Computing Honours Project (COMP10034) Week 10 Seminar/Q&A Session

Interim Report All Interim Reports should be uploaded to Turnitin This is now mandatory for all text-based assignments in the University You can check your submission before final submission – you might want to change some areas Turnitin highlights

Interim Report For info on how to do this: If you go to ‘Moodle Guides’ Then ‘UWS – Tutnitin, Assignments & Quizzes’ Then ‘Moodle Assignments’ Then “Video – Submitting an Assignment (Students Point of View)’ As highlighted in the video you click the ‘Update File’ to resubmit the assignment.

Interim Report Make sure you upload a single file only (Word or pdf) Turnitin can take 24 hours or more to get back with a report – so be sure to leave enough time before the deadline Any Appendices that include hand-drawn sketches etc (that cannot be uploaded electronically) should be submitted directly to your supervisor and moderator (don’t forget to inform them)

Interim Report For the Literature Review don’t use multiple lines of quotes from the literature just strung together over pages and pages Use quotes where necessary but don’t over do it

Use a writing style such as the following for example: You might say: Major shortfalls associated with approach X have been highlighted by Smith (2009) and Jones (2010) who make the points that..... Or… Interim Report

A number of authors have highlighted particular shortfalls with approach X in terms of how it can be applied in the real world (e.g. Smith, 2008; Jones, 2010). Commonly cited problems associated with approach X that these authors highlight include... Discuss the authors’ points without directly quoting all the time or just cutting and pasting You can use quotes for example in defining terms or concepts etc but don’t overdo it Interim Report

Put together an outline structure for your Interim Report and show this to your supervisor Show Headings and Subheadings for main sections It means that when you are reading articles you can see where they fit in to the Interim Report Interim Report

Finding literature for your Interim Report Consult your supervisor – they will have specific expertise and knowledge in your Hons Project area If your area is not served well by literature or this is not relevant to your Hons Project then consult your supervisor about possibly amending the Interim Project marking scheme if necessary Mark Stansfield should be consulted as well Interim Report

Finding literature for your Interim Report Typical sources for finding literature might be: Google Scholar Wikipedia (for possible references to look at) Google search UWS Library e-resources -z-list-of-all-databases/ -z-list-of-all-databases/ There is also help on how to use the resources: Interim Report

Marking Scheme for Interim Report – discuss with your supervisor. Structure, Presentation, Style of Report 10% Literature Review/Background Study and Referencing 30% Preliminary Work/Creative Accomplishments 30% Progress and Future Planned Work 30%

Interim Report Structure, Presentation, Style of Report 10% (2 marks) Literature Review/Background study &Referencing 30% (6 marks) Preliminary Work/Creative Accomplishments 30% (6 marks) Progress & Further Planned Work 30% (6 marks)

In terms of preliminary work depending on the type of Hons Project you are undertaking you can discuss areas such as: Research Methodology A discussion of qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches and which particular methodology you are adopting and why You should refer to relevant authors to justify and substantiate points you make Interim Report

In terms of preliminary work depending on the type of Hons Project you are undertaking: If it is appropriate to where you are in your Hons Project plan you can discuss areas such as: Specific Research Techniques Have you formulated questionnaires/surveys and interviews yet – if so how did you do this and what particular research questions/themes/issues are you trying to address through these techniques Again you should refer to relevant authors who write about research techniques to justify and substantiate points you make Interim Report

In terms of preliminary work depending on the type of Hons Project you are undertaking: If you are undertaking a software development or simulation type Hons Project you can discuss what particular approaches to software development and simulation might be relevant to your Hons Project and which ones you have adopted and why Again should refer to relevant authors who write about the area to justify and substantiate points you make Interim Report

Whatever type of Hons Project you are undertaking you should consult your supervisor for advice because: (i)They have specific knowledge, expertise and experience in your chosen area (ii)They will be marking your Interim Report Interim Report

In terms of future and planned work You can produce Gantt charts / PERT charts of your planned work, as well as provide previous charts where work/deadlines may have been amended Also in this section you can discuss how you propose to conduct future work based on what you have learnt so far Also areas such as any target audiences/stakeholders/end users etc that you will be investigating as part of your work and how you will be securing their involvement Interim Report

Again whatever type of Hons Project you are undertaking you should consult your supervisor for advice Interim Report

In terms of overall word count If it looks as if you are going to go substantially over the 3,500-5,000 word length then consult your supervisor to see if they are happy with this and whether they think the extra words are enhancing your Interim Report Another way to address the word count is to add more content to the appendices and keep the main body of the report to between 3,500 and 5,000 words Again your supervisor will be able to advise you in relation to your specific Hons Project Interim Report

Don’t underestimate the amount of time it takes to complete the Interim Report Don’t leave it to the last minute! It takes many weeks of concentrated time and effort It is worth 20% of your overall Hons Project mark Interim Report