less for the
second half. In this case, it will need to be reviewed and updated. You might have to re-plan if a task
takes much more (or less) time than you anticipated. Keep all of the versions of your plan: you will
need to submit them in an Appendix of your project report.
The plan could be prepared on paper, or you might prefer to use a spreadsheet or a project-planning
tool. As well as MS Project, open source software is available, for example GanttProject. You will
find links to these on the IMAT3451 Blackboard site under ‘Resources – Project Management’.
Aneasy way to produce a legible Gantt chart is to use Excel.
Remember that you start ‘writing up’ on day one, you accumulate documents throughout the project
period and the final stage should only be a matter of tidying up and writing your introduction,
conclusions, evaluation etc.
For more help on time management see:
‘Managing your time’ in Dawson (2009), pp. 156-65;
Weaver (2004), pp. 141-48 (includes ‘tactics for managing your time’);
the materials under ‘Resources’ on the IMAT3451 Blackboard site.
A time management workshop will be given in the first week of the Autumn term.
6.2
Supervision
As a part of project management, you will meet regularly with your supervisor. Before each meeting
you should complete a ‘Project Progress Report’, summarising:
 What you have done since the previous meeting;
 Problem areas and suggested solutions;
 Your objectives for the next period of time, till the next supervision meeting.
This report will form the basis of the supervision meeting.
Your supervisor might use a paper-based Project Progress Report (see Blackboard for the proforma). Or they might use the Blackboard ‘blog’ facility; see Section 6.4.
9
6.3
Project Diary
It is a good idea to keep a project diary, noting what you are doing and planning to do, with comments
and reflection about your progress (e.g. about alternatives you are considering, problems and
possible solutions, and so on). This will help when it comes to writing your final report.
6.4
Project Blog
Some supervisors use the Blackboard blog facility. This can simply be a substitute for a paper
‘Project Progress Report’, enabling both you and your supervisor to keep track of what was
discussed/agreed at each supervision meeting. But you can also use it to reflect on your progress, so
that it becomes your ‘project diary’ (see previous Section) as well as being a supervision management
tool. See Blackboard, ‘Your Project Blog’ for more about blog use including important information
about who can see your blog.
6.4 Making the most of Supervision
You can expect to have a total of 5 hours of supervision time from your supervisor throughout your
project. This might, typically, take the form of 10 half-hour supervision meetings, which may be
individual or small group sessions. Typically, more meetings might be required in the Autumn Term
(e.g. 6) and fewer in the Spring Term (e.g. 4) as you become more independent. However, this is
only a guide: if your supervisor takes a deliverable to read and comment on (e.g. the literature review
for a research project) then this is supervision time and may take the place of a face-to-face meeting.
You need to make the most of your supervision time. You can do this with good preparation, conduct
during the supervision session and follow-up activities afterwards.
Preparation
Before attending a supervision session:
 Produce a summary of your progress since the last meeting: the work you have completed,
the problems you have encountered and how you propose to solve them, etc. This may be in
the form of a progress report (on Blackboard module documents tag) or blog.
 Update your project plan.
 Prepare a list of questions that you want to ask your supervisor, or issues about which you
need some advice/guidance.
 Prepare a list of tasks you intend to work on between this and the next supervision meeting.
 Assess your own progress honestly and fill in a line of the self-assessment form.
During the supervision session
 Listen to what your supervisor says and make notes.
 Make sure you are clear about any feedback and advice you are given: ask for clarification if
necessary.
 Agree with your supervisor the work you plan to tackle next.
 Agree the date of the next supervision meeting OR how contact will be made to agree the
next meeting.
After the supervision session
 Revise your project plan, if necessary.
 Plan your time between now and the next supervision meeting, taking into account your other
work commitments.
 Put in 10 hours a week work on your project, more if you have fallen behind..
10
Further guidance on making the most of supervision:
‘Using your supervisor effectively’, (Dawson, 2009, pp. 167-68)
‘Working with your project supervisor’, (Weaver, 2004, pp. 130-35)
6.5
Feedback
The first stage hand in of your project will be marked by your first and second supervisors (subject to
moderation during the summer moderation event). These deliverables are worth 25% of your final
mark. Make use of the feedback you are given to improve the later stages of your project. If you do
not achieve a pass level at this stage your progress will be deemed borderline or unsatisfactory, you
will receive a letter to that affect and your course leader will be notified. This would mean that you
would have to improve your working practises in order to gain more marks at the final hand in.
In addition, your supervisor will give you feedback at each supervision meeting. Listen carefully and
take notes of the guidance you are given.
On your project plan you will have proposed deadlines for a series of deliverables; these will vary from
project to project but might include such items as a requirements specification, storyboards, screen
designs, software prototypes, proposed architecture, literature review(s), supporting reports and so
on. You should be working on these from October onwards. Show your deliverables to your
supervisor as you draft them; that way you can obtain feedback and will be able to improve them
before handing in your project report (see Section 7).
6.6
Project Management Assessment
You will be assessed on the way in which you manage your project. This includes:
 the extent to which you are able to work to a plan, making adjustments where necessary and
managing to maintain progress with the project while meeting a range of other commitments;
 the way in which you use supervision: coming prepared to every supervision meeting,
keeping your supervisor informed about your progress and reacting appropriately to the
guidance you are given;
 the extent to which you are able to work independently and solve problems for yourself
without too much reliance on direction from your supervisor..
7.
Project Deliverables
In the last week of term you will make your initial submission. The content of this will depend on the
type of your project, see sections 7.2 to 7.4.
At the end of the project you will:
 hand in your final report;
 give a demonstration, or presentation, of your project, answering questions about it.
The deadline for project report hand-in is notified on the IMAT3451 Blackboard site under ‘Important
Dates’. You will need to hand in:
 one hard copy of your report (covers/spiral binding supplied by the Student Advice Centre);
 a disk copy (disks provided by the Student Advice Centre);
and in addition
 submit a copy of your report to Turnitin (further details provided via the IMAT3451 Blackboard
site).
Your hard copy should be printed double sided..
Note that your project report is not returned to you, so if you want a copy for yourself, you will need to
make a second copy to keep.
11
The format of your project report will depend on the type of project (Software Development, Research,
Consultancy; see Sections 7.2-7.4). In all cases, remember that for some of the people involved in
your project’s assessment (for example, the External Examiner) your report is all they will see.
See Blackboard for some tips on writing and formatting the report.
7.1
Final Report
7.1.1
Contents
The final report is restricted to a maximum of 25 pages (not including references) and is accompanied
by a set of appendices containing all other relevant material. The main report will refer to these
appendices throughout as well as to relevant sections of the initial submission. The report tells the
story of your project without extraneous detail whereas the appendices provide full detail for anyone
who needs to see it. This report will be handed in via turnitin as well as hardcopy.
.
You do not hand in the initial sections again, your supervisor will have retained them and join the two
parts to make up your final mark.
Sections 7.2-7.4 provide information specific to the different types of project, this section is generic.
Typical content includes:
 Title page: Project title, your name, course and P-number
 Abstract: a summary of about 250 words of the project aims/objectives, the
methods/techniques used to realise these and the results/conclusions. The Abstract is the
last thing that you write.
 List of Contents: sections/subsections of the report, appropriately numbered, and the page
numbers where they will be found
 List of Appendices: it is useful to list them all here, even if they are bound separately. Give
them titles that indicate content as well as numbers.
 List of Figures (where applicable)
 List of Tables (where applicable)
 List of Abbreviations (where applicable)
 Acknowledgements.
The Appendices comprise the various sets of documentation and reports that you have been
producing throughout the life of the project. You should be thorough and evidence all the work that
you have undertaken: remember, as stated above, that for some of the people involved in your
project’s assessment, the report is all they will see. If there is no evidence in the report of work you
have undertaken, they cannot take it into account.
Throughout the Final Report you should make reference to the appendices. For example, in the
section dealing with Project Management, refer to the appendix that contains the project plan(s). You
will also refer to your Christmas submission as required. Note also that your final report should be
supported by continuing literature review as necessary.
You should be writing/compiling your appendices throughout the life of your project, so that in April
you need only organise them with your report. Your supervisor will expect to see drafts of these
appendices as evidence of your progress during supervision meetings: they form interim
deliverables. By writing them as you go along, you will be able to obtain feedback and to improve
them before the final hand-in.
7.2
Project Report: Software Development Project
The initial submission is comprised of:
12
 your project contract
 ethics form (both signed by first supervisor, will at this stage be signed by second supervisor)
 project plan
 literature review (fully referenced)
 functional requirements specification
 design documentation
 a prototype of your product which will be demonstrated to your supervisor by appointment
 test plan
A disc with all your work should be included.
The format of the final report for a software development project is:
 Abstract
 Contents (including list of appendices, and name them as well as numbering)
 Background, including salient points of literature review, justification for design and testing
strategy
 A summary of the project, referring to appendices for detail as required.
 Conclusions: a critical review of the product, the tools used (languages, software etc. the
management of the project, future enhancements and final conclusion, what aspects of the
project have been successful, what has been learnt.
The earlier parts of the report should be written formally in the third person, the conclusions may be in
the first person, although students who are comfortable with the form may use third person here as
well.
The appendices of a Software Development project will include evidence of all the work you have
carried out since the initial submission; this will vary as every project is different but might include:
 Screen dumps of successive prototypes
 Evidence of coding undertaken
 Relevant correspondence entered into
 Anything and everything that you have produced as a part of your project: your supervisor
will advise what is appropriate to your project, if you are in any doubt.
7.3
Project Report: Research
The initial submission is comprised of:
 your project contract
 ethics form (signed by both supervisors)
 project plan (A Gantt chart plus description)
 literature review Fully referenced using the Harvard style. This should include a discussion
about the concepts related to your research including theory, current practice etc. .
Conclusions drawn should lead to a refinement of the research question where appropriate.
The format of the final report for a research project:
The product of a Research project is a Research Report. This is a report aimed at an audience
interested in the research topic, as for a research paper. Typical contents for a research report are:
Abstract and key words (minimum 5)
Introduction and background to the research question
Clearly stated research question, aims and objectives
Further literature review:
13
Research methodology review, Fully referenced using the Harvard style. This should also be detailed
and clearly indicate the selection and justification of the techniques selected for the research design,
methodology, data collection and analysis.
Discussion of the research: A description of the research, including a description of the process and
detail of your data collection. This section should also include details of data analysis and synthesis of
results.
Conclusions:
Limitations of the study and recommendations for further work.
The report will have appendices containing supporting evidence; for example copies of any surveys
used, the data collected, relevant correspondence.
7.5
Being ‘critical’ and ‘reflective’
You are asked to provide a critical and reflective account. An account lacking these qualities will state
something like:
‘task A was completed, then task B and after that task C’.
A critical and reflective account, on the other hand, will not only state, ‘task A was completed’ but then
go on to consider:
How did I go about task A? Could it have been done another way? Was the way I chose to do it a
good choice? Why?/Why not? What were the alternatives? Did I consider these alternatives at the
time? Why/Why not? What have I learned from doing task A? Would I do the same again?
Why/Why not? What effect did the way I did task A have on other parts of the project? etc.
In other words you need to justify what you did and why you did it, to comment on all aspects of your
project, and to reflect on your own learning.
A workshop on critical writing will be held in the Spring term. It is important that you attend. Under
‘Resources’ on the IMAT3451 Blackboard site you will find some references to sources about critical
thinking that may help you when writing your Project Summary and Critical Review.
7.6
Demonstration/Presentation/Viva
An essential component of the project is the ability to provide a demonstration (of a Software
Development product) or presentation (of a Research or Consultancy product) and to answer
questions on it.
The demonstration/presentation/viva is normally arranged by your supervisor and should take place in
the weeks immediately following project report hand-in (which will usually fall into the exam period). It
is usually attended by the supervisor and second marker; although where relevant the proposer or
anyone else the supervisor thinks is appropriate could attend.
If you do not attend your demonstration/presentation your entire project will be awarded a
mark of zero.
Any part of your project that you are unable to explain and answer questions on will be
awarded a mark of zero.
14
The demonstration/presentation/viva provides the opportunity for the markers of your project to gather
further information about it, as well as to see how well you can demonstrate/present and defend it.
The demonstration/presentation/viva is assessed: see Blackboard ‘assessment’.
The demonstration/presentation/viva should last no more than 30 minutes, including 10 minutes for
questions. See Blackboard for more information about preparing for and giving a
demonstration/presentation, also:
Dawson (2009) pp. 245-47, ‘Demonstrating software’ and pp. 222-35, ‘Oral presentations’;
Weaver (2004) pp. 275-79, ‘Software demonstrations’ and pp. 279-81, ‘Formal presentations’.
In some cases, the supervisor and second marker may extend the viva component into a further
session, possibly involving other members of staff. For example, if part of a software product requires
scrutiny by someone with specialist expertise. You would normally be informed at the end of the first
demonstration/presentation/viva if a further session is required.
7.7 Turnitin
Your project report will be submitted via turnitin as well as hard copy. Details are provided on
Blackboard.
15