2023/24

BI3D105 – Research Project

Dissertation Guidelines

Dr Rebecca Simmonds-Cavanaugh,
module leader
 Faculty of Computing, Engineering and Science
Assessment Brief
Module code and title Research Project (BI3D105)
Module leader Dr Tracie McKinney
Assessment type Asynchronous Assessment
Assessment title Dissertation/ Major project
Assessment set by Dr Tracie McKinney/ Dr Rebecca Simmonds-Cavanaugh
Weighting 70%
Word count/duration/equivalent Maximum of 10,000 words
Submission date 15 April 2024
Feedback date June results day

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP RECORDS OF ALL WORK SUBMITTED

DEADLINES CANNOT BE MOVED BY YOUR MODULE TEAM

Support services (if needed)

Study Skills for support with writing style, structure, and referencing https://studyskills.southwales.ac.uk/

Referencing, plagiarism, and good academic practice https://advice.southwales.ac.uk/a2z/referencing-

plagiarism-and-good-academic-practice

Advice Zone for issues which will affect you meeting the submission deadline
https://advice.southwales.ac.uk/
Extenuating circumstances
https://advice.southwales.ac.uk/a2z/extenuating-circumstances

Learning Outcomes assessed

• Present and communicate project findings in a professional manner to general public and
scientific audiences, and with reference to supporting information sources

• Plan, manage (including health and safety, and ethical requirements) and execute a professional
scientific research project based on existing knowledge, a testable hypothesis, and critically analysed
data

2
3
ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION

What is the dissertation?

The dissertation is a substantial, original and independent research project undertaken as

part of your BSc course, which offers you a chance to follow your personal interests. It is
based on several weeks of primary research, analysis and writing-up, producing a report of
approximately 7,000 – 10,000 words of text (including tables, plates and figures, but
excluding appendices of data and references).

The project is your own work. It gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your calibre, and
it provides the clearest measure of your research skills, scholarship, originality, and
standards of writing and presentation.

The project helps define your interests to others, and may help make you more employable.
If highlighted on your curriculum vitae, it may be something which attracts an employer to
you, or that could feature at an interview. It will almost certainly be commented on by your
lecturers in references.

The dissertation itself contributes 70% of your module mark.

How to choose a topic

Be aware of the range of topics open to you. A dissertation may be field-based, computer-
based, laboratory-based, library-based, or a combination of these. Seek guidance from staff
members if you are not sure.

Choose something that interests you. You will spend a long time with this topic and will
have to work through some possibly tedious and time-consuming stages during the
summer. What are your main interests? Do they suggest topics you might like to
investigate?

What career do you want? If you have definite plans in mind you may wish to ensure your
project is in that area. However, demonstrating originality and enthusiasm is probably
equally important to any employer.

4
Safety/Risk assessments

Assessments for Risk and Health & safety purposes must be done for all projects, before
work is started. This is a condition of the University’s insurance cover, which applies to you
while you are conducting project work. It is up to you to supply any information that your
Supervisor may require in order to complete the required Risk Assessment form.

Ethical approval

Students must complete a self-evaluation for potential ethics concerns before the start of
the project. If the proposed project has any ethical considerations identified, students must
seek ethical approval from the university before data collection will begin. Your supervisor
will guide you if ethical approval is needed.

Your dissertation supervision

Your dissertation supervisor and module leader will guide you through the dissertation
process, but remember that this is your project – it is up to you to set the tone and
frequency of your meetings.

Your supervisor will give you feedback on your work along the way, but keep in mind that
they have other project students, plus their regular teaching and scholarship to maintain as
well. We also want to ensure that the final product is your work, and has not had too much
influence from your supervisor. For these reasons, supervisors may read and feed back on
one draft – either the whole dissertation at once, or each chapter/section one time. Please
give your supervisor ample time to read your work; if you send a draft a week before the
deadline, it is unlikely that your supervisor will have time to read and respond, and for you
to apply the feedback, before the work is due.

Dissertation submission
Dissertations must be submitted by the deadline of 5pm on Monday 15 April 2024.

Oral and poster presentation

You will be required to submit an academic conference-style poster on your research at the
end of the year. Alongside this poster, you will make an oral presentation/defence of your
project lasting approximately 10 minutes. Other students may be present, as well as several
academic staff including your supervisor(s). This is a separate element of assessment,
contributing 10% to your module mark, so further guidelines will be provided in a separate
assessment brief.

5
HOW TO WRITE YOUR DISSERTATION

Writing up the dissertation correctly is a crucial part of the project work, so leave yourself
adequate time to do this. There are numerous guides on thesis/dissertation writing
available in the library that may help.

Typing instructions

A report should be easy to read and produced in a suitable scientific style. Your project
report must be typed with a 3.5cm (1.5 inch) margin on the left hand side to allow for
binding. Your text should be well-spaced (either 1.5 or double spacing) and with a font size
of 12. Use suitable fonts (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial) and only use one within a single
report. Do not use novelty fonts such as this one which are difficult to read. Use bold to
highlight titles/headings, and only use italics for the scientific names of organisms (e.g.
Quercus, Sphagnum), or Latin abbreviations (e.g. et al.).

Length
As a rough guideline, the dissertation should be 7,000 – 10,000 words of text (including
tables, plates and figures, but excluding appendices of data and references). Marks could be
lost for unnecessarily verbose reports. The assessors are looking for clarity of presentation,
and quality not quantity.

The tables below can help you plan. These are approximate guidelines, so don’t panic if
your dissertation doesn’t fall out exactly this way:

Lab or field-based projects

Section Proportion For a 7,000-word For a 10,000-word
dissertation it dissertation it
should be about…. should be about….
Abstract <5% 350 still about 350 max
Introduction 30% 2,100 3,000
Methods 10% 700 1,000
Results 20% 1,400 2,000
Discussion 30% 2,100 3,000
Conclusion 5% 350 650

Ideally, lab- or field-based projects will be nearer the 7,000-word end of this range.

6
Literature-based projects

Section Proportion For a 7,000-word For a 10,000-word

dissertation it dissertation it
should be about…. should be about….
Abstract <5% 350 still about 350 max
Introduction 20% 1,400 2,000
Literature review 40% 2,800 4,000
Discussion 30% 2,100 3,000
Conclusion 5% 350 650

Literature-based projects are more likely to fall near the 10,000-word end of this range.
There are more flexible than lab- or field-based projects. The literature review section, for
example, will likely need subheadings – the number and word count of these are up to you.

Spelling and proof-reading

It is your responsibility to see that your typescript is free of typographical errors and spelling
mistakes. You must read your work thoroughly before you give it in. Do not be tempted to
rely on just a spell-checker – ideally, get someone else to read it.

Title
The title should be as short as possible while accurately describing the contents of your
report. Try not to use extra words such as "An investigation of ..." in your title.

The title page should give your project title, your name, your student number, your
supervisor's name (or names if two supervisors), the name of this Institution, the month of
submission and a statement that:

“This work was carried out in part fulfilment of the requirements for the award of
degree of Bachelor of Science in ... (your course).”

Headings and sub-headings

We recommend you use a system of numbered headings and sub-headings. This helps you
and your readers to see the structure of your report. It also makes cross-referencing within
the report very easy. This system will also help you to prepare a plan of the proposed
contents before you write your first draft. Your introduction will probably be your first
heading, (i.e. 1. INTRODUCTION) and the sub-sections within it will be sub-headings (e.g.
1.1.). It becomes cumbersome if extended further.

7
Structure
The following structure is recommended, but can be varied according to the subject of the
project according to your own judgement. If you need to vary it, discuss your plan with your
supervisor first. Start each of the following sections on a new page. Your dissertation
should contain:

• A title page (see above).

• Acknowledgements (if appropriate), briefly thanking those who have given you
major help in this work.

• A table of contents. This should give the headings, sub-headings, etc. you used, with
page numbers. Start numbering your pages with the first page of your written text
(normally the first page of your Introduction) and number every page consecutively
throughout. The contents list will let the reader see the overall structure at a glance,
and also easily find his/her way around the report.

• A list of Tables with their appropriate headings, and a list of Figures with their
appropriate legends, and the page numbers on which they appear.

• If appropriate, a list of Nomenclature (or Abbreviations or Symbols, as appropriate

to your subject area). The list should be in alphabetical order, with foreign symbols,
e.g. Greek, at the end. Do not define common abbreviations, e.g. g and km for
grams and kilometres. The list should help your readers who do not have your
specialist knowledge.

• An abstract of about 300 words. Look at good quality journal papers for examples of
a good abstract. The abstract is best written after the dissertation is finished, but
you should think about it as you go along. In it you should set out the objectives of
the project concisely, state the location of the study, put in at least the basis for the
data collection that were used (where appropriate), the major results, and the
conclusions including any implications arising from your findings. This summary of
the contents of your research report should be self-contained, easily understood by
scientists who are not specialists in your field, and should not contain references to
the literature.

• An Introduction. This should set the work to be described in the wider context. It
should review background information of direct relevance to your project and
previous work on the topic. Where the information you quote is not obviously
common knowledge, factual statements should be authenticated by the inclusion of
literature references (see below). The introduction should contain, normally at the
end, an account of the aims and objectives of your investigation.

• A Methods section (if appropriate). The information given here must be sufficient to
allow another researcher to repeat your study; hence descriptions of methods must
be precise. For unusual instrumentation, the exact type of the instrument, the
manufacturer/supplier and the town and country where they can be contacted

8
 should be given. Wherever possible, give the accuracy of the methods and
equipment you use. Where you are following a method that has previously been
published, give the reference to the publication involved (see References below).
For a project that is not experimental or laboratory-based, this section should
contain an explanation of the methods used to obtain and evaluate information.

• A Results section in which you present the description and analysis of your data. The
description will summarise the data in the form of text, supported by tables,
diagrams, graphs, or maps, as appropriate, which should be integrated into the text.
It is generally helpful to draw up the tables and figures first, so that you can then
refer to them as you write. Do not mix up the description with the analysis. The
analysis will, in many cases, involve identifying: differences between variables;
association between variables; correlation between variables; and the relative
importance of different variables. To help this you may need to produce tables of
the summary data, which probably should include means, standard deviations and
other statistical techniques (depending on the type of data). This part of you report
will probably contain the bulk of your Figures and Tables (see below). NOTE: Do not
include your raw data (i.e. lists of numbers) or field data sheets in your results
section. If included at all then these must be placed in an appendix.

• The Discussion should compare your results with comparable results in the
literature, and show the implications of the results you obtained. Make sure that
you make it very clear what is your work and what is the work of others by
referencing their publications. The section should suggest explanations for the
patterns identified from your analysis and interpretation, and relate those results,
interpretations and explanations to general theory, referring to the aims, which you
identified in the Introduction.

• Conclusions. This is a brief summary of your investigation, results and discussion,

and after the abstract, it will be the most well read section of your report, so think
about it carefully. State what you have found, as quantitatively as possible. It
should also include your evaluation of the study: did it fulfil the aims? How could it
be improved if it were to be repeated? Are there any recommendations for future
work?

• References. The references you have quoted in the text, listed alphabetically in
order of the surname of the first author. All references quoted in the text should
appear here and, conversely, no references should appear in this list that are not
quoted in the text. It is tedious to check this, but it is an important scientific
convention on which your competence as a scientist will be judged. All science is
based on the work of others, and your reader must be able to trace your references
to the literature to their source. References should follow the Harvard citation style.

• Appendix or Appendices. If present, these will generally contain information which,

if presented in the body of the text, would sidetrack the reader away from the main
line of argument. Details of calculations, values from multiple analyses, fine details
of apparatus and computer programs, for example, could appear here. The pages of

9
 the Appendices do not count in the guideline number of words for the text of the
Dissertation.

The above sections also apply to literature-based projects, with the exception of the
methods and results sections. These would be replaced by the literature review itself,
which may be divided into a few sections with topical headings. Literature reviews have a
more flexible layout than standard research projects, so of you are doing a literature-based
project you should speak to your supervisor or module leader to discuss the best layout for
your particular project.

Presentation of Figures and Tables

Figures and Tables must be numbered individually in their order of appearance in the
document (i.e. Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, etc.), and should be placed within the text, at the
first appropriate place after the paragraph within which they have been referenced. Each
Figure should have an explanatory legend which explains as specifically as possible what the
figure shows, along with a citation of the source if not original. Figures must be clear and
bold. Graphs with several lines must have those lines clearly distinguished. If colour is used,
ensure that the figure is still legible if printed only in black-and-white. All Tables should
have an explanatory heading, with the same purpose as the legends for Figures as described
above.

Maps, diagrams and graphs should be referred to as Figure 1, 2, 3, etc., while photographs
should be referred to as Plate 1, 2, 3, etc. The descriptions of maps, diagrams, graphs, and
plates should be placed underneath the illustration along with the citation (if appropriate).
Tables (of figures/text) should be referred to as Table 1, 2, 3, etc., and the titles of tables
should be placed above the table.

All Figures and Tables should be referred to in the text. In other words, only present Figures
or Tables that you are actually going to describe, comment on or use to make a point. For
example, you might say in your report "The results presented in Table 1 show variation
in...", or "It can be seen (Figure 1) that the relationship is linear up to...”

If large-scale diagrams are used, they may be folded or put in a strong pocket at the back, to
be bound with the rest of the report.

10
MARKING CRITERIA – LAB OR FIELD-BASED PROJECT

Criteria % Some examples

Abstract 10 Excellent abstracts cover all sections of the dissertation clearly and
with detail.
Good abstracts provide a basic summary but may miss some key
information or be less clear.
Poor abstracts have major omissions or do not adequately
summarize the dissertation contents.
Introduction 20 Excellent introductions provide a background to the study through a
thorough review of relevant literature. This background then leads to
a clear and realistic aim for the study.
Good introductions attempt to review the literature but may be less
clear or omitting important studies. The link between the
background literature provided and the study’s aims may be less
clear.
Poor introductions are lacking in scholarly research or do not lead to
clear, testable hypotheses.
Methods 15 Excellent methods sections include relevant study design that is
described well enough that someone else could replicate your study.
Good methods are clear and logical, and gives others a good idea of
what was performed but it may not be fully replicable.
Poor methods leave the reader with questions about how the study
was conducted.
Results 20 Excellent results show all relevant results with a clear understanding
of data analysis. Figures and tables are informative and well
formatted.
Good results are presented logically but may have some errors or
omissions.
Poor results are not well organized, often lacking text summaries or
graphical presentation. Poor results may be lacking in scientific data
analysis.
Discussion 25 Excellent discussions connect the dissertation results with the wider
context of the study. This section moves the field forward from the
background information presented in the introduction.
Good discussions discuss (not repeat) the research findings. They
may be less clear or have some omissions, but are still a good effort
at interpreting the study’s findings.
Poor discussions tend to repeat material already presented in the
introduction or results. They may show a lack of understanding of
the wider scientific context of the study.
Presentation 10 Excellent presentation is consistent, easy to follow, written in a
scientific fashion, and excellently referenced.
Good presentation shows a high level of effort but may have some
writing or referencing errors.
Poor presentation usually involves a lack of proof-reading, poor
citation standards, or a hastily-assembled final document.

11
MARKING CRITERIA – LITERATURE-BASED PROJECT

Criteria % Some examples

Abstract 10 Excellent abstracts cover all sections of the dissertation clearly and
with detail.
Good abstracts provide a basic summary but may miss some key
information or be less clear.
Poor abstracts have major omissions or do not adequately
summarize the dissertation contents.
Introduction 20 Excellent introductions provide a background to the study through a
thorough review of relevant literature. This background then leads to
a clear and realistic aim for the study.
Good introductions attempt to review the literature but may be less
clear or omitting important studies. The link between the
background literature provided and the study’s aims may be less
clear.
Poor introductions are lacking in scholarly research or do not lead to
clear aim for the following literature review.
Lit review 40 Excellent literature reviews demonstrate a mastery of the literature;
all key papers are included and there is a breadth of research
presented. Excellent reviews bring together disparate research in
such a way that it logically answers the novel question/aim proposed
in the introduction.
Good literature reviews have fairly comprehensive coverage of the
literature, but key scholars or concepts may be missing. Good
literature reviews attempt to address the question/aim.
Poor literature reviews are limited in scope or rely on poor-quality
resources. The literature review may not address the question/aim
proposed in the introduction.
Discussion 20 Excellent discussions connect findings of the literature review with
the wider context. This section moves the field forward from the
background information presented in the introduction.
Good discussions discuss (not repeat) the findings of the literature
review. They may be less clear or have some omissions, but are still a
good effort at interpreting the literature.
Poor discussions tend to repeat material already presented in the
introduction or results. They may show a lack of understanding of
the wider scientific context of the study.
Presentation 10 Excellent presentation is consistent, easy to follow, written in a
scientific fashion, and excellently referenced.
Good presentation shows a high level of effort but may have some
writing or referencing errors.
Poor presentation usually involves a lack of proof-reading, poor
citation standards, or a hastily-assembled final document.

12
SUBMISSION DETAILS
You must submit your assessment as a pdf via TurnitIn no later than 17:00 on Monday 15
April 2024.

IMPORTANT: It is your responsibility to approach your supervisor for feedback with

reasonable time frames. Plan ahead, and remember the deadline to request feedback is
Monday 18 March (last week of spring term). You then have the Easter break to revise your
dissertation with supervisor feedback in mind, to proofread, and to make any final
formatting adjustments before submission.

If you experience technical problems when submitting your assessment:

o Take a screenshot of the error message.
o Write an email immediately to the tutor that set the assessment.
o Explain your case; ideally add your screenshot as attachment.
o Immediately register a technical issue with IT Support
(https://its.southwales.ac.uk/it-support/).

Late submissions

If you fail to submit an assessment on time, without extenuating circumstances, we will

allow you a further five working days to submit the work, but this work will be awarded a
maximum mark of 40%. If you fail to submit work within this five day. period, without
extenuating circumstances, you will fail the assessment concerned and receive 0%. The only
exception to this is if you have an Individual Support Plan (ISP) in place, in which case the
work submitted within this five-day period will not be capped.

What happens next?

Dissertations are substantial pieces of work and are fully double-marked, so they do not
conform to our normal 20-working day turnaround time for feedback. You will receive your
dissertation mark and feedback along with your overall results, after the subject and
progression boards.

13
Graduate attributes – capabilities being developed
Communication Behaviour Domain 1 Behaviour Domain 2 Behaviour Domain 3
Written and Oral Effectiveness Comprehension and Management, Teamwork, and
Processing Inclusivity

Level 6 & 7: Persuasive writing Level 6 & 7: Appropriate

and critical evaluation. The Level 6 & 7: Use presented communication and
ability to defend a viewpoint sources of information, presentation techniques for
demonstrating mastery of directed reading and audience, actively seeks
evidence-based subject independent research to viewpoints that are at odds with
knowledge. critically evaluate, critique preconceptions, evidence of
ideas and defend managing team dynamics and
viewpoints. professional relationships.

Innovation and Behaviour Domain 1 Behaviour Domain 2 Behaviour Domain 3

Enterprise Resilience, accountability, self- Intellectual curiosity, Interdisciplinary working,
reflection, and life-long problem-solving, and enterprise, and
independent development evidence-based critical entrepreneurship
analysis
Level 6 & 7: Clear, factual,
concise (word count to be Level 6 & 7: Use presented Level 6 & 7: Appropriate
plus/minus 10% presentations sources of information communication and
should be plus/minus 10%- such as textbooks to presentation techniques for
time limit), presents with support a viewpoint. situation and/or audience,
correct formatting, tense, and Seeking others’ ideas engagement with a functioning
person. team.

Project Behaviour Domain 1 Behaviour Domain 2 Behaviour Domain 3

Management Personal Knowledge and Planning Resource Management and
Sustainability
Level 6 & 7: Be an adaptable, Level 6 & 7: Complete
reliable, resilient, and tasks on time, Level 6 & 7: Work in a
focussed project manager who independently setting and sustainable manner, recognising
looks for constructive critique, prioritising intermediate the ethical, governance,
functions well under pressure deadlines and recognising financial, environmental and
and recognises constraints resource requirements resource constraints of the task
and/or product.

Digital Literacy Behaviour Domain 1 Behaviour Domain 2 Behaviour Domain 3

Literacy and Scholarship Data Management and Compliance and Digital Footprint
Analysis
Level 6 & 7: Resource, Level 6 & 7: Awareness of the
manipulate, and evaluate data Level 6 & 7: Independent importance of legal, and social
using the appropriate use of appropriate compliance of software licensing
functionality of general and software packages to and resourcing of data.
subject-specific software extract, manage and Utilisation of one’s personal
packages and digital tools critically evaluate data online activity to enhance
employment prospects

14
Graduate attributes – capabilities being developed
Leadership Behaviour Domain 1 Behaviour Domain 2 Behaviour Domain 3
Personal Responsibility and Working with Others Self-Awareness and Personal
Conduct Development

Level 6 & 7: Use one’s Level 6 & 7: Inspire others Level 6 & 7: Proactively seek
professionalism to positively to achieve their best opportunities to enhance
influence others, practice the results be it by force of personal strengths, overcome
skill of delegation to enhance personality and/or and/or manage weaknesses, and
inclusive teamwork example-setting from an limitations
excellent work ethic
Commercial Behaviour Domain 1 Behaviour Domain 2 Behaviour Domain 3
Awareness Legislation, environmental and Professional and applied Employment field
social conduct practice

Level 6 & 7: Ability to Level 6 & 7: Efficient use of

communicate and follow Level 6 & 7: Ability to appropriate job-seeking tools to
statutory health and safety explain, follow and apply identify relevant employment
legislation. Appreciation of professional standards, opportunities and application of
subject-specific legislation, policies, and protocols personal and subject specific
and its influence on industrial with an appreciation for skillsets to target potential
practise. Maintaining the value of international employers
professional conduct within standards, and the impact
the scientific community. of misconduct. An
Recognition of appropriate appreciation for project
social conduct in professional success utilising inter-
practice, protocols, and disciplinary expertise
consequences within industry

15