Project Type: Research
Overview
A project may address a specific research topic, with an emphasis on the overall research process, a robust literature survey and rigour in scientific evaluation. Project elements may include one or more of:
- Measurement or benchmarking of selected algorithms or mechanisms.
- Exploration of new approaches that combine established methods.
- Conducting a comparative study or survey of approaches to a selected research problem.
- Building software or toolchain to address a selected research problem.
- Constructing a dataset of potential use in future research.
- Writing a paper suitable for submission for publication.
Suggested report/dissertation content
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Title page | See general guidance. |
| Abstract | Ditto |
| Declaration | Ditto |
| Contents page | Ditto |
| Introduction | Ditto |
| Background | Ditto |
| Context survey | Ditto |
| Methodology | Explain and justify the methodology that you adopted for investigating your research questions. Define, justify, and explain any metrics and/or statistical measures that you use. Refer to those metrics or statistical measures in any analysis and discussion. Aim to give sufficient detail that others could reproduce your experiments. Give more detail on your research questions. |
| Results | Present the results of your experiments clearly and rigorously, selecting appropriate format(s) to present quantitative data. |
| Discussion | Interpret your results in terms of what they mean in relation to your research questions. Discuss the implications of the results, and explain any limitations of your approach. This section may be combined with the previous section under the title ‘Experimental results and analysis’. |
| Evaluation and critical appraisal | See general guidance. |
| Conclusions and further work | Ditto |
| References | Ditto |
| Appendix: ethics | Ditto |
| Appendix: optional further material | Ditto |
This structure can be varied with supervisor approval.
Mark descriptors
- 1-3: Little evidence of any attempt to complete the project.
- 4-6: Little evidence of any acceptable attempt to complete the project, with no substantial relevant material submitted.
- 7: Evidence of an acceptable attempt at addressing a research topic, with major problems.
- 8-10: Evidence of a reasonable attempt at addressing a research topic, generating some relevant results with a basic attempt at evaluation.
- 11-13: Evidence of a reasonable attempt at addressing a research topic, generating significant results, reasonably presented and analysed.
- 14-16: Evidence of a good attempt at addressing a research topic, generating significant results, clearly presented and reasonably well analysed.
- 17-18: Evidence of an excellent attempt at addressing a research topic, generating significant results, very clearly presented and competently analysed.
- 19-20: Evidence of an outstanding attempt at addressing a research topic, generating highly significant results, with a very high standard of presentation and analysis. The report shows elements of novel insight.