Transcript Getting the most from your project.

Getting the most from your final
year project.
Martin Greenhow Project coordinator
http://www.brunel.ac.uk/~mastmmg/ssguide/sshome.htm
Brunel University 2003/2004
Health Warning: Your project is a degree
requirement and is worth 2/9ths of your degree
= 1 day per week STARTING NOW!
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Requirements
 See the REQUIREMENTS GUIDE
70 pages - MAXIMUM
No padding - you’ll loose marks for this!
 Your project report should be a “narrative text”
with a coherent story line which flows logically
from one section to the next in a coherent manner.
You can include documentation/program listing in appendices
and/or disc.
You should by week 5:
 have a good idea about what your project will involve.
 have read some previous projects in the same area and started on
related textbooks.
 have searched the WWW (8am start for US sites!) & other material in
the Library.
 have started to make notes from these sources; keep this focussed and
don’t copy out sections from books, download chunks from the Web
or CDs - this is plagiarism! You will synthesise these notes into a
narrative later- see the Study Skills Guide.
 have written down exact references as you find them - see the Study
Skills Guide.
 have started a week-by-week log book.
 have seen your supervisor at least 3 times.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
You should by Xmas:
 have a good understanding of the theory and methods to be used.
 have read most of the background material and made notes/references.
 have made a start on any programming involved. It is not possible to
write a decent program without completely understanding what you
want/need to do, so ask your supervisor if anything is not clear. Then
draw a flow chart or write “pseudo code” to specify how the program
will work before getting bogged down in language syntax. Back-up all
programs.
 have considered writing drafts as you go along to aid your thinking; in
mathematics this technique is perhaps less useful, but you must keep
very detailed notes and back them up with photocopies or notes on
your PC (AND Brunel network).
 have seen your supervisor at least 8 times.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Before the Xmas break
 Make sure your log book is up to date
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include failures as well as successes
include how long it took you to do each item
write down ALL ideas you have as you work (they will be
useful for your Recommendations).
 Discuss your project plan with your supervisor.
 Prepare/document/back-up everything so you can
start again after the break.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Inter-Semester weeks.
 Blitz your project!
 Generate and organise your results
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Talk and Draft Plan (=10 credits)
 Prepare your project plan and ask your supervisor
for comments, especially on your plans &
REALISTIC timings for further work
 Think about interim conclusions and how you will
communicate your results in graphs, charts, flow
charts, spray diagrams, trees etc.
 Prepare and practice your presentation, asking
friends to time each OHP slide.
 Read the advice in the Study Skills Guide – yes
really do this!
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Sample Gantt chart
Tasks
Week
1
Week
2
Week
3
Week
4
Complete
Product rule lib.
Evaluation
Analysis
Complete quotient rule
lib.
Evaluation
Analysis
Complete
Chain rule lib.
Evaluation
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Week
5
Week
6
Week
7
Week
8
By the start of Easter you should:
 have finished all the actual project content.
 have written the main sections and typed
them up.
 have acted on your supervisor’s comments
on your draft chapters.
 have produced all the graphs and diagrams.
 have checked your supervisor’s availability
over Easter.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Over Easter you should:
 swap drafts with friends for comment. If your friends can’t
understand what you have done in broad terms, it’s YOUR
fault.
 write the abstract, introduction, conclusions and
recommendations sections. Give these to your supervisor
for comment in good time.
 finalise any appendices, references and program discs.
 act on your supervisor’s comments.
 put all sections together, check spelling and grammar,
include headers, footers and page numbers.
 print it all out - beware print queues at this time of year!
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - general points.
 The object of your report is to communicate, not
impress or blind with science!
 Help your reader as much as possible.
 Use ordinary plain English, free of jargon and slang.
 Use diagrams, charts etc as much as possible.
 Stick to conventional and consistent nomenclature.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the start.
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Title page - see the Requirements Guide.
Acknowledgements - keep it formal!
Table of contents.
List of figures.
Nomenclature, Definitions and Non-dimensionalisation.
Abstract of about 1-2 sides. The abstract is an important
guide to the reader and must describe the main area of the
work and your main results. Usually written last.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the Introduction.
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What the project is about.
A “map” of the work undertaken.
Why your work is interesting/important.
Possible applications.
A review of previous work.
A clear statement of how you have extended
the previous work.
 The introduction is usually written at the end of the project.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the Method.
 This can be very technical, so help your reader “navigate” through the
work by:
 clearly stating your assumptions.
 stressing what is most important. Move some material to
appendices.
 using logical paragraph, section & chapter breaks.
 using diagrams, charts, flow charts.
 using equations with all terms defined; consider reminding the
reader of earlier definitions.
 Think strategy, not detail.
 The method section is often written early and goes through a few
drafts as the work progresses and the supervisor comments on it.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the Results.
 This can be very technical, so help your reader as before.
 When presenting results you should:
 state any limitations on the generality of your results.
 state the accuracy of your results.
 describe the sensitivity of your results to changes in assumptions
and parameter values.
 Reconsider the model assumptions and refine them if possible (a
modeling cycle).
 Explain your results; if you can’t/won’t do this, how do you expect
the reader to be able to?
 The results section is often written early and goes through a few
drafts as the work progresses and the supervisor comments on it.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the Conclusion.
 This must not contain new ideas.
 This must contain only statements which are
supported by your work and follow naturally and
logically from it.
 Draw some conclusions, probably taking several
pages of text; if you can’t/won’t do this, why do
you expect the reader to do it for you?
 NB The conclusion is worth a lot of attention - and marks!
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the Recommendations.
 This should contain many of the ideas which will have occurred to
you as you worked, and which were written down in your log book …
weren’t they?
 This must contain ideas for future work. Imagine yourself starting a
similar project … what would you want to read? Be as specific as
possible about:
 new applications of the present theories/techniques.
 application in areas with similar mathematical structures.
 Extensions which avoid the limitations/weaknesses of your work.
Be honest - this is a sign that you know what you are doing and
will be rewarded rather that penalised!
 NB The Recommendations are worth a lot of attention - and marks!
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the Appendices.
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Program listings - on a disc to help future students.
Data printouts - again on disc.
List of software used.
Logbook.
Instructions for reading data and/or running any programs on the disc.
Remember that the External Examiner may well want to do this, so be
specific and include everything that is needed unless this infringes
copyright laws.
 Proofs and material which underpins, but is not part of, the main
narrative.
 Include material here which will help future students.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
The report itself - the References.
 Books.
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Greenhow M. (1982)“My life as a dog” Oxford Univ. Press 4th ed.
 Journals.
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Greenhow M. (1937) “The mathematics of guinea pig sexing” J.
Math. Biol., 8, part 4, pp 1-59.
 Electronic sources:
WWW - state exact URLs and date when accessed.
 Graphics from Encarta (or similar) needs to be referenced.
 Remember: NO DOWNLOADING!
 NB Read the Study Skills Guide – see the examples on plagarism.
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Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
When you get stuck.
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Can you define all your terms?
What are the dimensions of terms in your equations?
Can you non-dimensionalise your equations?
What are the important parameters?
Can you draw a flow chart for your program and check each
part separately?
 Can you run simple test cases to compare your program
results against analytical results?
 Write all variables to a file if your program gives
unexpected results, and check them carefully.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
When you get stuck again!
 Can you simplify your problem?
 Can you exploit any symmetry in your problem?
 Can you do sample calculations at e.g. x = 0, 1
etc?
 Can you do any sort of asymptotic analysis as x
becomes small or big?
 Can you plot your results in a different way?
 Can you explain your problem to your supervisor
or another student? If you can, you are half way to
solving it!
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004
Submission.
 Usually at the end of Easter; date for 2003/2004 is:
*tba* 2004.
 Penalties for late submission:
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1 day = 4% subtracted.
Subsequent days = 2% subtracted.
This includes weekends and holidays!
Plagiarism = No degree !
 NB See the marks allocation on the project syllabus and allocate your
time accordingly. Note that students often throw marks away by poor
presentation and/or inadequate abstracts, introductions, conclusions
and, especially, recommendations.
Dept of Mathematical Sciences
Final Year Projects 2003/2004