The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics Lecturer PhD Cristina Popescu

STUDENT PROJECT PLANNING GUIDE

A university project should not be a difficult task. A lot of

students are overwhelmed by this important task of their undergraduate career. If you are
amongst this number, then read on. This short guide will give you the key points that will help
you to write a good project that will impress your examiners and get you the excellent marks
that you desire.

How to write a Project

A tidy, well laid out and consistently formatted document makes for easier reading and is
suggestive of a careful and professional attitude towards its preparation. Remember that
quantity does not automatically guarantee quality. A 150 page report is not twice as good as a
25-page one, nor a 10,000 line implementation twice as good as a 5,000 line one. Conciseness,
clarity and elegance are invaluable qualities in report writing, just as they are in programming,
and will be rewarded appropriately. Try to ensure that your report contains the following
elements (the exact structure, chapter titles etc.):

Title page
This should include the name of the university, the project title, the year and the name of the
author of the report. You can also list the name of your teacher.

Abstract
The abstract is a very brief summary of the report's contents. It should be about half a page
long. Somebody unfamiliar with your project should have a good idea of what it's about having
read the abstract alone and will know whether it will be of interest to them.

Contents page
This should list the main chapters and (sub) sections of your report. Choose self-explanatory
chapter and section titles and use double spacing for clarity. If possible you should include page
numbers indicating where each chapter/section begins. Try to avoid too many levels of
subheading - three is sufficient.

Introduction
This is one of the most important components of the report. It should begin with a clear
statement of what the project is about so that the nature and scope of the project can be
understood by a reader. It should summarize everything you set out to achieve, provide a clear
summary of the project's background, relevance and main contributions. The introduction
should set the context for the project and should provide the reader with a summary of the key
things to look out for in the remainder of the report. When detailing the contributions it is

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The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics Lecturer PhD Cristina Popescu

helpful to provide pointers to the section(s) of the report that provide the relevant technical
details. The introduction itself should be largely non-technical. It is useful to state the main
objectives of the project as part of the introduction.

Do a good work on the abstract and introduction. Make them crisp and compelling. As
the saying goes, first impressions matter most. Write a catchy abstract and introduction to catch
the readers attention immediately. The mistake most students make is to write dull
introductions. Bright, short and sharp introductions set a good pace for your entire university
project work. Most examiners start thinking about the mark they will award after reading your

abstract and introduction.

Conclusions and Future Work

The project's conclusions should list the things which have been learnt as a result of the work
you have done. Avoid tedious personal reflections like "I learned a lot about C++
programming..." It is common to finish the report by listing ways in which the project can be
taken further. This might, for example, be a plan for doing the project better if you had a chance
to do it again, turning the project deliverables into a more polished end product.

Bibliography
This consists of a list of all the books, articles, manuals etc. used in the project and referred to in
the report. You should provide enough information to allow the reader to find the source. In the
case of a text book you should quote the name of the publisher as well as the author(s). A
weakness of many reports is inadequate citation of a source of information. It's easy to get this
right so there are no excuses. Each entry in the bibliography should list the author(s) and title
of the piece of work and should give full details of where it can be found.

Do proper and in-depth research for your topic. Go out of your way to get as much
materials as you can. You could search online, visit public libraries etc. Project writing is easier
when there is an abundance of resources at your disposal.

Define the scope and structure of your project from the start. Stay very close to the main
idea as much as you can. Do not allow unnecessary digression.

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Proof read carefully. Mistakes in grammar and misspelling only make your teacher to
consider you as a careless student.

Characteristics of good projects are:

originality - every project work has a specific purpose; subject, target group, results
knowledge/experience based - it could be based on previous or new information of
other researches or projects
specific methodology - every project has its topic and clear subject, goals and
appropriate methods

timeframe - project work has a time limit, so it has to be carefully planned and
managed
practical organization and management

Work hard and play hard

Both working and leisure time are important. Stressing and worrying about not studying is
unproductive and very time consuming.
Plan times to have fun if youre sticking to your project timetable, you are entitled to
guilt-free time for having fun and socializing so build it into your timetable ... also include the
hangover!
Reward yourself when you complete tasks if youre partial to chocolate biscuits or you
like to play computer games, for instance, indulge yourself once youve completed the task
... dont cheat!

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Remove distractions
Turn off your phone, the television, or any other distracting devices while you are working
on the task at hand you will complete it much faster and then have more time for
socialising and having fun.
If you have other things on your mind that are interfering with your concentration, write
them briefly on a piece of paper and put them safely to one side so that you can focus on
the task ahead. Once you have finished the task you can reload your troublesome thoughts
into your brain !

Project Topics:

1. The History of Computer Science

2. The History of Mathematics from Antiquity up to the Present Day
3. Mathematical Universe
4. Mathematics and Other Sciences
5. Romanian Mathematicians and their Contribution
6. Notable Women in Mathematics
7. The Mysterious Number PI
8. Computers in Education
9. A Literary Inside into the Social Life via Mathematics: Flatland
10. Artificial Intelligence
11. What are the various areas where AI (Artificial Intelligence) can be used?
12. How will Robotics Change our Lives ?
13. What is the Origin of Complexity in the Universe ?
14. Mysteries of the Universe
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The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics Lecturer PhD Cristina Popescu

15. What happened in the Big Bang ?

16. Black Holes and Wormholes
17. It has been claimed that going into space is important for scientific development. Is
that true? What scientific breakthroughs have come about through the space
programs ?
18. Should humans really make the effort to find a way to live in space or on other
planets ?
19. The Discovery of Global Warming
20. Environmental Hazards: Assessing Risk and Reducing Disaster

What Topics Not to Pick: (in case you may want to choose a
different topic)

Steer clear of overused topics. For one thing, your teacher has already read far too many of
these essays and is not only probably bored with the topic, but also has already heard
everything you might say. Moreover, although those may seem like easy topics, they really
aren't, because most people are set in their ways about these issues and it is hard to think of
an argument that might change their minds.

What is considered plagiarism !

turning in someone else's work as your own

copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your
work, whether you give credit or not .

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The Faculty of Mathematics and Informatics Lecturer PhD Cristina Popescu

Believe it or not

Changing the words of an original source is not sufficient to prevent plagiarism. If you have
retained the essential idea of an original source, and have not cited it, then no matter how
drastically you may have altered its context or presentation, you have still plagiarized.

Most cases of plagiarism can be avoided, however, by citing sources. Simply acknowledging
that certain material has been borrowed, and providing your audience with the information
necessary to find that source, is usually enough to prevent plagiarism.

The penalties for plagiarism can be surprisingly severe !!!

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