session 1 talk to students

8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students

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Final Year Projects/Dissertations:

the Student Perspective

Professor Alan Eardley

School of ComputingStaffordshire University


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The Literature Review

Literature review or literature search?

Some people use the terms interchangeably

More accurately, a review is in outline form and

can form a part of a proposal etc. and search

has more depth and is part of FYP/dissertation

Why do you need to do a literature review?

To place your work into an established context

To develop your understanding of the subject area

To give you analysis and development material

and tools


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How to do a literature review

Define and identify what your research is about

The research question(s) or hypothesis(es)

The research domains (topics)

Search on key words that are central to domains Top down search - general familiarity first, then

increase depth as understanding increases

What are the important publications?

What are the significant theories/examples/models?

Who are the movers and shakers in your area?

How has the subject developed?

Relate the domains to one another


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Getting the most from the literature:

the four C words

Dontjust quote add value with your own:

Comments say what you think about what you

are quoting and what you understand it to mean

Comparisons contrast different viewpoints and

theories to show you understand them

Categorise - able to relate and classify things tosimplify and organise complex material

Criticise show that you have developed an

opinion and an informed point of view


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And another C word

Draw conclusions that inform your work

Show that your work relates to and is relevant

to other work

Avoid reinventing the wheel

Question: when was the wheel last reinvented?

Show that you will use the information gained To understand the problem more keenly

To develop better solutions and improvements


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A last C word

Citation styles and referencing standards

Understand which is required Harvard or APA?

Learn how to cite sources correctly Journals, conference proceedings, electronic sources Use of paraphrasing and direct quotes

How much to quote?

Use of footnotes and endnotes

Reference list or bibliography? Follow guidelines and agree with your supervisor!

The best way to learn to cite (and to write) is toread many academic publications


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Always remember, when researching

You are adding a brick to the wall of

knowledge

You are standing on the shoulders of giants

Who said this?

It is quite possible that others will cite your work

Would you want them to plagiarise your work?

So, dont plagiarise the work of others

Reading without understanding is like eating

without digesting


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Developing the research

Secondary and primary research one informs

the other

Which is which?

Which comes first?

Research should tell a story of link and flow

Links (between domains/topics)

Flow between secondary and primary research

The chapters in your report or dissertation

should be like a chain


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Research methods

The basic tools of primary research

Convince the reader that you know what you

are doing by choosing the right tools

Well chosen research methods help you to:

Manage your project/dissertation

Write up your research in a clear and precise way

Butthe methods need to be carefully chosen

and well justified

Dont just follow a routine or formula


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Your research design

Focuses on research question, problem or advantagethen

Chooses an appropriate research approachthen

Includes suitable research methods to carry out tasksthen

Selects and justifies suitable research techniques for

- Data collection

- Data analysis


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Your research design (continued)

Which research approach should you take?

Quantitative or qualitative?

How have you defined the research project?

Which methods support your approach?

What are you trying to find out?

There are alternatives to surveys!

What research techniques fit your method?

How will you capture and analyse the data?

You dont have to use questionnaires!


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Your research design (continued)

The process of research design

Define the flavour of your project

Background, research question, aim and objectives

In the cases of approach, methods, techniques

Identify a shortlist of possibles

Use criteria to select the most appropriate from list

Justify your selection in the report/dissertation Show that you have considered this carefully

Monitor the effectiveness of your research and beprepared to show that you have learned


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Critical reflection

Be prepared to be critical of your own work

As it develops in the narrative make your thought processesclear in the text By owning up to your mistakes and side tracks

And by showing that you are learning from them! At the end of the report/dissertation the all-important

conclusions chapter Revisit your aims/objectives/deliverables have you succeeded?

Comment on the effectiveness of your methods

Emphasise and criticise your outcomes Most of all show you have benefited from the project as a

learning experience What would you do differently?

What else would you (or someone else) do next?


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Differences between L6 and L7

A Bachelors degree

A thorough demonstration of knowledge of your subjectarea

A test of competence to show that you can do thingscorrectly

Basic professional standards

A Masters degree

More critical and penetrating knowledge of your subject Doing things with what you already know

More advanced professional standing

Masterness implies more

More analytical, more innovative, more original


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17/19

Using Turnitin

Saves time, draws attention to suspect work

Only a guide, needs care in interpretation

Which is most likely to be plagiarised work?

A 50% overall score made up of two items with 20%similarity and ten of 2%

A 50% overall score made up of fifty items of 1%similarity

Language has repeated clich or jargon phrases

Can be excludedMore restricted vocabulary tends to more repetition

Avoid repeating yourself in writing

Make it easy for the assessor to interpret the report

Its an indication of good writing anyway!


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Joint publications and research

Can Masters students and their supervisors get theirresearch published?

Yes! Definitely

Will it benefit them? Yes. Positively

And whats in it for APU?

Reputation as a university (its what Universities do)

Increased academic standing internationally

More attractive to staff as a long-term career

More attractive to top students as a place to study


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session 1 talk to students

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