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MSC OGE Dissertation Guidelines 2012
MSC OGE Dissertation Guidelines 2012
School of Engineering
MSc in Oil & Gas Engineering Programme
Individual Project EG5908
Guidelines for Students
This document provides the guidelines for the implementation, requirements and assessment
of Individual Project EG5908 for students on the MSc in Oil & Gas Engineering Programme. It
should be read in conjunction with the Universitys Code of Practice for Postgraduate Taught
Students which is available online at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/quality/appendix5x3.pdf
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12 noon; Monday
2 July 2012
12 noon; Thursday
13 Sept 2012
5pm; Friday
14 Sept 2012
Key Officials
Head of School
Prof T ODonoghue
Dr T Thevar
Dr T Thevar
Mr J Adamson
Ms Yvonne Buckingham
Ms Debbie McKenzie
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Table of Contents
The Structure of the Project
Assessment Procedures
Submission
Educational Objectives
10
Useful Reading
11
12
14
15
16
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It is important that you keep a project logbook and ensure all your project activities are
recorded in the logbook with the date of the activities. This is a standard practice in research
and industry. Your logbook is for your own use and should provide a record of your thought
processes and all activities related to the project, including ideas that were subsequently
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discarded. You will find the contents of the logbook useful when preparing your dissertation.
The project logbook should be in the form of a bound hard or soft cover lab notebook (looseleaf folders should not be used).
Assessment Procedures
The final assessment of your project is made up of two parts: your conduct of the project (in
the lab/design office and in supervisory/peer discussions) and the presentations and technical
contents of your dissertation. The conduct is assessed only by your supervisor and contributes
15%, while the dissertation is assessed independently by two assessors and contributes 85%
to the final individual project mark.
The 85% weighting of the dissertation is attributed as 15% for presentation and style of
writing, 45% for technical and merit of the dissertation and 25% for evidence of
critical reasoning. An example of the assessment form and criteria is provided in Appendix A.
The dissertation will be assessed independently by two assessors. If the two marks differ by no
more than 10%, the average of the two will be used to obtain a dissertation mark out of 85%.
The project conduct mark (15%) from the supervisor will then be added to obtain the final
percentage mark for the Individual Project.
In cases where assessors dissertation marks (out of 85) differ by more than 10%, the
dissertation will be referred to a third marker for assessment.
As part of the assessment process, you may be required to give an oral presentation or for an
oral interview/examination on your dissertation. You will be informed in writing and/or email if
you are required to.
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It is best to plan out the structure of a report and the contents of each section before
attempting any detailed writing, see the references listed in the Useful Reading section of this
document.
The dissertation should comprise identifiable components:
Title page: Title of project and name of author. The statement that "A dissertation submitted in
partial fulfilment of the requirements of the award of Master of Science in Oil & Gas
Engineering at the University of Aberdeen" should be included at the bottom of the title page;
see Appendix B for an example.
Abstract or Summary: Should be no more than 350 words (equivalent to about one page
maximum), and give a succinct but clear account of the main points of the work, the
background to it and the main conclusions.
Contents: An ordered table of Chapters and section headings with page numbers.
List of tables and figures: An ordered list of tables and figures included in the thesis with
corresponding page numbers.
List of symbols and notation: A list of all mathematical symbols used together with any other
relevant notations employed.
Introduction: This should be a clear exposition of the objectives of the work together with
relevant background information, history, justification and scope. This is one of the most
important chapters. Make sure that the reader wants to read further: if you have lost your
reader by the end of the Introduction you have a struggle to get him or her back!
Literature Review or Background Theory: This provides a review of relevant theories and
previous work in the subject area. You need to demonstrate sufficient level of understanding
of the concepts being described though critical assessment of the context, applications and
limitations, and how they relate to your project objectives.
Main body of text: These chapters contain the bulk of the thesis. It is here that, Experimental
Method, Design Concepts, Design Outline, Mathematical Analysis, Numerical Analysis
are given. These should be described in as many Chapters as are necessary to cover the work.
Just which of the above sections are included will depend on the nature of your project. Make
use of Tables, Graphs and Diagrams (as necessary) to illustrate your work.
Results and Discussion: It is here that you take your results and critically evaluate and
interpret them. What do your results mean? Exercise your powers of reasoning and objective
thought. How do the results compare with literature and your set objectives? This separates
those who merely collect data from those who understand what it means!
Conclusions: This is a summary and succinct outline of the main points you have achieved. No
discussion should be included here. No information should be included which has not appeared
elsewhere in the dissertation.
Recommendations and suggestions for future work: Based on what you have done, what
should be done now? Should it be repeated by different methods or should it be abandoned?
References: A list of cited references appropriately numbered or identified in the text and listed
here in a standard manner (see style and formatting).
Appendices: The appendices are a good place to put useful and essential information, which
would otherwise clutter up the main text and disturb the flow. For example, Gantt chart, risk
assessment form, detailed mathematical derivations, computer programs, manufacturers data
sheets; etc. Appendices should be properly labelled (e.g. Appendix A, B, ) and given
appropriate titles.
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The chapter headings, main headings, second and subsequent level headings should be
numbered (e.g. 7, 7.1, 7.1.1 etc.).
Equations should be indented by one centimetre. Leave one line spacing between paragraph
and the equation, and all equations must be numbered, e.g.
(2.1)
PD
i o,
2t
where is the stress, Pi is the internal pressure, Do is the outer diameter and t is the wall
thickness. Note that equations are part of a sentence and usual punctuations rules apply.
Figures and tables should be cited in text as "Fig. 2.1", "Table 6.4" as appropriate, where Fig.
2.1 refers to the first figure in chapter 2. The figure number and title should be placed directly
beneath the figure, while and table number and title should be placed directly above the table.
Avoid, where possible, the use of figures, data or graphs photocopied or scanned directly from
another text or manual. You should instead, where possible, adapt and carefully redraw it in
your own style showing only what is relevant to your needs. Where a figure or table has been
copied or adapted from another source, a reference to the source must be made in the title of
the figure or table, with the phrase Taken from [Ref] or Adapted from [Ref], where Ref
should be replaced with the source reference.
Submission
You must submit two soft or spiral bound copies of your dissertation, together with an
electronic copy on a CD/DVD to the Engineering PG Office by the deadline stated in the Diary
of Events and Deadlines on page 2 of this document. Make sure your name and ID number
are clearly written on the CD/DVD. The hardcopy of the dissertation must be accompanied by
a signed anti-plagiarism form, see Appendix C and WebCT page for the project.
In addition, an electronic copy of your dissertation must be submitted to the anti-plagiarism
software TurnitinUK by the deadline stated in the diary of events. Large files may have to be
saved in pdf format before submitting to TurnitinUK. The School of Engineering reserves the
right to not release your project mark if you do not submit your dissertation to the
recommended anti-plagiarism software.
As a practising engineer, you will be required to meet deadlines both in work objectives and in
report submissions. It is essential therefore that you realise the importance of adherence to
deadlines in all aspects of your project. The deadline for the submission of the dissertation
must be met. There is normally no extension of the submission deadline. However, if you are
unlikely to meet the submission deadline due to medical or other valid circumstances outwith
your control, you should make this known immediately to the project co-ordinator, who will
notify you in writing or by email if you have been granted an extension to the submission.
Please note that problems with computer printer or loss of computer files are not considered
valid reasons for extension of submission deadline. Your supervisor cannot grant you an
extension to the dissertation submission deadline. You must bear in mind that any extension,
if at all you are granted, may impact on your visa requirements and ability to graduate in
November.
Penalties for late or non-submission of dissertation are as follows:
(i)
For late submission, 1 CAS mark will be deducted for each late day (including
weekends)
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your ability to plan, direct, discuss and critically evaluate your own work
In a properly conducted and conceived project you should hope to gain expertise and
knowledge in one or more of the following crucial aspects of practical engineering:
experimental method
analytical investigation
ideas should come from you. Your supervisor will certainly not expect to (and may not be able
to) solve your problems! It is your work, therefore you are expected to do it; not your
supervisor. Obviously in experimental projects your decisions must meet the approval of your
supervisor and technical staff for safety and other reasons.
Supervisors can provide general idea and guidance for the structure of the dissertation.
However, they are not expected to proof read your dissertation before it is submitted.
This should be in the form of a bound hard or soft cover lab notebook (loose-leaf
folders should not be used, as it is too tempting to remove pages).
Everything that is done and thought about should be recorded as you do it.
It is just as important to record what has gone wrong as what has gone right. A good
lab/project-book is an essential part of a successful project.
o As early as possible in your work, prepare a work plan of your proposed approach to the
problem. The work plan may be in the form of a bar or Gantt chart.
Consult it regularly: are you on schedule? Are you deviating? Have you missed
anything?
o You should meet with your supervisor as required, to give a summary of your progress and
what you plan to do next. This enables you (and your supervisor) to keep a check on how
you are getting on. Compare your report with your work plan.
o The first step in any project is usually an extensive, thorough and up-to-date study of
relevant literature and background material.
The aim here should be to gain a firm grasp of the background to the project and how
it fits into your intended work. A balance must be struck between examining the
literature too superficially and reading every article published on the subject or, worse
still, irrelevant articles.
(i)
Absent for a continuous period of 3 weeks without good cause or medical certificate
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being submitted; or
(ii)
Absent from three scheduled project meetings with your supervisor without good
cause or medical certificate; or
If following the record of C6 your attendance or performance does not improve significantly
you may then be refused a Class Certificate for the project course. You must note that
students who are refused a Class Certificate for the project may not be able to submit
themselves for any assessment associated with the project; i.e. such students may not be able
to submit the dissertation report.
Copying directly from another source without presenting it as a quote and providing a
reference
Including a diagram, image or data table from another source without providing a
reference
Although it is expected that you will read and consult the work of others in a similar
area, this should be not be reproduced or otherwise used without correct referencing
and/or use of quotation marks.
If you are including verbatim extracts from texts or papers, these should be very
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minimal and they should be enclosed within double quotes and referenced, e.g.
Chakrabarty [10] states in his book that "a requirement for ductile tearing of metallic
pipes is.....". Extensive verbatim reproduction of published work (even within
quotation marks) must be avoided as it is a sign of lack of understanding of the
concepts, and will have a significant negative impact on the marks for Technical Merit
and Evidence of Critical Reasoning.
The references should then be listed in the References section, in the following style:
Useful Reading
[1] Barras R, 1978, Scientists Must Write, (Science Paperbacks)
[2] O'Conner M, 1991, Writing Successfully in Science, (Harper Collins)
[3] Miller KJ, A Laboratory Guide for First Year Students
[4] Gibbings JC, 1986, The Systematic Experiment, (Cambridge)
[5] Ashby MF, 2004, How to Write a Paper (Cambridge Univ, www.grantadesign.com)
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Students Name:
Student ID Number:
Date of Submission:
Markers Name:
Dissertation Details
Title:
Word Count:
N/A
Page Count
(excl. appendices):
Page Count
(appendices
only):
DESCRIPTOR
DEFINITION
18,19,20
Outstanding
15,16,17
Very Good
12,13,14
Good
9,10,11
6,7,8
Satisfactory
Below
Average
Inadequate
<5
A.
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.................
D. CONDUCT OF PROJECT
Motivation, enthusiasm & interest, need for encouragement
Ability to contribute own ideas & push project; awareness of time constraints & resource implications; reliance
on supervisor
Demonstration of competence in execution of practical work, application of theory, data handling and critical
thinking
Attendance & active participation at meetings & discussions
(D) MARK FOR CONDUCT OF PROJECT: .................
COMPOSITION OF MARKS:
(A) PRESENTATION AND STYLE OF WRITING
15 %
45 %
25 %
15 %
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Appendix B:
TITLE
(in font size 14pt bold)
By
CANDIDATE NAME, B.Sc., C.Eng., etc.
(12pt bold)
(Month, year)
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Appendix C:
SUPERVISOR:
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
COVER SHEET FOR MSc Dissertation
COURSE CODE:
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Appendix D:
ID No:
Industry/Academic Supervisor:
Organisation:
Project Title:
Project Background:
Project Objectives:
Work Plan: