HERIOT-WATT UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF ENERGY GEOSCIENCE INFRASTRUCTURE AND

SOCIETY

INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERING

Notes of Guidance for Individual Projects

MSc Petroleum Engineering

MSc Reservoir Evaluation and Management
MSc Petroleum Geoscience
 Contents

Summary

1 Notes for Guidance

2 Assessment Criteria

3 Submission Guidelines

Appendix 1 – Project Summary Sheet

Appendix 2 – Submission of Electronic Files

Appendix 3 – Submission of SPE papers

Appendix 4 – Plagiarism

Appendix 5 – Ethics form

Appendix 6 – Risk Assessment for off campus projects

You must discuss with your supervisor the risks

associated with your project and complete the
appropriate risk assessment forms.

Your supervisor must also complete the ethics form –

make sure you address this when you complete
Appendix 1

ALL PRESENTATION TIMINGS ARE DRAFT AND MAY

CHANGE DEPENDING ON CIRCUMSTANCES – THE
SCHEDULE WILL BE SENT IN JULY
SUMMARY

The Individual Project is approximately 7 1/2 weeks of work by each student on a

specific topic. The timing of the project and presentation dates are in Table 1 below.
The presentation schedule will be issued to you in July and updated in August
however the schedule can change during the presentations!
One week after the start of the projects, a summary report (Appendix 1) should be
submitted to the Individual Project Coordinator (Mudassar Nazeer at HWU Dubai) to
ensure that you have been allocated the correct project and that any changes have
been notified. You must also formally meet your supervisor and discuss resources,
dates of meetings, submission of draft reports, completion of ethical awareness
form, etc. as detailed in the appendices.

At the time of submission, you submit the thesis and PowerPoint presentations
yourself; you use the pc’s to submit your electronic files. There is no spare capacity
to receive electronic files at IPE and have them submitted on your behalf.

Section 1 describes the individual project process.

Section 2 describes the assessment criteria that the examiners will be looking for
when reading the theses.

Section 3 describes the format of your thesis. Part of the contents is a statement
that the work is yours. Your oral presentation will be 15 minutes duration followed by
5 minutes of questions from the examiners.

Table 1: KEY DATES (Refer to email)

Action Date/Submission Time To Whom

Start Individual Project

Submit Completed Appendices

(project summary etc)

Submit thesis

Submit Powerpoint Presentation

PE Presentations

Submit SPE Paper (PE and

REM) and extended abstract
(PetGeo).
1 Notes for Guidance

1.1 The students on all programmes are required to complete an individual

project which is conducted during the summer, lasting 7.5 weeks. There is a
requirement to submit a written thesis, give an oral presentation of their work
and submit an SPE paper or Extended Abstract on their work, as specified in
the course guidelines. Electronic versions of the thesis, paper and
presentation slides are submitted.

1.2 The projects are conducted at the University or at some other location. The
financial implications of students working external to the Institute must be
considered: travel and accommodation is paid for by the host company. The
student should not be out of pocket as a result of working away from the
Institute.

1.3 Each student is supervised by an approved teacher from the Institute,

Edinburgh or Durham Universities (PetGeo). If the student is at a remote
location for an extended period, the host institution will be expected to
provide a contact for the duration of the student's work. The student should
expect regular contact with their supervisor through weekly progress
reports.

1.4 The projects are devised by staff and researchers from the Institute,
Edinburgh or Durham Universities (PetGeo) and by engineers and scientists
from external organisations (such as oil companies). The projects are based
around experimental, theoretical and analytical techniques or some
combination of them. Critical review type projects are also encouraged.
Each project must clearly identify the aim and the perceived new work it
involves. For the MSc REM, the topic should include some aspect(s) of
geoscience model development, petrophysical description and flow
modelling. For the MSc PetGeo the project must have a significant
geology or geophysics element but can address mainly exploration or
mainly production issues. It does not need a flow simulation. Usually
the student will have input into the objectives and direction of the
project. A thorough review of the literature in the chosen area of
research is also required. Projects that involve the development of
computer code also have to ensure they demonstrate research novelty

1.5 It is important to make clear to external organisations before the project

starts that the subject matter as perceived originally and as developed by the
student MUST be available to the student in order to write the thesis.
Proprietary data supplied for projects is made non-specific by removing field
and well names etc. All examiners involved in the assessment of theses
are covered by a confidentiality agreement to protect company data and
the University’s intellectual property. The intellectual property of the
Master’s theses resides with the University.

1.6 The project outlines are collated by the Individual Project Coordinator who
calls a meeting of the academic staff to allocate the projects. This allocation
takes into account the ability of the student and the content of the proposed
project.

1.7 On allocation of the project, the student approaches the relevant supervisor
and discusses the content. If the student is dissatisfied, he or she arranges
to see the Individual Project Coordinator to remedy the situation.
1.8 If acceptable, the student and supervisor complete a pro-forma (Appendix 1)
which states the objectives and nature of the project, the dates for meetings
during the period of the project, contact details and the date for submission
of the draft thesis. The completion of this is important: the Individual Project
Coordinator uses the information to ensure all students have unique
projects. Issues of safety and insurance (for travel and working external to
the University) must be reviewed and Risk Assessment forms completed as
necessary. The supervisor is responsible for resourcing the project
(hardware, software, etc.) - either by research project resources or
applying to the communal pool. Specialist software training should be
made available where required.

1.9 Submission of the thesis and the associated SPE paper or Extended
Abstract is made at the time stated in Table 1. A schedule of the oral
presentations is distributed in July/August. Students may request
modifications to the schedule, but normally the running order does not
change. However, the schedule can change without prior notice (for
example, due to illness). Students are expected to be available on the
morning or afternoon of their presentation time.

1.10 Each thesis is marked by 2 members of academic staff. If the material is

considered to be confidential, the company involved must write to the
appropriate Programme Director requesting that access is restricted (for a
period of 1 year, renewable thereafter). A note attached to the thesis will
specify who requested the restriction and the date it expires. Even if the
thesis is confidential, the examiners (including the external examiners
appointed by the University) must have access to it. The supervisor is
responsible for returning all material to the company(s) as required.

2 Assessment Criteria for Individual Projects

The individual projects are marked on the following content:

2.1 Motivation of Student -

the degree to which the student performed the tasks of the project
did he/she show interest and initiative

2.2 Presentation/style of Thesis -

were the aim and objectives clearly stated

has the thesis been written in an organised manner
have tables and figures been used appropriately
were the arguments presented in a clear and logical manner

2.3 Oral Presentation (including answering questions) -

was there a clear and concise account of the work

were visual aids used effectively
was the student well prepared
were questions answered competently

2.4 Originality of Work -

has the student investigated any new areas of the topic

 were any new techniques used in the analysis
have any new applications of techniques been discussed

2.5 Analytical/Scientific Methods -

were the methods chosen justified in the thesis

were the methods appropriate to the problem in question
did the student recognise and consider all the factors involved

2.6 Breadth and Depth of Understanding of the Subject -

was the problem placed in context

did the student relate the problem to other published work
was a concise literature review of the topic produced

2.7 Interpretation of Results -

did the analysis produce satisfactory results

were any unusual or unexpected results adequately explained
were further areas of research identified which should be pursued

2.8 Sense of Economic Worth -

did the student appreciate the relevance of the results to the Petroleum
Engineering and Geoscience community
how significant were the conclusions in terms of practical applications

There will be 2 internal markers (1 supervisor and 1 non-supervisor) and the marks
will be moderated before the relevant assessment board. They will contribute to the
marks as follows:

Category Mark weighting Nominee

Motivation of Student 10% Supervisor
Presentation/style of Thesis 10% Supervisor and 2nd Marker
Oral Presentation and answering questions 10% Supervisor and 2nd Marker
Originality of Work 5% Supervisor and 2nd Marker
Analytical/Scientific Methods 20% Supervisor and 2nd Marker
Breadth and Depth of
Understanding of the Subject 20% Supervisor and 2nd
Marker
Interpretation of Results 20% Supervisor and 2nd Marker
Sense of Economic Worth 5% Supervisor and 2nd Marker

Total 100%

A break down of the marks is as follows:

Heriot Watt University Institute of Petroleum Engineering
Performance Areas A (70-100)
Motivation Enthusiastic level of commitment
by student towards exceeding the
stretched requirements
Presentation / Style of Publishable standard
Thesis presentation and figures.
Originality of Work Innovative insights and new
thinking.
Analytical / Scientific Innovative data analysis and
Methods manipulation. Highest quality
reasoning and argument.
Breadth and Depth of Demonstrates innovation in both
Understanding of Subject project subject and its
background science.
Interpretation of Results Insightful interpretation of results
Sense of Economic Worth Results include the impact of the
study on the economic aspects
Oral Presentation Very clear and lucid presentation
and questions well handled.
PetEng PetGeo and REM Individual Project Marking Criteria and Scoring Guide
Letter Grade Assignments and % range
B (60-69)
Effective level of commitment by
student towards exceeding the
basic requirements
Well laid out report with good use
of figures. Clearly understood
text.
Pleasant to read
Good evidence for individual
insights and new thinking.
Sound data analysis and
manipulation. Good reasoning
and argument.
Demonstrates high competence
in both project subject and its
background science.
Very competent interpretation of
results.
Clear understanding the
economic aspects of the study
Good presentation but doesn't
handle the questions well.
C (50-59)
Adequate level of commitment by
student towards meeting the basic
requirements.
Reasonable choice of section
headings. Acceptable figs and
captions, but possibly poor choices of
what to illustrate. Adequate, but dull,
use of English. Formatting and
grammar imperfect, and possibly
distracting.
Minimal evidence for individual insights
or new thinking.
Acceptable data analysis and
manipulation. Unexciting but adequate
reasoning and argument.
Demonstrates competence in both
project subject and its background
science, but little or no evidence of
greater depth of understanding
Results are presented logically, but
their interpretation is not accomplished
in depth
Acknowledges the economic aspects
of the study, but no clear correlation
between the questions addressed and
the choices made
Adequate organisation, with Intro, Body
and Conclusions. Images and word
slides acceptable. Vocal techniques
adequate. Adequate answers to
questions.
D (40-49) E (<40)
Minimum level of No commitment by student
commitment by student towards meeting the basic
towards meeting the basic requirements
requirements
Poor choice of section Very sloppy report with no
headings. Marginally attention to text or figures
acceptable figs and and no effort shown in the
captions. Poor use of production.
English. Formatting and
grammar poor.
Minimal evidence for No evidence for individual
individual insights. insights or new thinking.
Little data analysis and No data analysis and
manipulation. Poor manipulation. No reasoning
reasoning and argument. and argument.
Demonstrates bare No evidence of depth of
competence in both project understanding
subject and its background
science, and no evidence of
moderate depth of
understanding
Results are poorly Very poor presentation and
presented, with little no interpretation
interpretation
Minimal recognition of the Unaware of any economic
economic aspects of the aspects of the study.
study
Poor organization and No organization and poor
timing of presentation. timing. Images and word
Images and word slides slides demonstrate no
poor. Poor answers to interest or effort. No
questions. answers to questions.
3 Research Project Submissions for the MSc Petroleum Engineering MSc
Reservoir Evaluation & Management and MSc in Petroleum Geoscience

The Individual research projects undertaken by all MSc students constitute a substantial
part of the work submitted for assessment for the respective degrees.

All candidates for the degree are required to submit the following items for evaluation
by the prescribed dates:

(i) A dissertation which comprehensively describes the candidate's work during the
study period. This report will be limited to 40 pages unless the supervisor grants
variance. Material lodged in Appendices are not part of this 40 page limit.
Appendix 2 describes the method of submitting the files.

(ii) A research paper in accordance with the SPE guidelines, i.e. a nominal text size
of 7000 words with each figure counting as 250 words.

(iii) For PetGeo an extended abstract (approx 4 pages) suitable for submittal to
AAPG, EAGE or a similar International conference.

The latter submission should provide a summary of the student's work and be useful for
distribution to companies interested in the work. It will also give graduates experience of
composing and submitting a research paper. It should also help candidates to critically
assess their level of achievement.

3.1 Research Project Dissertation

The following pertains to the written dissertation to be submitted as part of the

requirements for the degree of MSc

(3.1.1) The dissertation to be formatted double-spaced, in a suitable font such as Times

12, default WORD margins. The pages should be numbered.
(3.1.2) The first page should be laid out so that the following appears:

MSc (Insert Programme Title)

Project Report 201x/201x
Name
Project Title

*Heriot-Watt University

School of Energy Geoscience Infrastructure and Society

*Institute of Petroleum Engineering

Supervisor(s) Name(s)

*PetGeo’s must also include

University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute of Earth Sciences

(3.1.3) If the dissertation uses data which is specific to an operating or servicing

company and is to be considered to be confidential then this should be stated in
the top right-hand corner of the title sheet. The degree to which areas should
be restricted, if necessary, must be agreed with the company sponsoring the
project and your supervisor clearly informed.

(3.1.4) The CONTENTS page laid out in conventional form should include the following:

Declaration:

I…………………………confirm that this work submitted for

assessment is my own and is expressed in my own words.
Any uses made within it of the works of other authors in any
form (e.g. ideas, equations, figures, text, tables, programs)
are properly acknowledged at the point of their use. A list of
the references employed is included.

Signed…………………………..

Date……………………………

This declaration is then followed by the following sections (ON THE NEXT PAGE):

Acknowledgements
 Summary (not more that 1 side of A4)
Table of Contents
Aim and objectives
Introduction or background (Literature review)
Data summary (if applicable)
Methods used or workflow
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
Suggestions for further work
Figures and Tables (these are usually inserted in the text at
appropriate points)
References
Appendices

Aim and objectives should be short, to the point, and show what the project intends to
accomplish, how it intends to accomplish it, and why this is important.
Introduction should include background material, including an introduction to the area of
study (geographic or geologic information or a basic introduction to the subject area),
referencing appropriate literature on the subject (literature review). Location maps and
summary figures are useful in this section.
A data summary is needed to show where your data is sourced from (including
references to sources), to show how much of the bulk of the thesis is your own work.
Methods section should summarize what procedures have been used in this project,
referring to appropriate literature to justify their use. Each method should be
summarized briefly, including a description of all terminology used.
Results should be presented briefly, with summary charts, tables and figures. All
detailed results that are not directly referred to in the text should be put in an appendix.
Discussion section is where logical argument is used to show how your results support
your conclusions, and refute any other possible conclusions. Reference should be
made here to appropriate literature sources for models or other similar work.
Conclusions should be a list summarizing the important points in the discussion section,
and suggestions for further work should also be a list.

Figures and tables should only be placed in the text when (and where) they are directly
referred to in order to make a point. Otherwise additional figures may be placed in the
appendices. However, if a figure is referred to in the text, it must be placed either in the
text near the reference or in a Figures and Tables section after the bulk of the report.
The figure source must be cited in the caption. Do NOT put important figures in the
Appendix.

References must be only those papers or books directly referred to (cited) somewhere
in the text and in figure captions. Please read the declaration that must be signed
(beginning of this section). It states that any work, ideas, diagrams or data that you
have not yourself generated must be referenced at the point of use. If you do not
reference your use of other peoples work, you are committing plagiarism (see Appendix
4). Citations in the text may be either in the form of the authors name and date of
publication, or in the form of numbered references. In the case of names, the reference
list is produced alphabetically, for numbers it is produced in the order of citation (the
first cited paper is [1]…).

Additional pages that may be useful include (after the table of contents):
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of abbreviations used
Glossary
(3.1.5) Research Paper

Samples of the SPE format are available in the Journal of Petroleum Technology, etc.
Further information may be found on the web at
http://www.spe.org/authors/docs/styleguide.pdf
The section on the SPE website above about presentations also contains some good
advice for your presentations.

Extended abstract guidelines can be found on the webpages for international

conferences run by such organisations as EAGE (www.eage.org) or AAPG
(www.aapg.org).

The Research Paper was introduced into the Masters courses with two objectives: firstly
to provide an educational opportunity for each student to produce an effective summary
of their work, and secondly to provide a pool of potential submissions for the
SPE/EAGE/AAPG Student Paper Competitions. This has been very successful in
recent years with Heriot-Watt candidates winning the European competition and coming
close in a world event in the USA. Both the student and the Institute benefit from such
success. Winning such a competition looks very good on a cv.

In the past, some students have raised the issue of confidentiality and have suggested
that the company involved with their projects was against the idea of having their work
published in this manner. It should firstly be understood that the papers are not always
submitted for publication in the public domain but this issue should be discussed with
your supervisor when you undertake the project. The matter of confidentiality is the
same as for any publication containing proprietary information. The owners of such
information would be approached in writing for permission to publish or for guidance as
to how the document should be modified to allow publication. The majority of SPE
papers which are published in the JPT and in conference proceedings are based on
work which is to some extent confidential.

You will find attached the guidelines (Appendix 3) that are sent out to authors when a
paper is accepted for publication by the SPE. The only modifications to the instructions
are that an SPE paper number has not been assigned and therefore will not appear
and that you do not list co-authors/supervisors. Simply put your own name on the
paper.
(3.1.6) Guidelines for presentations:

Please also see web-guides such as:

http://www.csun.edu/~hcchm001/talkguid.PDF

Some specific points:

Your talks are 15 minutes long. You will find that in order to keep to this time, it is better
to have no more than 20 slides, including title and conclusion slides, as you will spend
at least one minute talking about each slide.
The time limitation means that you cannot present your entire thesis. Limit yourself to
explaining the reason you did what you did, how you did it, some interesting results,
and the conclusions you drew from them. Your talk is a summary of the important bits.
Remember that your audience is composed of people who have backgrounds in many
different specialities within petroleum geoscience and engineering, and they will not
understand highly technical, mathematical or geological information. Keep it simple.
A similar outline to the thesis should be used: title, outline, aim and objectives,
methods, results, discussion, conclusion. Make the presentation tell a story – link each
section to the previous and the following sections.
Reference all material (figures etc) used in the presentation.
Make sure you use clear large text. This especially applies to graphs, or figures
showing models. Many programs print legends that are unreadable when placed in a
presentation. Make a larger version of these legends (perhaps cropped out of a copy of
the figure) on each page so that the scale is visible. This also applies to the axis labels
on graphs. Rough guidelines are: do not use anything smaller than 18 point font in a
presentation. Use san-serif fonts (without the little curls and ticks at the ends of the
letters) for presentations.
Do not use too much text. A page full of text is not useful, and cannot be read easily by
an audience. Use bullet point headings to remind you what to talk about.
When using abbreviations, make sure that you say the full text – at least the first time
you use it. For example, the first time you mention STOIIP, you should say “stock tank
oil initially in place”. For less common abbreviations, you should have the full text
spelled out on the slides the first time you use it, and you should say the full text each
time. Never use abbreviations in titles. Always explain your abbreviations.
Equations may be necessary to explain your work, but should not be dwelt on in depth
in a presentation. This wastes time as most of the audience will not be able to follow. If
equations are part of your work, show them but summarize the explanation of their
derivation.
Graphs should be clear and show what you are talking about. Do not use lots of lines
on a single graph, summarize to a few. Make sure that you use highlights, boxes,
arrows (etc) to point to significant features of the graphs, this is more accurate than the
wavering red dot of the pointer. Also make sure that legends and axis labels are clear.
Note that it is much more useful to show your results graphically, rather than in a table:
an audience will find it difficult to take in results from a table.
Make sure that it is clear in your presentation what is your work and what has been
done by others. It is advisable to only briefly describe previous work, and to spend the
majority of the presentation describing your work, making sure to say ‘I’: ‘I then took the
results…’.
Practice your presentation, with friends, and a stopwatch. Practice on using the
powerpoint program, using a pointer, speaking to an audience (and not to your slides),
thinking about what wording you will use and what you need to say at each point. Make
yourself a list to remind you what to say at each stage, but do not read from them.
Reading from notes not only encourages fast speaking, but also means a lack of
audience-speaker interaction, which means the audience is likely to become
disengaged. Hold a ‘practice’ session among yourselves and give each other feedback
about the style, problems with the slides, speaking style, organisation and so on.
Finally, try to relax when speaking. Try not to rush along, but also try not to drag, and
especially do not fall into the habit of repeating yourself too often. Try and consciously
avoid the use of space filling sounds (erm, er, um etc).
(3.1.7) Reference material, collected prior to and during the project should be given to
your supervisor

(3.1.8)There is a 10% penalty for late submission of thesis, paper and

presentation.
Appendix 1 (Fill this in with your supervisor and submit to O
Vazquez/Mudassar Nazeer – the risk assessment and the ethical sections are
very important and you will not be permitted to continue with the project if they
are not completed)

INDIVIDUAL PROJECT SUMMARY 2017

MSc PE/MSc REM/ MSC PETGEO
(delete as appropriate)
Student Name
Student Address

Student Telephone No.

Project Title

Internal Supervisor(s)

Location of Project
(company address)
If Location is not Dubai
External Supervisor Details

Intellectual Property Right/

Confidentiality Agreements
which you have Signed

Computer Hardware
Requirements

Computer Software
Requirements

Other Resource
Requirements

Is a Risk Assessment required

(lab work, travel overseas, field work)
Formally agreed
Meeting Dates

Presentation
Draft Submission Date Date

Signatures
student supervisors

Attach a summary of the project and a schedule

Attach the completed Ethics form (Appendix 5)
Appendix 2 Submission of Electronic Files

Summary

You are required to submit your thesis to the following site:

A1. Vision Folder: Individual Project G11IP_2016-2017, Assessment, Submission

for Dubai Students where you submit your thesis via Turnitin. Submit your files as
.pdf files

“Your Name Final Report.pdf”

Appendix 3 Submitting Papers to SPE Technical Journals

Papers appearing in SPE technical journals – SPE Drilling & Completion, SPE
Journal, SPE Production & Facilities, and SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering
are peer-approved by members of the SPE Editorial Review Committee before
publication. The SPE Editorial Review Committee considers only complete
technical papers on topics appropriate to SPE journals. Abstracts, summaries, or
outlines of papers will not be considered. The committee also does not consider
doctoral dissertation or masters theses. Manuscripts submitted for review must be
in English and cannot be hand-written.

If your paper was presented at an SPE meeting and you have no revisions, simply
contact the SPE Review Coordinator and request that your paper be reviewed. Be
sure to reference the SPE paper number in your request. SPE will send copies of
the paper to members of the Editorial Review Committee for consideration. If your
paper receives favourable reviews, you will be asked to provide the manuscript in
the publication format. If possible, it is a good idea to prepare your paper from the
start in SPE-preferred word-processing and graphics applications. The details are
at the SPE web site, along with the formatting requirements:

http://www.spe.org/authors/docs/styleguide.pdf
Appendix 4 Plagiarism
Student Guide to Plagiarism, from University Web
https://www.hw.ac.uk/students/doc/plagiarismguide.pdf

Heriot-Watt University: Student Guide to Plagiarism, October 2005, (updated

January 2006, June 2007, April 2008, Feb 2017)

STUDENT GUIDE TO PLAGIARISM 1

Plagiarism is intellectual theft and is a major offence which the University
takes seriously in all cases. Students must therefore avoid committing acts of
plagiarism by following these guidelines and speaking to academic staff if
they are uncertain about what plagiarism means. Those who are found to have
plagiarised will be subject to the University’s disciplinary procedures, which
may result in penalties ranging from the deduction of credits and modules
already achieved by students to compulsory termination of studies. Students
are advised to refer to Regulation 50 at
http://www.hw.ac.uk/ordinances/regulations.pdf and to the Guidelines for Staff
and Students on Discipline at
https://www.hw.ac.uk/students/studies/record/discipline.htm for further details
of how the University deals with all acts of plagiarism.

1. Introduction

1.1. This guide is intended to provide students at Heriot-Watt University with

a clear definition of plagiarism and examples of how to avoid it.

1.2. The guide may also be of use to members of staff who seek to advise
students on the various issues outlined below.

2. Definition

2.1. Plagiarism involves the act of taking the ideas, writings or inventions of
another person and using these as if they were one’s own, whether
intentionally or not. Plagiarism occurs where there is no acknowledgement
that the writings or ideas belong to or have come from another source.

2.2. Most academic writing involves building on the work of others and this is
acceptable as long as their contribution is identified and fully
acknowledged. It is not wrong in itself to use the ideas, writings or
inventions of others, provided that whoever does so is honest about
acknowledging the source of that information. Many aspects of plagiarism
can be simply avoided through proper referencing. However, plagiarism
extends beyond minor errors in referencing the work of others and also
includes the reproduction of an entire paper or passage of work or of the
ideas and views contained in such pieces of work.

3. Good Practice

3.1. Academic work is almost always drawn from other published information
supplemented by the writer’s own ideas, results or findings. Thus drawing
from other work is entirely acceptable, but it is unacceptable not to
acknowledge such work. Conventions or methods for making
acknowledgements can vary slightly from subject to subject, and students
should seek the advice of staff in their own School/Institute about ways of
doing this. Generally, referencing systems fall into the Harvard (where the
text citation is by author and date) and numeric (where the text citation is
by using a number). Both systems refer readers to a list at the end of the
 piece of work where sufficient information is provided to enable the reader
to locate the source for themselves.
3.2. When a student undertakes a piece of work that involves drawing on the
writings or ideas of others, they must ensure that they acknowledge each
contribution in the following manner:
1
The author acknowledges the following sources of information used in
preparing this guide to Plagiarism:
“Plagiarism – A Good Practice Guide”, Carroll, J and Appleton, J (2001)
and various extracts from Student/Course Handbooks 2004/2005, Schools
and Institutes at Heriot-Watt University

• Citations: when a direct quotation, a figure, a general idea or other

piece of information is taken from another source, the work and its
source must be acknowledged and identified where it occurs in the
text;

• Quotations: inverted commas must always be used to identify direct

quotations, and the source of the quotation must be cited;

• References: the full details of all references and other sources must
be listed in a section at the end of any piece of work, such as an
essay, together with the full publication details. This is normally
referred to as a “List of References” and it must include details of any
and all sources of information that the student has referred to in
producing their work. (This is slightly different to a Bibliography, which
may also contain references and sources which, although not directly
referred to in your work, you consulted in producing your work).

3.3. Students may wish to refer to the following examples which illustrate the
basic principles of plagiarism and how students might avoid it in their work
by using some very simple techniques:

3.3.1. Example 1: A Clear Case of Plagiarism

Examine the following example in which a student has simply inserted

a passage of text (in italics) into their work directly from a book they
have read:

University and college managers should consider implementing

strategic frameworks if they wish to embrace good management
standards. One of the key problems in setting a strategic
framework for a college or university is that the individual
institution has both positive and negative constraints placed upon
its freedom of action. Managers are employed to resolve these
issues effectively.

This is an example of bad practice as the student makes no attempt

to distinguish the passage they have inserted from their own work.
Thus, this constitutes a clear case of plagiarism. Simply changing a
few key words in such a passage of text (e.g. replace ‘problems’ with
‘difficulties’) does not make it the student’s work and it is still
considered to be an act of plagiarism.

3.3.2. Common Mistakes

 Students may also find the following examples 2 of common
plagiarism mistakes made by other students useful when reflecting
on their own work:
• “I thought it would be okay as long as I included the source in
my bibliography” [without indicating a quotation had been used in
the text]
• “I made lots of notes for my essay and couldn't remember where
I found the information”
• “I thought it would be okay to use material that I had purchased
online”
• “I thought it would be okay to copy the text if I changed some of
the words into my own”
• “I thought that plagiarism only applied to essays, I didn't know
that it also applies to oral presentations/group projects etc”
• “I thought it would be okay just to use my tutor's notes”
• “I didn't think that you needed to reference material found on the
web”
• “I left it too late and just didn't have time to reference my
sources”

None of the above are acceptable reasons for failing to acknowledge

the use of others’ work and thereby constitute plagiarism.

3.4. What follows are examples of the measures that students should
employ in order to correctly cite the words, thought or ideas of others that
have influenced their work:

3.4.1. Example 2: Quoting the work of others

If a student wishes to cite a passage of text in order to support their

own work, the correct way of doing so is to use quotation marks (e.g.
“ “) to show that the passage is someone else’s work, as follows:
2
Extract from ‘Plagiarism at the University of Essex’ advice copyrighted
and published by the Learning, Teaching and Quality Unit at the
University of Essex, reproduced with kind permission.

“One of the key problems in setting a strategic framework for a

college or university is that the individual institution has both
positive and negative constraints placed upon its freedom of
action”.

3.4.2. Example 3: Referencing the work of others

In addition to using quotation marks as above, students must also use

a text citation. If the work being cited is a book, page numbers would
also normally be required. Thus, using the Harvard system for a book:

“One of the key problems in setting a strategic framework for a

college or university is that the individual institution has both
positive and negative constraints placed upon its freedom of
action” (Jones, 2001, p121).

The same reference could also be made to a book using the numeric
system:
 “One of the key problems in setting a strategic framework for a
college or university is that the individual institution has both
positive and negative constraints placed upon its freedom of
action” (Ref.1, p121).
More often, a piece of work will have multiple references and this
serves to show an examiner that the student is drawing from a
number of sources. For example, articles by Brown and by Smith may
be cited as follows in the Harvard system:

“It has been asserted that Higher Education in the United Kingdom
continued to be poorly funded during the 1980’s [Brown, 1991],
whereas more modern writers [Smith, 2002] argue that the HE sector
actually received, in real terms, more funding during this period than
the thirty year period immediately preceding it”.

or as follows using the numeric system:

“It has been asserted that Higher Education in the United Kingdom
continued to be poorly funded during the 1980’s [Ref 1], whereas
more modern writers [Ref 2] argue that the HE sector actually
received, in real terms, more funding during this period than the thirty
year period immediately preceding it”.

3.4.3. Example 4: Use of reference lists

Whichever system is used, a list must be included at the end, which

allows the reader to locate the works cited for themselves. The
Internet is also an increasingly popular source of information for
students and details must again be provided. You should adhere to
the following guidelines in all cases where you reference the work of
others:

If the source is a book, the required information is as follows:

• Author’s name(s) • Publishers Name

• Year of Publication • All Page Numbers cited
• Title of Book • Edition (if more than one, e.g. 3
rd

• Place of Publication edition, 2001)

If the source is an article in a journal or periodical, the required

information is as follows:

• Author’s name(s) • Volume and part number

• Year of Publication • Page numbers for the article
• Title of Journal

If the source is from the Internet, the required information is as

follows:

• Author’s or Institution’s • Full URL (e.g.

name (“Anon”, if not known) http://www.lib.utk.edu
• Title of Document /instruction/plagiarism/)
• Date last accessed by • Affiliation of author, if given (e.g.
student University of Tennessee)
 The way in which the information is organised can vary, and there are
some types of work (for example edited volumes and conference
proceedings) where the required information is slightly different.
Essentially, though, it is your responsibility to make it clear where you are
citing references within your work and what the source is within your
reference list. Failure to do so is an act of plagiarism.

3.5. Students are encouraged to use a style of acknowledgement that is

appropriate to their own academic discipline and should seek advice from
their mentor, course leader or other appropriate member of academic staff.
There are also many reference sources available in the University Library
which will provide useful guidance on referencing styles.

4. Managing Plagiarism

4.1. Students, supervisors and institutions have a joint role in ensuring that
plagiarism is avoided in all areas of academic activity. Each role is outlined
below as follows:

How you can ensure that you avoid plagiarism in your work:
• Take responsibility for applying the above principles of best practice
and integrity within all of your work
• Be aware that your written work will be checked for plagiarism and
that all incidents of plagiarism, if found, are likely to result in severe
disciplinary action by the University. The standard penalty is to annul
all assessments taken in the same diet of examinations (for details
please refer to Regulation 50 at
http://www.hw.ac.uk/ordinances/regulations.pdf and to the Guidelines
for Staff and Students on Discipline at
https://www.hw.ac.uk/students/studies/record/discipline.htm).

How your School/Institute will help you to avoid plagiarism:

• Highlight written guidance on how you can avoid plagiarism and
provide you with supplementary, verbal guidance wherever appropriate
• Regularly check student work to ensure that plagiarism has not taken
place. This may involve both manual and electronic methods of
checking. A number of plagiarism detection packages are in use at
Heriot-Watt University, one example being the Joint Information
Systems Committee (JISC) “TurnitIn” plagiarism detection software.
See https://www.hw.ac.uk/is/turnitin.htm for more information on how
this software package works.
• Alert you to the procedures that will apply should you be found to
have committed or be suspected of having committed an act of
plagiarism and explain how further action will be taken in accordance
with University policy and procedures.

How the University will endeavour to reduce student plagiarism:

• Provide clear written guidance on what constitutes plagiarism and
how to avoid it directly to your
School and to you.
• Alert you and staff in your School to the penalties employed when
dealing with plagiarism cases.
• Take steps to ensure that a consistent approach is applied when
dealing with cases of suspected plagiarism across the institution.
• Take the issue of academic dishonesty very seriously and routinely
investigate cases where students have plagiarised and apply
appropriate penalties in all proven cases.
Appendix 5 Ethics Policy Form

EGIS/ Institute of Petroleum Engineering

Protocol for Ethics Approval

1. Title of research proposal or student project:

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
__

2. Purpose of study:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___

3. Do you, as Principal Investigator/Project Supervisor, consider there to be

any ethical issues attached to the proposed study (e.g. use of human
subjects, possible physical or psychological danger, use of clinical data, etc.)
Yes 
No 
If NO go to 7

4. Please outline the ethical concerns relating to the proposed work/student

project that you think should be considered by the Institute Ethics
Committee.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
__

5. Is ethical approval required by another body linked to the research?

Yes 
No 

If YES please submit copies to Chair of Institute Ethics Committee

6. Are there any potential physical or psychological dangers that can be

anticipated from involvement in the research? Yes 
No 

7. Is your risk assessment of the health and safety implications for staff and
students involved in the research
Low or negligible 
Medium 
High 

If medium or high please ensure that the Institute Safety Officer is informed.

Please complete and sign the following:

I, as a Principal Investigator/Project Supervisor, have checked the above for
accuracy and am satisfied the information provided is a true reflection of the
intended study.

Name (please print) ________________________________________

Signature ________________________________________

Date ________________________________________
Appendix 6 Project work conducted in company offices

If your project is conducted overseas, please see the University web for
the appropriate forms for your travel, insurance and suitability of the
Company you will be working with. You should follow the sequence of
files you find at

http://www1.hw.ac.uk/quality/work-placements.htm

and send the forms to the project coordinator.

For travel outside the UK, you need to complete the risk assessment
forms at

www.hw.ac.uk/insurance/travel.htm