NOTES FOR THE PRESENTATION OF FINAL-YEAR DISSERTATIONS

Robert Ghirlando

Faculty of Engineering University of Malta

First published in October 1997 Revised July 2004, January 2005, August 2011

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY UNIT 3. PROJECT TIMELINE 4. EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE PROJECT 5. ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT 6. INDUSTRY BASED PROJECTS 7. ASSIGNING PROJECTS TO STUDENTS 8. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND BUDGET 9. LOG-BOOK AND PHOTOGRAPHS 10. LITERATURE SURVEY 11. TESTING 12. CALIBRATION AND EXPERIMENTAL ERRORS 13. LAYOUT OF TEXT 14. TITLE PAGE 15. NUMBER OF PAGES AND PAGE NUMBERING 16. SYNOPSIS 17. STYLE OF WRITING 18. TABLES AND FIGURES 19. UNITS AND SYMBOLS 20. REFERENCES 21. BIBLIOGRAPHY 22. PAGE FORMAT AND PRINTING QUALITY 23. NUMBER OF COPIES 24. SOFTWARE BASED PROJECTS 25. BINDING 26. SUBMISSION DATES 27. THE ORAL PRESENTATION 28. METHOD OF ASSESSMENT 29. INTERVIEW 30. EXHIBITION AND EXHIBITION BOOKLET 31. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS 31. PLAGIARISM Appendix A References Appendix B Title Page Appendix C Lettering on Hard Cover

Page 2 2 4 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 9 10 10 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 20 21 21 22 22 22 23 24 25 26 26 26 28 29 30

1. INTRODUCTION

The following notes have been prepared to help students in the Faculty of Engineering with their final-year project, sometimes referred to as the Dissertation or Thesis Project.

These guidelines were prepared by Prof. Robert Ghirlando, assisted by various members of the Faculty of Engineering and approved by the Faculty Board meeting of the 14th September 2011

2. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY UNIT

The following is reproduced from the website of the University of Malta. QUOTE
CODE TITLE LEVEL ECTS CREDITS DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTION ENR4200 Engineering Project 04 - Years 4, 5 in Modular UG or PG Cert Course 20 Faculty of Engineering The Engineering Project requires the student to methodically address an openended problem for which the aims and objectives are defined by the project supervisor prior to the commencement of the project and a programme of work is delineated and carried out in a structured way. Progress will be regularly monitored by the project supervisor. The type of work produced, design, experiments, simulation, analysis etc will depend on the project specification and constitutes a defined subset within the area of study currently under investigation. Towards the end of the academic year the student will deliver an oral presentation on the project and submit a dissertation.

Study-unit Aims: The aims of this study-unit are for the student to address a set task using

methodologies from engineering.

Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Address an engineering problem in a structured and well-defined manner as demanded by the relevant engineering methodologies. - Develop superior knowledge and provide explanations on the specific problem domain captured by the project.

2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Describe the work performed during the project in a scientific manner by means of a dissertation. - Deliver technical presentations on the work performed - Analyze, design and test engineering systems.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Various papers and textbooks dependent on project area. - Notes for the presentation of final year dissertations by Prof. R. Ghirlando, Faculty of Engineering - available from Faculty web site. - How to write a paper, M.F.Ashby, Engineering Department, University of Cambridge, Cambridge 6th Edition, April 2005 http://www-mech.eng.cam.ac.uk/mmd/ashby-paper-V6.pdf

STUDY-UNIT TYPE METHOD OF ASSESSMENT

Project Assessment Component/s Presentation Dissertation Project Resit Availability Yes Yes Yes Weighting 10% 15% 75%

LECTURER/S STATUS LAST UPDATED

Various Currently In Use 29 July 2011

UNQUOTE

3. PROJECT TIMELINE

The following are typical important dates. We are quoting the 2011 dates as an example. The dates for subsequent years may vary not only because of the calendar but also for operational reasons. Faculty Office annually issues a circular e-mail to students with the exact dates for the year. Monday 2nd May 2011 ~ Deadline for Synopsis (4 copies) [approx 10 pages]. Monday 2nd May 2011 ~ Deadline for short Description [1 page] for the Exhibition Brochure. Friday 20th May 2011 ~ Deadline for the submission of the dissertation (2 spiral bound copies). June 13, 14, 15 & 16 ~ Year IV Students talks. Friday 8th July 2011 ~ Student to collect dissertation with corrections from Supervisor or departmental secretary. Friday 29th July 2011 ~ Submission of hard bound copies to Faculty Office.

4. EDUCATIONAL AIMS OF THE PROJECT

The following is a list of what students should learn from the project: Self-sufficiency Originality and creativity Ability to think Planning Research skills Ability to carry out experiments Presentation and interpretation of data Oral and written presentation skills Directing others interacting with others Working safely Carrying out literature search Continuing on other peoples work

And possibly also: Development and/or application of theory Programming Practical skills (e.g. machining, PCB etching, soldering, drafting, etc)

The dissertation should contain work of merit presented in satisfactory literary form and should not be of unnecessary length. It should also provide evidence of acquaintance with the principles, theoretical background and application of the field or area of engineering topic to which the project is related as well as knowledge of general engineering.

5. ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT

The aspects covered by the Project would normally be one or more of the following: Pure research Design, build and test System development Technical analysis and development Applied Research

6. INDUSTRY BASED PROJECTS

There are great advantages in having industry-based projects. The main ones are that they help to promote University-Industry linkages and they provide real problems to students. They are also self-funding, in that Industry is asked to pay for any hardware and software that may be required.

Tensions may arise in these projects due to the diverse interests of the students and academic staff on the one side and Industry on the other. The students main concern will be to complete the write-up of the dissertation in the allotted time, even at the cost of not completing the project itself. On the other hand, Industry will want the

project to be not only completed within delivery dates that do not necessarily correspond to the students timetable, but also fit in with the exigencies of the production programme which could change drastically during the lifetime of the project itself.

Hence it is imperative that a proper dialogue is set up between the student and supervisor on one side and the manager from industry on the other side. It should be clearly specified from the outset that this is a STUDENT project with its limitations and it would help if industry looked upon it as a grant to the University out of which they may or may not get something. During the course of the project, in cases where there may be a conflict or a perceived conflict between the academic and industrial objectives/requirements, the student must always follow the advice of his/her academic supervisor.

Other important issues are those related to Intellectual Property Rights, such as rights over patents and the right or otherwise of publication of the results of the project. It is important that the student and tutor follow the policies of the University, Faculty and of the respective department on the matter.

7. ASSIGNING PROJECTS TO STUDENTS

Around April, Faculty Office publishes a list of Final Year Projects titles proposed by academic staff members for students to choose from. Students shall be requested to select a number of titles of interest from this list and indicate their order of preference. These preferences will help Faculty to decide how projects are finally allocated. The criteria for allocation of project titles to students will take into consideration the student preferences, the supervision load of staff members, and the order of merit of the student in the course and in subjects most relevant to the project.

In the meantime, students who have their own title in mind for the final year project may also propose a detailed description of their own. This description should be submitted in both softcopy and hard copy formats to Faculty Office by a given date around March, using the Student Proposal Form as on the website. The form should
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be filled in full and it should not indicate or propose any academic supervisors or departments. These proposals will be scrutinized by the Faculty so as to assess: (A) the quality and feasibility of the project, (B) the availability of staff members who are willing and able to supervise the project.

Approval at this stage does not automatically mean that the project will be allocated to the student. While every effort will be made to allow approved student project proposals to be carried out, an approved student proposal would have to be declined where the supervision load of the members of staff available to supervise a project is exceeded. The placing given to a student-proposed project in the list of projects to be supervised by a member of staff is allocated according to the normal criteria mentioned above, namely the order of merit of the student in the course and in subjects most relevant to the project.

For this reason, students whose proposal has been approved following steps (A) and (B) above, are still required to fill in the project preferences list when titles from academic staff are published. In such cases, the student-proposed project should be listed as the first preference, followed by the second and further preferences from the list of projects proposed by staff.

Any incomplete Student Proposal Forms or late submissions will not be considered.

8. PROJECT OBJECTIVES AND BUDGET

The project objectives and budget would normally have been prepared by the academic member of staff who would also supervise the Project, unless the project has been proposed by the student himself, in which case, the student should consult the supervisor once the student has been told the name of the supervisor.

Once the student has been assigned a project, the student must consult the supervisor to ensure that s/he understands the objectives of the project, and therefore where the project is leading to, the deliverables of the project and the budget limitations. The
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student should then proceed to prepare a project plan and programme (Gantt Chart) which highlights the milestones of the project and will serve as a basis for the student to monitor his own progress. The student should keep sight of these objectives to avoid frustration and loss of direction.

The student should not only ensure that the project remains within budget but should also NOT incur any expense without the prior approval of his supervisor and the head of the respective department. Students must produce receipts for all expenses incurred. The student should check the approval procedure used in the department where the project is being carried out and abide strictly by it.

Before purchasing any item such as motors, bearings, electronic components, PC interface boards and other standard items, the student should check whether it is possible to salvage such an item from obsolete projects.

Students may be asked to incur costs related to the project if adequate funds are not allocated to the Faculty.

9. LOG-BOOK AND PHOTOGRAPHS

It is recommended that students keep a log-book or diary in which they keep a record of the work that they do for the project. The first two pages of the log-book should consist of the plan of work and the budget.

The log-book serves the following purposes: i) ii) teaches the student the discipline of recording the work carried out; teaches the student Time Management, since a log-book helps to see where time is being wasted.

It is also recommended that students take photographs of any equipment or set-up that they are building or using as they go along. It is not possible to take photos of internal parts of equipment after this has been assembled; nor is it possible to take photos of past events!
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10. LITERATURE SURVEY

The literature survey is an essential part of the study and the dissertation and should be given due importance. This is not a regurgitation of whole passages from textbooks which serves simply to fill pages and pad the dissertation, but a critical review of the literature on the subject with clear references to papers and relevant pages in books. It will describe the work that has been done to date on the subject in hand as well as discuss the most important results. Cross-correlation of the findings of various researchers is a useful result of a literature survey. The review is effectively the foundations on which the dissertation research is carried out, and as such should be referred to in the discussion.

11. TESTING

Testing should be carried out in a planned and methodical way with a clear understanding of what is required of the tests. Tests should be designed and carried out according to a well-thought out plan intended to produce results in the most efficient and cost-effective way. By careful planning, it is possible to increase the output from a test as well as decrease the need for expensive equipment and testing.

Prior to embarking on extensive testing, the possibility of carrying out some relatively inexpensive preliminary/screen tests to indicate the range of parameters which may yield interesting results, or the use of design of experiment techniques must not be overlooked.

Tests are normally repeated to check for consistency and to filter out freak results, but whether tests are repeated or not very often depends on the availability of time, logistics and/or money. The supervisor should be consulted.

12. CALIBRATION AND EXPERIMENTAL ERROR

It is essential for students to realise that instruments and measuring equipment need to be calibrated. The frequency and method of calibration depend on the instrument and accuracy required. It is a waste of time to try to obtain results to a higher degree of accuracy than is really necessary or than the measuring equipment is capable of producing and an even bigger waste of time to obtain results of dubious or insufficient accuracy. Students should therefore discuss this issue with their supervisors and record in their dissertation the calibration of the instruments used in the tests carried out during the project.

Another feature of testing that should be given its due importance by the student and which is complementary to calibration is experimental error. Students should appreciate that their test results are only accurate to within a plus/minus tolerance. They should not only be capable of calculating, or at least estimating, the errors but should also state them in the relevant sections of the dissertation. Clearly, when these errors appear too large, the student should analyse the testing procedure to find ways of reducing them.

13. LAYOUT OF THE DISSERTATION

The following is a model format of the layout of the dissertation. Due to the different nature of the topics being investigated, some projects may require a different format to the one presented here. Note that a dissertation need not necessarily contain all the sections listed below. The format should be selected according to the nature of the project. This is generally the first step in writing the dissertation, as it serves as the plan of the write-up, and should be discussed with the supervisor. It is also wise for the student to show the final draft to the supervisor before binding. Title page (first page, see Appendix B)) Copyright page (second page) Abstract (third page) Acknowledgements (fourth page)

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 i)

Table of contents List of figures (with the number of the page in which they are located) List of Tables (with the number of the page in which they are located) List of Plates (with the number of the page in which they are located) List of Abbreviations and Notation (used) Introduction (context of project and objectives) Theory Equipment (and design of equipment, circuit design, software design) Methods of Testing (procedure) Tests and Test Results Discussion of results Conclusion Suggestions for future work References and bibliography Appendices

Copyright page

The copyright page should include the following text: COPYRIGHT NOTICE 1) Copyright in text of this dissertation rests with the Author. Copies (by any process) either in full, or of extracts may be made only in accordance with regulations held by the Library of the University of Malta. Details may be obtained from the Librarian. This page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the Author. 2) Ownership of the right over any original intellectual property which may be contained in or derived from this dissertation is vested in the University of Malta and may not be made available for use by third parties without the written permission of the University, which will prescribe the terms and conditions of any such agreement.

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ii)

Abstract

This should be limited to one A4 page and should contain a synthesis of the most important aspects of the project. It should have a brief introductory sentence, followed by the aims of the project. The main results and conclusions should then be briefly outlined.

iii)

Acknowledgements

This should contain a brief mention of any persons whom the student wishes to acknowledge and thank. It should be brief and in any case not longer than a page.

iv)

Table of Contents

All chapter headings and major sub-headings appearing in the text should be listed, together with their corresponding page number. The table of contents should look orderly and should display a logical development of the project; this helps the reader to gain a general overview of the project. Sub-headings of sub-headings should therefore be avoided. Chapter headings and sub-headings should be numbered sequentially and in a uniform style.

v)

Lists of Figures, Tables and Plates

All figures, tables and plates should be listed together with their corresponding page number.

vi)

List of Abbreviations and Notation

If a dissertation contains abbreviations and scientific and mathematical symbols, a list of them should be included in it. The system of prefixes and suffixes used, if any, should also be listed.

vii)

Introduction and objectives

This should always be the first chapter of the dissertation. The introduction should serve the purpose of introducing the topic of the project to the reader. It should be general and in a somewhat simple format. There is no need, however, to assume that the reader is completely ignorant of engineering. The student should aim his writing to the level of a person with a good knowledge of general engineering principles. This chapter lays down the foundations on which the dissertation will be built and
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puts the whole work of the student in its proper context. If a project is a continuation of another previous one, this should be clearly stated in this chapter.

The chapter should end with a clear statement of the aim and objectives of the project. Nothing can be clearer than stating them in point form. It is important for the reader to understand what the student was trying to achieve with his project. Only the main objectives of the project should be mentioned and judging by the time-frame of a final-year project, these should be limited to two or three at the most.

viii) Literature Survey See para 10.

viii)

Theory or Theoretical Background

If the project requires a detailed description of the theory behind the project, or involves some long derivations of a mathematical nature, it might be useful to put this in a separate chapter. Sometimes it is possible to include this in the Literature Survey (or Review), or the Literature Survey can be included in the chapter on theory. This all depends on the nature of the topic and it is up to the author (with the advice of the supervisor) to decide which is the more appropriate.

ix)

Equipment or Design of Equipment

If the project involved a series of tests using standard equipment, then this chapter will simply list the equipment used including make, type and serial number. It is also acceptable, in this case, to list the equipment in another chapter, such as the one on Methods of Testing. If the project involved the development of some specific equipment or an auxiliary piece of equipment which has been used significantly in the project, then the chapters should include a detailed description of the equipment with accompanying drawings and plates. If the project is about the design and construction of a specific piece of equipment, then this chapter is always required; indeed, in this case, it may be necessary to split the description over two or more chapters.

x)

Methods of Testing or Experimental Procedure

The methodology used in carrying out the experiments should be presented here in detail. This chapter has to be written in such a way that anyone wishing to repeat the
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tests has all the information necessary to do so. Any standards used should always be clearly stated and figures and flowcharts showing methods and procedures are generally plentiful here. This chapter should be written in a logical format rather than a chronological one.

xi)

Tests and Test Results

The results of experiments or tests carried out should be presented here in an orderly and logical way. Tables and graphs should be well captioned as references to these will be made often. When presenting results in this way do not discuss them but explain where they came from. Sometimes it is desirable to present results and discuss them immediately as they are presented. In this case, it should be clearly indicated that this chapter includes the discussion part and should therefore be called Results and Discussion of Results.

xii)

Discussion of Results

This chapter is a very important part of the dissertation and will be one that the Examiners, especially the External Examiner, will read with much attention. All the results that were generated through the tests and experiments will be discussed here. The discussion should be objective and to the point. The rules of technical writing should be followed scrupulously. Comparison between the students results and those published elsewhere should be made in this chapter, as is constructive criticism of previous work. If testing yielded negative results, they should also be presented and discussed and possible reasons and explanations for their being negative should be put forward. Very often, negative results can be as valuable as positive ones.

xiii)

Conclusions and Suggestions for Further Work

All the conclusions that the student can draw from the work carried out should be listed in this chapter. The most important come first. Parts of the discussion (from the previous chapter) should not be repeated in the conclusions, which should be presented concisely and in a straight-forward manner. This chapter is in fact very often rather short. Based on the conclusions, the student should suggest what further work can be done in the future, i.e. what can be built on what has been done. There is no need for the student to say that that is what he would have liked to do had there been more time; that is taken for granted.
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xiv)

References and Bibliography

See paras 20 1nd 21.

xv)

Appendices

Any work that is of importance to the dissertation but does not fit in the main text may be placed as an appendix at the end. This could be a lengthy derivation, a calculation showing how certain values were obtained, or a more detailed explanation of a concept or idea, etc. Alternatively, instead of an Appendix, one can attach a CD or DVD to the dissertation.

14. TITLE PAGE

The format of the first page (title page) of the dissertation should be laid out as shown in Appendix B. Please note that the student must consult the supervisor to specify the Department name.

15. NUMBER OF PAGES AND PAGE NUMBERING

The overall length of the dissertation should not exceed 100 pages maximum, inclusive of diagrams, graphs, abstract, appendices, references and computer program listings. Only where absolutely necessary and with the permission of the supervisor, may the overall length exceed a 100 pages and then again strictly not more than 120 pages.

Page numbering should be on every page throughout the dissertation document, no matter whether the page is full of text, tables or figures.

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16. SYNOPSIS

The Synopsis is a brief report outlining the work carried out during the project. The main purpose of the Synopsis is to enable the External Examiner and Assessor to obtain a good overall picture of the Dissertation without having to read it. The Assessors allocate their mark based upon the Synopsis and the oral presentation. They will not read the dissertation. The External Examiner reads the Synopses before coming to Malta, so that on arrival, the Examiner can quickly glimpse through each dissertation, reading carefully only those passages that enable him to form a correct opinion of the worth of the dissertation. The Synopsis should not be longer than 10 pages. Four hard copies must be submitted to Faculty Office and a soft copy uploaded on the VLE by the previously announced deadline.

17. STYLE OF WRITING

All writing should be objective, formal and impersonal. Abbreviations, with the exception of those that are in common English usage, should be spelt out in full when used for the first time. Symbols for units and chemical formulae are not abbreviations and should not be used as such. Most abbreviations have capital letters, but some of the more commonly used ones have lower-case letters with full points, such as: d.c. , b.m.e.p., e.m.f., r.m.s., i.d., o.d. The abbreviation % can be used in tables but per cent is preferred in the main body of the text.

Words used in an unusual sense may be enclosed within single quotation marks when first mentioned.

Sentences should not start with a number expressed in figures or with an abbreviation. These should be written in full.

Politically incorrect, sexist and racist language is not admissible, e.g. he/she. For instance, the following is not favoured: The role played by the machine operator in this task is of prime importance. He ensures that. Making use of the third person would avoid this. Alternatively one can use s/he.
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No fancy inscriptions shall be tolerated, such as The end may they live in peace (actual quotation from a student dissertation).

18. TABLES AND FIGURES

In any one dissertation, tables and figures should either be presented in the text or at the end of each chapter. A dissertation should not have a mixture of both styles.

If laid horizontally on the page (landscape style), they must be printed with the top towards the spine and not vice-versa.

Tables and figures should be mentioned in the main text, and no section of the dissertation should be a sequence of images and tables without explanatory text. Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned in the text, and all should be captioned appropriately. Titles of tables are printed above the tables while captions of figures are placed below the figures.

Figures and tables copied from other sources should be acknowledged by quoting the source as a reference.

All figures and tables must be referenced at least once in the text. They should never be placed on a page earlier than the reference to them.

All axes of graphs must be labeled with the name of the variable and the units in which that variable is being expressed, unless of course it is a dimensionless variable.

19. UNITS AND SYMBOLS

Units should be consistent and SI.

The symbol for a physical quantity should be a single letter of the Latin or Greek alphabet. An exception to this rule has been made for certain dimensionless groups for
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which the internationally agreed symbols consist of two letters, the first a capital and the second lower-case. Such two-letter symbols should be enclosed in parenthesis, at least in equations where ambiguities might otherwise arise. For example: Nu = 0.023(Re)0.8(Pr)0.4

Symbols may be modified by subscripts and superscripts. It is recommended that normally only one symbol should be chosen for any one physical quantity and if necessary, be amplified by subscript (or superscript). Subscripts to subscripts (and superscripts to superscripts) should be avoided.

To facilitate the reading of long numbers, the digits should be grouped in threes about the decimal point but no commas should be used. When the decimal point is placed before the first digit of a number, a zero should always be placed before the decimal point. Numbers should be rounded up to the nearest number of places that make sense, i.e. that are within the accuracy of the measurement or calculation in question.

The multiplication sign between numbers should not be an x, but the appropriate times symbol in the word/text processing software being used. The same applies to the minus sign which should not simply be a hyphen.

20. REFERENCES

The dissertation must include a numbered list of references and an optional bibliography list. These are to be included just before the Appendices, as explained in para 13.

References to published work should be listed in the order in which they are mentioned in the text, or in alphabetical order. It is important however that only one system is used in any one dissertation, i.e. whatever system is chosen must then be adhered to.

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All references listed must be mentioned in the text. Where material not mentioned in the text is to be listed, it should appear in a separate section Bibliography in alphabetical order of authors surnames. Care should be taken to ensure that references are accurate and complete with the title of the paper in addition to the source. References should not be given in footnotes. Personal communications should not be included in the list of references but may be mentioned in the text.

The format for references is based upon the IEEE standard. This uses a number in square brackets within the text to refer to specific references. For example, The system was tested by using the Tesla Test [4]. Smith and Brown [3] discuss the variety of errors associated with this test. Other researchers have addressed the same problem using different points of view [1], [5], [10]-[15].

Mention of a reference in the text should be without initials or titles of the author, thus: Smith and Brown [3] discuss..

Extended extracts from printed publications, including previous dissertations, is not allowed, even if referenced.

The IEEE format for the list of references, which typically includes different types of publications, is given in the following examples:

(i)

Books

[1] A.B. See, Engineering Science, New York, Wiley, 2001, pp. 12-25.

(ii)

Reference to a chapter in a book consisting of a collection of contributions by various authors:

[2] D.E. Eff, The design of artificial machines, in Discussions on Intelligent Machines, 3rd ed., vol. 1, T. Eddy, Ed., London, Wiley, 1999, pp. 20-45.

(iii) Dissertation and theses [3] B.B. Borg, Design and implementation of a chemical rector, B.Eng. dissertation, University of Malta, Malta, 1990.

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(iv) Papers in journals and periodicals: [4] P.J. Harris, On the origins of technology, ASME Transactions on Mechasystems, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 101-108, Jan. 2003.

(v) Articles in published conference proceedings: [5] I.M. Stern, U.R. Knot and B.S. Goode, A new method of stress analysis applied to a cantilever structure, in Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Structures, 1995, 123-129.

(vi) On-line electronic sources: Use internet citations only where absolutely necessary. If a paper has appeared in print (say in a journal) as well as on the Internet, then use details of the printed version for your reference. The reason for this is that on-line references are typically removed or placed at different web addresses in a relatively short time. If your reference source appears as an on-line electronic document only, then it is advisable to include it in a CDROM attached to the dissertation, provided that the copyright regulations for the document permit this. The format for listing on-line references is as follows: For on-line books or articles: [6] P. Gale. (2002 April 15). A History of Electronic Books. [on-line]. Available: http://www.abc.com For a web page : [7] S. Tugali and P. Masade. (1996, May), The robotics web page. [on-line]. Available: http://rob.tu.edu/~robbie.

These guidelines are based on the IEEE web publication [1].

21. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography and References are two different things.

A Bibliography is a list of books that were read and consulted to obtain general knowledge about the subject matter.
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On the other hand, references relate to specific items of information that were found in the literature and used in the preparation of the dissertation. Hence, a whole book cannot normally be a reference; it is more likely to be listed in the bibliography. The reference would be a specific page or number of pages in a book, which contain information relevant to the particular point being made in the students write-up.

22. PAGE FORMAT AND PRINTING QUALITY

Text should be printed in fine quality mode. It should be printed with a font size of 12pts, Times New Roman, in one-and-a-half line spacing. These notes have been printed in Times New Roman, 12 pts, one-and-a-half line spacing.

Page margins should be minimum 25mm all round, and 37mm on the left-hand side to allow for binding.

23. NUMBER OF COPIES

Every student must submit at least two spiral-bound copies by the date published by the Faculty Office. One copy is for the supervisor and one for the Reader. In cases where there is more than one supervisor, the student must hand in a spiral-bound copy for each of the supervisors.

Following examination of the dissertation, every student should have three copies of the dissertation hard-bound. One is the official copy to be presented to the Head of Department to satisfy regulations. The second copy is for the supervisor and the third copy is for the student. These hard-bound copies are to include any corrections and amendments requested by the reader and the supervisor following their reading of the spiral-bound version. In the case of projects sponsored by Industry, a fourth copy is required to be presented to the firm that sponsored the project. In cases where there is more than one supervisor, the student must hand in a hard-bound copy for each of the supervisors.

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24. SOFTWARE BASED PROJECTS

In the case of software based projects, students must also deliver on CD the complete set of all programs used and/or developed together with a user manual explaining the operation of the software. These should be delivered to the supervisor separately from the hard-bound copy of the dissertation.

25. BINDING

The dissertation should be bound in BLACK coloured Tablerene Bookcloth covered front and back millboards appropriate to A4 paper size (293mm x 206mm). All pages are to be sewn and glued. A left hand margin of about 37mm must be left when typing the dissertation to allow for binding.

The surname and initials, short version of title, degree and year (e.g. BORG J.A., short version of title, B.Eng.(Hons.), 2008) should be printed in 6mm upright gilt lettering on the spine of the dissertation, reading from top to bottom of the spine. The surname is to begin 37mm from top and the year is to end at 50mm from bottom. The title of the dissertation should be printed in the middle of the front board using 6mm high BLOCK CAPITAL lettering. See Appendix C.

It is advisable that a draft of the dissertation, including Title page, Abstract and Acknowledgements be shown to the supervisor before binding.

26. SUBMISSION DATES

The latest dates for submitting the Synopsis and the regulation bound copy of the dissertation is communicated by the Faculty Office from year to year; see section 3, Project Timeline.

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27. THE ORAL PRESENTATION

Every student is expected to make an oral presentation of the project sometime during June. The presentation is assessed by the students supervisor, (co-supervisor if there is one), the reader and the assessor, and the mark for the presentation forms part of the final mark for the project.

The audience for the talks consists of students and staff.

The length of the talk is twenty minutes, fifteen minutes for the actual talk and five minutes for questions. It is important that students learn to keep to the allotted time. To do this, it may be necessary to leave out some material. It is better to say more about less than to say less about more. Furthermore, if running out of time, the student should avoid the temptation of speeding up the presentation to squeeze in everything s/he planned to say. Rather, the student should continue at the right pace, cut short some of the presentation concentrating only on the most important items. The student should plan the talk and allow sufficient time for discussion of results and conclusions.

Some form of visual aids, such as PowerPoint presentation or slides for the overhead projector are essential. They liven up the presentation and make it more interesting. The number of slides to show should be considered carefully. It is not necessary to have all the results on the slides; there may not be enough time to show everything. Lettering on these slides has to be very large, not less than arial 28, otherwise they cannot be read clearly. Tables and figures can have a smaller font which should NOT be less than arial 16. In fact it is better to err on the larger size than on the smaller size. The student should avoid placing too much information on one slide and moreover to jump from one slide to another without the necessary

reference/explanation.

Students should learn not to panic or become nervous during the talk. This does not help delivery; it may even create mental blocks. On the contrary, they should make it a point to control their nerves, relax and keep their cool. If a feeling of nervousness starts creeping in, it is wise to stop or slow down for a few seconds to regain
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composure. Adequate preparation and rehearsing in front of a friendly audience helps build confidence and experience.

Students should avoid talking in Maltenglish, i.e. a mixture of Maltese and English. The presentation is to be made only and wholly in English.

As regards the actual talk, students should introduce the topic very briefly and then go straight to what work they have done and what results they have obtained. They should avoid giving a lecture on the subject of their dissertation.

28. METHOD OF ASSESSMENT

Marks are given by the Supervisor (co-supervisor, if any), a Reader and an Assessor. The Supervisor will have a good idea of the progress of the project during the year from the consultations with the student. The frequency of these consultations will depend on the need of the student for advice and guidance. It is however wise for the student to keep the Supervisor constantly informed of the progress of the project even when the student feels that progress is good and that there is no need to consult the Supervisor.

The Readers understanding of the project will come almost entirely from reading the dissertation, although the presentation will also form part of the Readers mark. The student may also wish to have one or two meetings with the Reader during which s/he may wish to keep the Reader informed on the project.

The Assessor will not read the dissertation, but will be provided with the Synopsis and will attend the oral presentation. The Assessors mark will be based on his/her understanding of the quality of the students work from the Synopsis as well as the presentation.

The External Examiner does not contribute to the marking of the project, but expresses his/her views on the students project during the Board of Examiners meeting and these comments are taken into consideration during the honours
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classification grading. It is to be appreciated that the External Examiner is normally rather short on time, and cannot possibly read all the dissertations in detail. Hence the importance of the Synopsis and the Interview.

The final dissertation mark is based upon the mark of the Supervisor(s), Reader and Assessor as per the following weighting: 35% by the Supervisor(s) 35% by the Reader 20% by the Assessor 10% for student activity (graded by the Supervisor).

The distribution of marks by the Supervisor and Reader is generally as follows: Oral Presentation Research/Theoretical Approach Results Reporting TOTAL 10 35 40 15 100

In cases of joint Supervisors and/or Readers, marks will be distributed among the Supervisors/Readers as the case may be.

The distribution of marks by the Assessors is generally as follows: Oral presentation Synopsis TOTAL 50 50 100

29. INTERVIEW

The student may be interviewed by the External Examiner, next to the project hardware and/or software. The student may be interviewed not only on the dissertation and the work involved but also on the students knowledge of general engineering theory learnt during the four years at University.

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30. EXHIBITION AND EXHIBITION BOOKLET

What started off as an aid for the External Examiners to view final-year projects has turned into an annual exhibition open to the public. Soon after the end of their final examinations, students are given a few days in which to organise their project hardware and software and turn it into an exhibit for the benefit of the External Examiner and for the public.

For this exhibition, the Faculty publishes an exhibition booklet, which is in effect a catalogue of exhibits. Every final-year student is expected to submit a one-page (A4) write-up of his/her project. This book serves not only as a guide for the many visitors that tour the exhibition but is also a souvenir for students themselves and a promotional aid for the Faculty. Students are also asked to prepare and print an A1 colour poster summarizing results and conclusions. Specific instructions may be obtained from the Faculty Office. This poster will be used during the exhibition.

31. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

These refer to patent rights, copyrights, etc. It is normal practice and according to law that in Universities and places of work any rights arising from work carried out in the organisation belong in the first instance to it. It is also common practice that the originators of the work would participate in any royalties arising out of these rights. This means that in our case, any intellectual property rights belong, in the first instance to the University with the student and the academic member of staff having the right to participate in any royalties derived from these rights. The University has a Corporate Research and Knowledge Transfer Office that can provide advice on the matter.

32. PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism refers to the act of copying other peoples work and presenting it as ones own. This is nothing short than THEFT of intellectual property, and is to be
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condemned in the strongest terms possible. Students caught plagiarizing other peoples work will be severely penalized, and this may lead to failing the study unit. Please consult The Universitys Plagiarism and Collusion, Guidelines for students, academics, Faculties, Institutes, Centres, which can be found on the Universitys website at: http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/95571/University_Guidelines_on_ Plagiarism.pdf

More information on plagiarism may be found in [2].

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APPENDIX A REFERENCES [1] IEEE. (2006, January). Information for Authors. [Online], pp. 4-5. Available: http://www.ieee.org/portal/cms_docs/pubs//transactions/auinfo03.pdf , [2] iParadigms (2011), Learn about plagiarism, [Online]. Available: https://www.writecheck.com/static/resources_what_is_plagiarism.html

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APPENDIX B TITLE PAGE

UNIVERSITY OF MALTA Faculty of Engineering Department (specify the Department) FINAL YEAR PROJECT B.ENG. (Hons)

Title Name

by Name of Author

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment Of the requirements of the award of Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) of the University of Malta

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APPENDIX C LETTERING ON HARD COVER

Front Cover:

Title (100 letters maximum)

STUDENT NAME AND SURNAME

B.Eng.(Hons.)

Month and year

SPINE:
Name short version of title in the middle Month and year

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