Transcript Tips on Writing your Project Report …

Tips on Writing your Project
Report …
…and managing your project
Don’t Panic!
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It’s normal to feel that you don’t really
know what you’re doing
To overcome this – talk to people (your
project supervisor, friends, etc.)
And – most importantly …
Plan
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Try to plan/structure the time available
Set both long and short-term goals
(daily, weekly, monthly)
Keep records
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Your write-up will be much easier if you
keep a research diary. (What I did
today)
Record all design decisions immediately
(you’ll forget otherwise)
Have regular meetings
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See your Supervisor often.
Prepare for the meetings – e.g. have a
list of questions, be ready to tell them
what you’ve been doing
Create a Glossary of Terms
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Do this as you go along – don’t leave it
to the end
It will help your understanding – every
area has its own jargon/terminology
and some words may also have an
everyday meaning which is different
Research
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For each book/paper jot down a few
lines (in your own words) outlining the
main points
When you photocopy or print pages
from the web, write all required details
on them – e.g. author, date,
conference, URL, date accessed etc.
And …
Bibliography
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Start it as soon as you start your
research – build up an (electronic) file
Always add full details – saves time
hunting round later
Requirements
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With or without a real client, make sure
you are clear about what the
requirements are.
Prioritise them (MOSCOW rules can help
here)
Evaluation
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Think EARLY about how you will
evaluate your project. It may alter
what you do.
Compare your outcomes with your aims
Have you achieved what you set out to
do?
How, exactly, do you know? How can
you demonstrate this?
Software
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Think first – don’t rush into things
Comment your code
Version control is important
Test as you go
Writing your report
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Start writing early – e.g. write up your
research
Use your research diary
Write a skeleton structure – i.e. chapter
headings and an outline of what the chapter
will cover
Explain the problem, current state-of-the-art,
what you’ve done, how you’ve tested and
evaluated it. Comment on results. Future
work.
Writing your report
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Explain clearly what you have done and
why
Discuss problems you’ve encountered
and how you overcame them
Guide your reader through the report
Remember to put your work in an
academic context
Writing your report
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Remember to spell check and proof
read carefully – swap with a friend?
The report is the most important
product – don’t delay writing up to keep
tweaking software. Set a deadline and
stick to it.
Sites of Interest
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http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/proj/
res_meth/login.html
http://eluzions.com/Pictures/Illusions
http://www.faculty.fairfield.edu/faculty/
hodgson/Courses/so11/methods/metho
ds.htm
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/~van/cpsc590/lin
ks.html