MSc Dissertation Introduction

1
MSc Dissertation Introduction

• A brief guide to the dissertation
• Importance of dissertation within MSc degree
• The project proposal
• Project supervisor
• Project Workbook
• The Dissertation
• Student's Deadline
• Help and Supervision

2
Importance dissertation in MSc degree

• Dissertation is the important aspect of the MSc
  Programme
• MSc Degree is not awarded without a successful
  completion of MSc dissertation.
• Equivalent to 4 units of study or the third of
  MSc Programme
• Major project - research, development- is done by
  student
• It maps the future direction that you will be
  taking for your career or further post graduate
  studies
• It is natural path to MPh or PhD research study
  for some students

3
MSc Project Process

• Stage 1
• Identify subject area of interest
• Design a suitable project specification
• Register your project and supervisor online
  lthttp//www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcimmsc/gt
• Stage 2
• Meet your supervisor regularly
• Produce a plan of work for
• Research Practical and experimental Development
  Write-up
• Keep an up to date workbook
• Hand a draft version to you supervisor by the
  deadlines
• Stage 3
• Submit
• Your final project online
• Two hard copies of final version workbook by
  the deadlines

4
The Project Proposal
Think carefully about the project subject area
and the theme

• Identify MSc Project Interest
• Suggest your own project
• Attempt companys project
• Consult placement officer
• Attempt university based project
• Consult placement officer/ Project coordinator/
  Research centers, groups and individual lecturers
• Discuss your Project idea and supervision with
• Research Method Unit team
• Project coordinator
• Register your project proposal online before the
  deadline lt14 May 2008gt

5
Appendix 1 MSc Dissertation Proposal Formonline
submission only

• YOUR DETAILS
• First Name
• Family Name
• Course Title
• Student No
• Contact details
• email address
• Phone number
• Title of your dissertation
• Main area of the dissertation (Key words to
  describe your
• projects)
• Industry Supervisor ltif anygt
• University Supervisor
• Second Supervisor (if any)

6
Dissertation Outline - Research Method Unit
Assignment

• A self-contained description of the proposed
  project
• - the case for support.
• The case for support should be presented in six
  parts as described below
• Part-1 Aims and objectives. - 1 side A4
• Part-2 Method of approach. - 1 side A4
• Part-3 Resource required or to be used. - half
  side of A4
• Part-4 Evidence of analysis from literature
  search and identified as appropriate approaches
  to the problem specified. - 2 sides A4
• Part-5 Key references. 1 side A4
• Part-6 Diagrammatic Plan for dissertation plan.
  - 1 side A4

7
Research Centres/Groups

• You may use the following and other Research
  Ceners to do your placement.
• Institute for Computing Research ltMark Josephgt
• Centre for Research in Information Engineering
• Centre for Information and Organisation Studies
• The Information Management and Modelling
  Research Group
• Centre for Concurrent Systems and VSLI
• Library Information Technology Centre ltDilip
  Patelgt
• Centre for Systems and Software Engineering
• Centre for Applied Formal Methods
• Visualisation and Graphics Research Unit ltEbad
  Banissigt
• Placement is full time activity during project
  period and you are expected to do work on
  research and development project that is assigned
  and your project will be dependant on it.

8
Project supervisor

• In choose a project supervisor
• Try to match your project area to supervisor
  interest by
• Consult school/ university, Research centre and
  MSc project web-site
• Contact potential supervisors well in advance
• Consult MSc project coordinator if in doubt
• Discuss your ideas with potential supervisor and
  take on board their suggestions
• Ask for ideas from potential supervisors
• Prepare project proposal that is agreeable both
  to you and to your supervisor
• Register your project proposal online
• lthttp//www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcimmsc/gt
• You should keep a copy of all documentation in
  the form of log book.
• If you cannot find supervisor consult Project
  co-ordinator well before the deadlines during MSc
  Project Surgery Hour( at least two weeks before
  the deadline) and you will be assigned a
  supervisor)

9
Project PROCESS

• Meet your supervisor regularly - face to face
  consultation is the best
• Produce a detail plan of work for
• Research - papers, journals, previous projects,
  internet and so on.
• Practical and experimental Development - need to
  support theoretical understanding of your
  practical work.
• Write-up - it should reflect what you have been
  doing - any form of copying will be considered as
  of not your work and could result in failing your
  project
• quotation and inclusion of diagrams must be
  clearly referenced- if in doubt, consult your
  project supervisor.
• Workbook is to record your activities during
  project- essential.
• Need to be submitted for assessment
• Its content should reflect what you have in
  final dissertation,
• it is one way showing that the work submitted is
  of your own
• Its contents to be reflect your activities as it
  happens and you write as project progresses and
  not it at the end of the project to satisfy
  requirements.

10
The Dissertation

• Main component to be assessed are
• Before the final version, a draft version must be
  given to your supervisor for comments and feed
  back - allow plenty of time for this
• Instruction how to format and layout the final
  version is given in
• the unit guide.
• Submission online 2 copies required to hand in.
  Make an extra copy for yourself and future
  reference.
• It must be handed on or before the deadlines
• Exceptional cases for deferral/extension may be
  considered well before submission deadline by
  your course director ltyou need to make
  application two weeks before submissiongt
• Examination board needs to approve all deferrals
• you may be also asked to pay further fee for the
  deferral/extension.

11
Appendix I PDP Personal Development Planning

• Reflective statements as part of project work.
  Preparation of a proposal in respect of the
  dissertation and completion of the dissertation.
• Provide the means by which self-reflection,
  evaluation and planned development is supported
  (e.g. paper-based or electronic learning
  log/diary).

12
Academic Misconduct Plagiarism
http//www.lisa.sbu.ac.uk/helpsheets/hs4.pdfhttp
//cise.sbu.ac.uk/plagposter/

• The dissertation that you produce is expected to
  be written using your own original words,
  sentences, paragraphs and chapters. If you do use
  extracts from non-original sources you should
  indicate exactly, by using quotation marks and
  indentation, which parts are non-original. The
  exact source of the non-original material must be
  clearly given, using a standard reference
  convention, every time it is cited.
  http//www.lisa.lsbu.ac.uk/006_services/student/Re
  ferencingStudents.htm
• The extracts from non-original material that you
  use should be relatively short and largely
  factual. They should be used to support your
  arguments not to replace them. If you feel that
  you need to include large extracts of
  non-original material they should be included in
  an appendix (where they will be given non
  academic credit.)
• Paraphrasing is where a summary of the content of
  non-original material is presented as original
  material. If this is a true summary, using your
  own words and phrases, this is probably
  acceptable. If it is a near transcription, that
  is phrases from the non-original source are
  included and/or the ideas from the non-original
  source are directly included and/or the citations
  or examples from the non-original source are
  included then this is probably unacceptable.

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Dissertation Assessment

• Three aspect of project is examined ltmarking
  schemegt
• Project Planning and development (Marks Awarded -
  MAX. 25)
• Dissertation - Contents (Marks Awarded - MAX. 50
  
• Dissertation - Report (Marks Awarded - MAX. 25)
• Two independent examiners
• To pass
• Minimum pass mark of 50 is required for each
  component
• Moderation are required if
• there is a big disparity of marks from two
  examiners for the contents and presentation
• Border line cases, where two examiners of
  differing opinion whether a project is a
  fail/pass or distinction/pass

14
MSc Project Deadlines - Student-

• 14 May 2008 Part-time students submit their
  project proposals
• 14 May 2008 Full-time students submit their
  project proposals
• Online Project registration
• www.lsbu.ac.uk/bcimmsc
• 29 Sep. 2008 Full-time students submit their
  draft Dissertations
• 31 Oct. 2008 Full-time students submit final
  DISSERTATIONS
• 15 Dec 2008 Part-time students submit their
  draft Dissertations
• 30 Jan. 2009 Part-time students submit final
  DISSERTATIONS
• Submission instruction
• www.scism.sbu.ac.uk/banissi/Msc_diss/submission.ht
  m

15
Help and Supervision

• Weekly project surgery hour
• Mondays 1200-100, Room L5
• Regular pre-planned arrangement from your
  supervisor
• Consultation with other staff
• Project Site will have latest
• Blackboard
• http//www.scism.lsbu.ac.uk/banissi/Msc_diss/