NMS304 Coursework 3 Project Dissertation Briefing Notes 2021-22 v2
Overview
The Final Project Report, weighted at 60% of the module, provides the major contribution towards the overall project classification. The final submission is to be Microsoft Word Document in thesis format (8000 words). The report is submitted electronically via Moodle which has a size limit of 150MB you will need you carefully manage images and content to the file size remains below 150MB!
You will work closely with your supervisor to complete the project and whilst they will guide and help you the work and ideas should be substantially your own demonstrating a level of independent study and ability.
Detailed guidance
Structure
The recommended sequence of material is:
• Title Page
• Copyright Statement
• Abstract
• List of Contents
• List of Tables, Figures, etc
• Acknowledgements
• Author‘s Declaration (where appropriate)
• Text, divided into chapters, sections,(see below for detailed advice)
• Appendices
• List of References

Title Page
Please If you have a front page before this, it MUST also include your name, project title and degree title.
Copyright Statement
The following copyright statement should be placed as the second page of the dissertation:
This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior written consent.
Abstract
An abstract of approximately 200-300 words should appear on a separate page. The title of the thesis and the author‘s name should be followed by a synopsis of the thesis, giving the nature and scope of the work done and a summary of the results and conclusions.
List of Contents
This is a list, in sequence and with page numbers, of all subdivisions of the thesis. This includes …
List of Tables: Figures, etc. to follow the list of contents.
List of Symbols: may be included where appropriate.
Lists of references, Appendices
Acknowledgements
To include thanks for any support, whether financially, through discussions or through direct help.
Author’s Declaration
Where the undergraduate project has been part of a larger project, a declaration must be made to indicate the individual contribution of the student and the extent of collaboration. The advisor should help decide if this is needed in cases of uncertainty.
Chapters and Sections of the Dissertation
There are no hard-and-fast rules, but a typical layout of chapters will be:
Introduction
a) Brief introduction to the nature of the problem being addressed, and the general approach.
b) Clear statement of the AIM and OBJECTIVES of the project
c) A brief outline of the structure of the dissertation, i.e., what the reader should expect in the following chapters.
Background
A review of relevant literature to define the state-of-the-art. This should be structured so as to dovetail with your aim and objectives. The Background Science Review may form the basis for this section. However, this will probably need editing to incorporate the feedback you have received and any other relevant additional material.
Hypotheses
A clear statement of the hypotheses to be tested
Methodology
Detailed description of the methods you will use to gather data in order to test the hypotheses. You should consider both measurement and analysis. Careful consideration of the accuracy and precision of methods will often significantly improve the value of your results.
Results
This section is a clear presentation of the results of your work. Graphs are generally much clearer than tables, but make sure they are properly labelled (title and axes) and clearly described. Although sometimes difficult to separate, here you should describe your results but not interpret them.
Analysis and Discussion
The purpose of this section is twofold. Firstly, you should try to make sense of your results and say what you think they mean If you have multiple data sets, this is normally the best place to compare and report statistical analysis of relationships between them. Secondly, this is your opportunity to draw out the important aspects of your results and to place them in the context of the state-of-the-art. The implication of your results, the extent to which you have fulfilled your original aims, and any limitations and reasons for failure should all be included.
Conclusions
This is a summary of the key points of your work. The conclusions should address the aims of the project.
Recommendations
Suggestions for further work or modifications to your experiments of processes.
References
References should adopt the Harvard style and be completed accurately (see Cite Them Right)
Appendices
Any material, pertinent to the thesis, which would detract from the legibility of the thesis if included in the main text may be included in the appendices
Further guidance
Style
Margins should be 40 mm along the left edge and 20 mm along each other side. Page numbering should be located bottom centre, and include pages of figures, tables, etc. It is conventional to number the ‘prelims‘ (everything from the title page through to the acknowledgements) with lower case Roman numerals. All subsequent pages are then numbered with Arabic numerals, starting with 1.
Font should be 12-point Arial.
Line spacing should be one and a half.
Justification left compulsory, right optional.
Safety
Throughout your project you must be aware of the health and safety implications of the work with which you are involved. You should discuss with your advisor the safety aspects of any laboratory, field or other practical work you are planning as early as possible. It is essential that an appropriate formal assessment of the safety issues and risks associated with all practical work conducted as part of your Stage 4 project is carried out before such work is commenced.
Ethics
The University has a formal policy for the management of ethical issues which arise during the definition and execution of project work. The Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Science must be advised of such issues by a joint submission from the project student and project advisor. The forms are available on the NMS304 Moodle site.
Marks will be awarded for
Please see the dissertation Marking scheme available on Moodle.