ug guidelines for final year projects

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University of Guyana

Faculty of Technology

Guidelines for Final Year Projects

September 2, 2010


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Guidelines for Final Year Projects CONTENTS

Contents

1 Introduction 3

2 Purpose of Course 3

3 Selection of Projects 4

4 Project Proposals 4

5 Progress during the year 5

6 Evaluation 6

6.1 Proposal and Oral Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

6.2 Progress Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

6.3 Final Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

6.4 Final Oral Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

7 Course Schedule 8

A Log Notebook 9

B Project Proposal Format 10

B.1 Proposal Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

C Final Report Format 18

D Referencing and Bibliography 24

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Guidelines for Final Year Projects CONTENTS

D.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

D.2 Why do we reference? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

D.3 Citation management software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

D.4 How do you reference? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

D.4.1 In-text reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

D.4.2 Reference List in IEEE Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

D.4.3 Basic Referencing Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

D.4.4 Unusual reference forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

D.4.5 References and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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1 Introduction

This document contains the official guidelines for students engaged in the final year project

course. It attempts to offer guidance on the entire process from the procedures for choosing

project topics to the final presentation.

The preceding years of the degree program within the Faculty of Technology are very pre-

scriptive. The contents of lecture courses and laboratory experiments follow a rigid set of

guidelines. A key skill that will be developed within this course is that of undertaking an

independent programme of study where both the task and process are loosely defined. Thus,

as well as deciding what the project is about, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary

laboratory equipment, software and analytical models. Your project is completely your re-

sponsibility, your supervisor acts as an expert advisor and is there to monitor the progress

of your project.

2 Purpose of Course

This course aims to develop competence in the conceptualisation, design and implementationof the solution to engineering problems of medium to high complexity and in the analysis and

enquiry into problems of this level. It is hoped that this course will assist student development

through the application of their technical knowledge to the solution of practical problems in

engineering processes and systems.

By the end of this course students should be able to:

Clearly formulate a problem specification which embodies the original definition of the

project.

Demonstrate an acceptable level of expertise in planning and managing a project.

Demonstrate an acceptable level of capability in devising and implementing creative

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solutions.

Demonstrate an acceptable level of competence in technical writing and oral presenta-

tion.

3 Selection of Projects

At the beginning of the academic year your department will produce a list of recommended

projects along with the academic staff named as project supervisor. Once you have decided

on a list of preferential project, you should start consultations with the respective supervisors

to find out more about these projects. These formal consultations take place during the firsttwo weeks of the semester, and at this stage projects can be assigned to students at the

discretion of the supervisors. If a project is assigned directly to you, the listed supervisor

must sign your project selection form . Only one project must be on this selection form.

An alternative option is bidding for an unassigned project by writing up a maximum of four

project selection forms without supervisor signatures. The project selection form must be

submitted to the project coordinator as soon as a project choice is made. Final decisions on

project assignments are made by the end of the second week of the first semester.

4 Project Proposals

The project proposal is the first document you will produce for this course. Two copies of

the project proposal must be submitted to the department on or before the stated deadline,

usually week 6 of the first semester (See Section 7).

Your project proposal should include both front matter (title page, summary/abstract, table

of contents, list of figures, and list of tables) and the main body of the proposal. The first

three parts of the main body (introduction, scope of work, and plan of implementation)

demand the most writing effort(Guidelines in Appendix B).

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Note that each section of the proposal has a specific purpose. You should understand the

purpose of each section and put material in the right section. Make sure that the readers

can tell the purpose of each section from cues in the writing.

The text itself should read like an argument with an easy-to-follow structure complete with

transitions, a clearly stated point for each paragraph, and appropriate details supporting each

point. Headings and subheadings are there only for the readers quick visual orientation. The

document should read smoothly and clearly with all the section headings removed. Try to

imagine writing the proposal without any headings whatsoever so that you are forced to

include sufficient transitions. Then add the headings back in.

All figures and tables must be clearly referenced in the text and explained in detail. Imagine

each figure projected on a screen during an oral presentation. Typically you would talk your

listeners through the figure using a pointer. The text of your proposal should serve the same

purpose. Figures and tables are not self-explanatory. You must tell your readers what you

want them to see or understand.

5 Progress during the year

Your project should be viewed as a special course, one which should be viewed with the same

level of seriousness as all other courses. The success of this course will be determined by the

level of effort made by you. Typically, students spend an overwhelmingly high percentage of

their effort in the second semester. This approach is characteristic of poor project manage-

ment and is not at all advised. Instead, you are advised and should work towards the project

goal throughout the year. In addition, your efforts should be guided and charted with the

aid of the usual project management tools.

To ensure that you maintain a continuous pace during the progress of your project, and to

promote meaningful consultation with your supervisor you must maintain a log notebook(See

Appendix A). All relevant information is to be recorded in this book; each page must be

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dated and signed. This information recorded includes, but is not limited to, designs, data,

graphs, calculations, references, research results, flow charts and communications. The log

notebook is signed and dated by your supervisor during each meeting.

6 Evaluation

A team of two examiners will evaluate the project looking for its key elements. The project

supervisor will be automatically appointed the first examiner while the second examiner will

be appointed by the Project Coordinator. The second examiner is usually a member of the

Departments academic staffbut qualified persons from outside the department may also

be appointed to this role. Second examiners external to the University shall be approved by

Academic Board or the Vice-Chancellor on behalf of Academic Board. The evaluation is

based upon the final report as well as all other submissions:

Proposal and oral presentations

Progress reports

Final written report

Final oral presentation

Your application to the project will be apprised by your supervisor throughout the academic

year. This appraisal will be based on punctuality at meetings, diligence in carrying out back-

ground research, rate of progress and discipline in the use of project management techniques.

Most of these elements must be recorded in log book.

6.1 Proposal and Oral Presentation

The submission of the project proposal and subsequent oral presentation will allow you to

be evaluated on your understanding of the problem, general requirements of the problem

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Guidelines for Final Year Projects 6.2 Progress Reports

solution, project management procedures and any preliminary observations. The format of

the oral session involves presentation by you of no more than 10 minutes in duration followed

by a brief question and answer session to assert your understanding of what is required of

you.

6.2 Progress Reports

During the first and second semester you will be required to submit to your department

reports detailing your rate of progress(See section 7). These reports must present a clear

description of the progress made since the previous report and should detail:

Introduction- a brief summary of the project

Purpose- detail the objectives of the project

Approach- describe the work that has been performed

Results- the actual accomplishments to date

Evaluation- Provide an executive summary of your evaluation and the results. The full

evaluation results, including tools and methods should be included in your evaluation

report.

Changes/Problems Encountered- outline any problems or programmatic changes that

have been made to the project

The report should be no more than 5-10 pages length and two printed copies must be sub-

mitted to the department.

6.3 Final Report

The final written report must be submitted at the deadline printed in this document (See

section 7). You must submit three(3) copies of this report to the department. Guidelines for

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Guidelines for Final Year Projects 6.4 Final Oral Presentation

writing up the final report are presented in the appendix of this document, further information

and guidance could be sought from your assigned project supervisor. You must sign a form

indicating that your report does not involve any plagiarism or collusion (Appendix ??).

Failing to comply with the deadline for final submission will result in zero marks beingallocated for the entire project. There may be a consideration for late submission of final

reports granted by the Project Coordinator under the advice of your project supervisor.

Guidance on the composition of your final report can be found in Appendix C.

6.4 Final Oral Presentation

You are required to present a dissertation of your project. The duration of this examinationwill no exceed 40 minutes with your presentation lasting for no more than 15 minutes. The

remaining time will allow for an oral examination of various aspects of the project work. This

presentation is open to public attendance and attempts will be made to field questions from

the audience.

7 Course Schedule

Posting of project titles XX

Deadline for pro ject selection XX

Deadline for project assignment XX

Deadline for project proposal submission XX

Presentation of project proposal xx

Deadline for first progress report XX

Deadline for second progress report XX

Deadline for final report submission XX

Final presentation XX

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A Log Notebook

All students must keep a log notebook; the following are stipulations for the maintenance of

your log notebooks:

The log notebook must be a bound 8.5h x 11h notebook. Three ring binders may not

be used.

No pages are to be torn out. Cross out a page if it contains an error but leave the

contents legible.

The contents should read like a diary and should be clear to any technical reader, not

just the author.

Before you start working, its often good to write a brief statement indicating what you

are trying to accomplish with the task. Write a summary describing what went right

and what went wrong with the task.

Sign and date EACH page when you are through with that page. Draw a diagonal line

through any portion of the page which remains blank.

All communication relevant to your study, whether via phone, in person or by written

means should be kept in the log notebook.

Calculations, sketches, theories, short software listings, lists of Things to Do, and

actual data belong in the notebook.

Component data sheets, application notes, viewgraphs, handouts, reports, emails, and

petty cash receipts (to name a few) are best kept in an indexed three ring binder. They

do not belong in the log notebook.

The log notebook must be signed by your supervisor at each meeting.

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B Project Proposal Format

B.1 Proposal Guidelines

The following template is based upon typical proposals in technical fields. The template

describes a generic proposal; the peculiarities of an individual problem may require modifi-

cations. The important consideration is to keep your reader on track. Your proposal should

contain the following parts or sections:

Research

Title Page : The title page for your proposal should contain the title of proposed

research, followed by A Proposal Submitted by, your name, department, supervisor

and date, all of which should be centered in the page.

Abstract: This includes an outline of your proposal, what your research will involve,

research questions or hypothesis, research methods and how you will analyse the data.

Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables : Any proposal of more than

five pages should have a Table of Contents. The Table of Contents should include all

the main headings in the proposal, showing page numbers. You should make sure that

headings in the Table of Contents are worded exactly as they are worded in the proposal

itself. Following the Table of Contents is a List of Figures and a List of Tables (the

figures and tables themselves are embedded in the text). Include only necessary figures

and tables that contribute to the readers rapid comprehension of material.

Background: This sets out why you choose your topic what prompted your interestin the topic; the links with previous research; ways your thesis is different or unique;

and states the research objectives, questions or hypothesis.

Theoretical framework: A review of the relevant literature you have read so far sets

your research in context. It identifies the direction you will take from among the possible

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Guidelines for Final Year Projects B.1 Proposal Guidelines

theoretical directions. It demonstrates to the expert reader that the researcher is aware

of the breadth and diversity of literature that relates to the research question. It is

important that you are able to provide an integrated overview of your field of study.

This means that you show awareness of the most important and relevant theories,models, studies and methodologies. Include a bibliography at the end of your proposal.

Research methodology: This section identify the methodology that underpins your

research and give a rationale for your approach. You may need to identify the research

paradigm and epistemologies that underpin your research. Show how you have used

your review of the literature to construct your own research methodology.

Research design and methods: This section outlines how you are going to get yourdata. By reading widely you will be familiar with methodologies followed by previous

researchers and have explored possible research methods. You will be aware of problems

others have encountered and be able to design your research and adapt methods for

your research. Outline the methods you will use and problems you anticipate. Outline

whether your research is qualitative or quantitative, whether you are using triangula-

tion, statistics, interviewing, questionnaires, experiments, observations etc. If humans

or animals are to be used, outline the ethical considerations and your application tothe university ethics committee.

Analysis and discussion: This section suggests what you are going to do with the

data. Outline the aims of your research again and ideas you have on how you are going

to analyse the data. Include any tools for analysis you intend using or trying out.

Format: Outline the format of your thesis. Suggest how many chapters you will have,

chapter headings and the order of presentation.

Timeline : Include a timeline to guide you and keep you on track. For example

estimate the time needed for tasks and assign tasks for each month.

Budget and resources : Outline the resources you need and propose a budget.



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understand their own problem. In solicited proposals, the problem statement shows

that the writer, too, understands the problem and has the readers concerns in mind

when setting forth a solution. In unsolicited proposals the writer often needs to convince

the reader that the problem exists. In some proposals the background information andstatement of the problem have their own subheads. In other proposals, the background

information is woven smoothly into the statement of the problem.

Background: To provide a context for the reader, the writer often needs to supply

background information about the company and the history of the problem to be

solved. Organisationally this section is headed with a Second Level Heading, e.g.,

A. Background (Continue to follow these style guidelines for the remainder of your

proposal.) In the background section the conditions leading up to the problem

are described, indicating why the problem is now being considered and why it is

important to the company. If previous attempts at solution have been made, they

are described along with their results and shortcomings. A brief review of the

literature is sometimes given at this point. Often a better place to put literature

review is in the Scope of Work section as an introduction to Alternative Solutions.

What the writer needs to show is an understanding of the total context of the

problem and an awareness of previous work in the area.

Statement of the Problem: You will spend a paragraph to several pages defining

the problem, its significance, its ramifications, and its relation to larger problems

or issues. In this section you must also identify the specifications, criteria, and

constraints described by the client in the RFP. By the end of the introduction

the reader knows what the problem is, why it is important to the client, why it

is problematic technically, and what specifications and criteria a suitable solutionmust meet.

Scope of Work: This section summarises what the you actually propose to do.

Usually the Scope of Work involves several stages with different goals for each stage and

ends in some kind of final product. This section differs from the Plan of Implementation



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in that the Plan of Implementation section focuses more on the how we will do it

rather than what will we do.

Overview: The Overview section of the Scope of Work should summarise what

the team will do for the project and specify deliverables. Often work will be

divided into several stages such as a research stage, a design stage, a construction

stage, and a final testing/calibration stage. These stages should be specified and

described briefly in the Overview section to provide a clear statement of all the

work to be done. You will need to work cooperatively with your faculty project

advisor and client, who must approve your design plan.

Literature Review: To keep from re-inventing the wheel and to be professionally

aware of the state-of-the-art on any design question, effective engineers and com-

puter scientists search and review the available literature before tackling a design

problem. What has been published in the professional literature that has bearing

on your design problem? In this section, briefly review the relevant literature by

summarising findings that may advance your project. An alternative approach is

to work references to the literature into the body of your proposal where they are

most relevant.

Alternative Solutions In this section, you explain different approaches you could

take toward solving the clients problem. Devote one subsection of Alternative

Solutions to each possible design approach. First describe the approach. Then

analyze its strengths and weaknesses in terms of technical and economic feasibil-

ity. In some cases, depending on the nature of the project and the needs and

specifications of the client, a detailed section on alternative solutions is not nec-

essary. Of course, all designs require some consideration of alternative solutions,

such as selection of types of materials. You will also need to leave yourself open

to modifying your design if subsequent work reveals new problems or better solu-

tions. This section presents numerous organisational difficulties that the writers

need to solve. Typically you would describe two or more alternative solutions and



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to compare and contrast their respective strengths and weaknesses. Good transi-

tions, topic sentences, and mapping statements are crucial. Often the strengths

and weaknesses of each approach are displayed in bulleted lists. Good technical

writing demands that all listed items are grammatically parallel. Evaluation: In this section you describe the criteria you used to evaluate the design

approaches and justify the weights you give to each. Discuss external constraints

including economic, environmental, sustainability (e.g., long term availability of

parts, equipment, or staff to continue the processes), manufacturability, ethical,

health and safety, social, and political constraints. Often this section will refer to

a decision-matrix figure that displays each of your criteria, assigns relative weights

to them, and scores each alternative against each criterion in turn. This section

talks your reader through the decision matrix.

Decision: In this section you show how the evaluation process identifies the

strongest alternative solution. Your decision governs the rest of your project

because it determines the design approach you will pursue from here on out.

Convincing your client that this approach is superior to alternatives is crucial to

your proposal argument.

Plan of Implementation: Because this section explains how the work is to be

accomplished, it is crucial for selling your proposal to a prospective client. The

reader wants to know that the methods used will, in fact, produce the results promised.

Because a project is often a single and non-repetitive enterprise, its achievement must

be based on careful planning within a time limit and a cost budget. If the Scope of

Work section explains what your team promises to do, the Plan of Implementation

section convinces your reader that you can in fact do it. A Plan of Implementation

describes how you will accomplish your objectives in the face of problems that may

be encountered on the way. Success depends largely on carrying out the constituent

tasks in a sensible sequence and deploying resources to best advantage. In preparing a

Plan of Implementation, you should break the project into as many definable tasks as



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possible. Planning is crucial because it will affect both the budget and schedule. Both

are based largely on the estimated time to complete each of the tasks. When clients

compare competing proposals with similar costs, they often choose the one offering the

most comprehensive and convincing Plan of Implementation. For these reasons, themethods used to solve the problem or do the job are always given in detail. When

the methods are unusually innovative, they are described step-by-step, with reasons for

each step included in sufficient detail to convince the reader that they will work. In

short, this section explains how you will accomplish the tasks described in the Scope

of Work. How do you propose to divide up and sequence the work? Who will do what

when?

Facilities : Often a section describing the facilities to be used follows and amplifies the

Plan of Implementation. You cant promise work in sterile conditions, for instance, if

the proper laboratories are not available. Equipment to be used is frequently described

in this section, although sometimes it is listed separately. Equipment might range from

special computer capabilities to normal laboratory equipment, but it must clearly be

capable of doing the job. In major proposals, one further reason for this section is that

it explains what the client will be getting for the overhead charges, which often range

from 50 to 100 percent above the cost of actually doing the work.

Personnel/Organisation Chart1: The people who will be doing the work, or at

least the major discipline leaders, are shown in the Personnel section. A diagram is

used in most cases to show the major groupings of tasks and the group leader for each

group of tasks. The diagram shows both the organizational structure of the team and

the relationship of the team to the client organisation, the client liaison or project

manager, and the faculty advisor. It is typical in this section to make brief comments

about the special capabilities of each group leader and to amplify these comments in

the appendix with a fully developed one or two-page resume of all persons shown in

the organization chart.

1May not apply to your current project but should be kept in mind for future reference



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Schedule : This section places all of the tasks which were developed through planning

the project from beginning to end into a time flow diagram. This diagram can be

as simple as a Gantt chart, or more complex in the form of a CPM (Critical Path

Method) schedule or a PERT (Programme Evaluation and Review Technique) schedule.The time flow diagram shows the dates on which various deliverables, representing

ongoing phases of the project, are submitted to the sponsor. A discussion of the project

management techniques in ensuring that the deliverable schedule can be met should

be included in this section. The items noted in the schedule should repeat exactly the

items discussed in Scope of Work and Plan of Implementation.

Budget: The section on the costs of the proposed project is crucial. In a well-written

proposal, the reader should be convinced that the expense is justified. Sometimes

costs are detailed in a section separate from the proposal so that they will not influence

other deliberations; sometimes they are presented first on a special budget sheet. In any

case, all costs should be itemised under headings such as salaries, capital equipment,

expendable equipment, miscellany, and overhead. Often only estimates are possible, but

they obviously should be made with the greatest care. In industry, at least, expensive

cost overruns are rarely tolerated.

References: This section cites any material which was utilised in providing informa-

tion for the proposal. It could include technical journals, texts, newspaper articles, or

other such sources of material.

Appendices : As in all written documents, Appendices should contain supplemental

material that cannot easily and concisely be placed in the body of the document. In the

case of proposals, Appendices would include the original statement of work, sometimes

called the request for proposal (RFP), resumes, and information on the team and

previous work that the team or company has done in areas similar to those covered by

the proposal.



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C Final Report Format

Project reports generally follow the typical structure of scientific and technical research re-

ports: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions, and Recommendations. Although other

formats are acceptable, most readers anticipate this format and get their bearings most

quickly when it is followed. The following templates adopts the standard organizational

structure for research and design projects. The headings are those recommended for your

own Project Report, but you may have to make occasional deviations from these templates

to adapt to the needs of your own project.

Thesis

Title Page

Acknowledgements

Abstract: The abstract should be no more than 200 words in length. It must contain

the main ideas contained in the report, the objectives, the methodology and the signif-

icant results and conclusions. The abstract is not meant to be a condensed version of

the report.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations

List of Symbols

List of Figures

List of Tables

Introduction: The introduction provides an overview of the project. It should also

contain strong and precise statements about the objectives, scope and significance of

the study. The introduction should also include a brief description of each chapter.



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Literature Review: This is a review of established knowledge which is relevant to

the topic of study. It may include a historical review, a critical account of more recent

work, an exposition of theory and the technique used for practical works. The writer

should bear in mind the overall objectives of the report in mind while writing thissection and eliminate any material not directly relevant.

Methodology: This section of the report should contain a precise statement of the

logic and rationale for the study. It should also include an explanation of why this

approach rather than that approach was taken, and the implications of such decisions

on the outcome and design of the study.

Results and Analysis : The results section of the report should be used to presentthe finding of the study. Each finding should be described, highlighting the most

relevant observations. The description of a finding should be done in the context of the

particular objective it addresses.

Discussion: This section of the report provides an opportunity of highlight how

your study differs from and extends current knowledge of within the chosen area. This

section must demonstrate knowledge of the topic by interpreting the finding and clearly

outlining what they mean. By the end of this section all results must be explained.

Conclusion: The conclusion contains short concise statements about the main find-

ings of the study. It should be organised in short numbered paragraphs ranging from

the the most important to the least important. There should also be a section within

this chapter that examines the possible areas for future study. These statements should

also be short and concise.

References: This is a list of external material referred to in the text. It is a very

important section of your report since the credibility of the authors cited impacts on the

credibility of your work. The particular style of this section is usually one of personal

preference.



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Appendices : This contains any ancillary information which is a necessary part of the

report but is too lengthy or detailed to be included in the main text. The appendices

would appear in the order in which they are introduced in the text. Each should have

a a clear descriptive title and associated letter.

Technical Report

Title Page

Executive Summary: The executive summary is a one page section which summa-

rizes in bullet form the essential conclusions and recommendations of your work. It

is non-technical in nature and is intended for reading by management who wants to

know what was accomplished, not how. Explain the purpose and scope of your project

report very briefly in this section.

Abstract: The Abstract is a succinct statement that comprises the essential content of

the project report. It will be technical in nature, intended for reading by an engineer or

computer scientist. The Abstract summarizes the results of the design project without

explaining why design decisions were made, and or justifying the findings.

Acknowledgments: The Acknowledgments should recognise the assistance given by

anyone associated with your project. The liaison at the sponsoring company(if any),

the project faculty supervisor, the institutional support, and any other individuals who

rendered significant assistance.

Table of Contents

List of Abbreviations

List of Symbols

List of Figures

List of Tables



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in an appendix.

Explain the essential features of design and detail the testing procedures of any

prototype built.

Results: The purpose of this section is to describe in detail the actual device or product

you produced. The number of subheadings of this section depends on the complexity

of your product and on the kinds of information that you think your client will need

to know. Group your explanations by category and give each category a clarifying

heading. Here are some typical headings that will fit most projects.

Technical Description of (name of your device or product) : Give a technical de-

scription of whatever you produced. Reference all figures related to schematics,

etc.

Specifications: Tell what your device does at what levels of precision.

Construction Methods: Explain how your device is made, what its materials are,

etc.

Operation: Explain how your device works; make your instructions clear to a new

user.

Testing and Calibration: How did you test your device and how did you calibrate

it?

External Constraints: The report must address economic, environmental, sus-

tainability, manufacturability, ethical, health and safety, social, and political con-

straints of the project.

Conclusions : From a managerial standpoint, this is probably the most importantsection of your report. Technical and business managers frequently read this section of

the report first even though it comes near the end of the document. Your goal here is

to evaluate your original criteria. How well does your product actually work? Does it

solve the problem that the client wanted solved? Be candid and honest here. What are



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the weaknesses and limitations of your product? What parts of the original problem

were more difficult than anticipated? What hopes for your solution didnt turn out?

In short, this section may say, We solved part of your problem but not other parts ,

orOur solution finally didnt work, and we didnt solve your problem at all.

Recommendations: The people who read the conclusions and recommendations sec-

tions of your report are usually the decision makers of your client. In light of your

conclusions, what recommendations do you have for the client? Should they begin

immediate production of your prototype? Should they do further testing of your pro-

totype? Should they put out an ???RFP??? for further research? Should they do a

market study? Should they look for more cost effective ways of building a device similar

to your prototype? Much of your future reputation as a designer rests on recommen-

dations.

References: This is a list of external material referred to in the text. It is a very

important section of your report since the credibility of the authors cited impacts on the

credibility of your work. The particular style of this section is usually one of personal

preference.

Appendices : This contains any ancillary information which is a necessary part of the

report but is too lengthy or detailed to be included in the main text. The appendices

would appear in the order in which they are introduced in the text. Each should have

a a clear descriptive title and associated letter.



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D Referencing and Bibliography

D.1 Introduction

As a student, it is important that you identify in your assessment when you are using the

words or ideas of another author. The most accepted way of acknowledging the work of

another author is to use a referencing system. Within the Faculty of Technology it is rec-

ommended that the IEEE referencing system be used. The following guide tells you why

you need to use a referencing system, shows you how to insert references in the text of your

assignments, and shows you how to compile a reference list. This guide does not represent

an exhaustive list of all the referencing conventions that you will require in your academic

life.

D.2 Why do we reference?

As a part of an academic community, it is important that you show the reader where you

have used someone elses ideas or words. Failure to properly reference may make the reader

think that you are cheating by claiming someone elses work as your own. In the academicenvironment, this is called plagiarism and it is seen as a very serious offence. Please remember

that plagiarism is not just when you directly copy words from another students or experts

work. Plagiarism also occurs when you re-word someone elses ideas in your own work and

you do not give credit to the original source.

Plagiarism can have disastrous consequences for students. If you are suspected of plagiarism

you may find that your assignment receives a grade of zero.

On a more positive note, referencing is important for reasons other than avoiding plagiarism.

When you reference correctly you are demonstrating that you have read widely on a topic.

You are also supporting your hypothesis with comments from expert authors. This lends

credibility to your own work. Also, by correctly referencing, you allow the marker or reader



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Guidelines for Final Year Projects D.3 Citation management software

to follow-up your references and to check the validity of your arguments for themselves. This

is an important part of the academic process as it leads to student accountability.

D.3 Citation management software

Citation management software such as RefWorks and EndNote enables you to establish

your own database of references, store and transfer them from the database to your own

documents (e.g. an assignment). Further information about these software products could

be found online at https://www.refworks.com/ (RefWorks)and http://www.endnote.com/

(EndNote).

D.4 How do you reference?

D.4.1 In-text reference

Every time you use someone elses ideas or information an in-text reference must be included

(this is sometimes called a citation). For example when you:

paraphrase (express someone elses idea in your own words)

summarise (express someone elses idea concisely in your own words)

quote (express someone elses idea in their exact words)

copy (reproduce a diagram, table or any other graphic).

The in-text reference is shown each time you refer to an idea or information and is denotedby a square bracketed number. For example: James and Sigmund [3] contradict Murrays

[4] theories on photography. Square-bracketed numbers in the body of the paper direct the

reader to a bibliographic entry of the same number in the reference list. The numbers appear

in numerical order in both the text and the reference list: the first reference will be [1], the



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Guidelines for Final Year Projects D.4 How do you reference?

second [2] and so on. If references are repeated, they take the same number as before. If

James and Sigmunds research is referenced with [3], it will be referenced by that number for

the rest of the document.

D.4.2 Reference List in IEEE Style

General Information

The entries are listed in the same numerical order as in the text.

Use the initials of the authors first names and their full last names. E.g. A. Riter.

Space between entries but not within them.

Capitalize only the first word of the article or chapter title but every word of the book

or periodical title.

Titles of articles or chapters are in quotation marks; titles of books, journals, and

websites are italicized.

Hanging indents: the first line of each entry is not indented, but every line followingmust be indented.

Any information that is unavailable can be left out of the entry, but you must provide

as much information as possible to identify the source.

D.4.3 Basic Referencing Formats

Entire Book

[ re fer enc e nu mb er ] Au tho r(s ) , B oo k Ti tl e , Edi ti on nu mb er. Pl ace o f Pu bl ic at io n : Pub li she r , Ye ar .

[4] A. Iosevich, A View From the Top: Analysis, Combinatorics and Number Theory, Rhode

Island: American Mathematical Society, 2007.



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Guidelines for Final Year Projects D.4 How do you reference?

Part of a Book

[ re fer enc e nu mb er ] Au tho r(s ) , C ha pt er o r a rt icl e t itl e, Bo ok Ti tl e , Ed it io n nu mb er . Pl ace o f Pu bl ic ati on : Pub li sh er , Ye ar ,

[12] P.S. Meszaros, S. Lee and A. Laughlin, Information processing and information tech-

nology career interest and choice amoung high school students, Reconfiguring the Firewall:

Recruiting Women to Information Technology Across Cultures and Continents, Wellesley: A

K Peters, 2007, 77-95.

Print Periodical

[reference numb er] Author(s ) , Article title, Perio dical Title , vol.# , no.# , Pages , Date of issue .

[8] J.J. OReilly, P.M. Lane, J. Attard and R. Griffin, Broadband wireless systems and net-

works: an enabling role for radio-over-fibre,Philosophical Transactions: Mathematical, Phys-

ical and Engineering Sciences, vol. 358, no. 1773, 2297-2308, Aug. 15, 2000.

Electronic Periodical

[reference numb er] Author(s ) , Date Published , Title , Perio dical Title , [Online] Volume (Issue) , Pages , Available:

[6] M. Workman, June 2009, Innovation through people, Professional Safety. [Online] 54 (6),

22-25, Available: http://web.ebscohost.com.

Web Document

[reference number] Author(s) , Title of document, Website Title or Owner , Date of Publication. [Online]. Available: URL [Accesse

[20] B. Paynter, Robodinos: what could possibly go wrong? Wired, July 20, 2009, [Online].

Availible: http://www.wired.com/entertainment/hollywood/magazine/1708/st robotdinos [Ac-

cessed: July 2009].

D.4.4 Unusual reference forms

The source you are using might not match any of the forms presented in IEEE Editorial Style

Manual. Information can be missing, or sometimes the source is in an unusual format. In

such a situation, provide as much information as possible, and try to stay as close as possible



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Documents