1. Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 MSc Dissertation Project SOC11101 Lecture 1: The Supervision Process Dr Imed ROMDHANI

2. 2 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Outline  Problem Space of Supervision  Project Lifecycle  Supervision Actors  Expectations  Required Skills  Issues

3. 3 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Project Lifecyle

4. 4 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Project Lifecycle

5. 5 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Student Expectations Students expect from their supervisors in the following things:  To read work well in advance;  To be available when needed;  To be friendly, open and supportive;  To be constructively critical;  To have a good knowledge of the research area;  To structure meetings so that it is relatively easy to exchange ideas;  To have sufficient interest in their research to guide the student towards more information;  To act as a model;  To help their academic role development.

6. 6 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Supervisor Expectations Supervisors expect from their students the following things:  The students should be independent;  The students should produce good quality written work;  The students should have regular meetings with them;  The students should be honest when reporting on their progress;  The students should follow the advice given to them when they request it;  The students should be enthusiastic about their work.

7. 7 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Examiner Expectations Examiner expects:  A good level of creativity in the process;  Student’s ability to analyse and reason in different situations;  Clarity in written presentation (i.e. dissertation report);  Good student’s oral presentation skills and ability to defend the work;  Good relevance and originality of the problem and the topic;  Student’s ability to separate his work from the work of others;  Good project management with respect to time and project plan;  Conformity to academic regulations and standards;  Success of the process and the student.

8. 8 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Student Skills

9. 9 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Proposal Writing  Developing Project Proposal  Literature Search  Proposal Writing  Proposal Checklist

10. 10 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Project Lifecyle

11. 11 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Information searching  Referencing: Check the IEEE standard : http://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf http://www.ieee.org/documents/ieeecitationref.pdf  Other useful materials for the whole process are available on Moodle

12. 12 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Choosing a Subject Area  You should strive to choose the subject area that you are most interested in.  Choose the subject area where you have the necessary skills.  Your initial ideas can be further refined by asking yourself: what type of project would I really like to do?  A descriptive project  A theory oriented project  An applied project  A comparison of theory and practice

13. 13 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Descriptive project  Present the state of the art of a given subject  It is NOT just a summary of the literature, you need to highlight your analysis of the literature. Objectives may include  Categorising previous work  Selecting comparison criteria  Comparing previous work with respect to the comparison criteria

14. 14 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Theory Oriented project  Deal with extending or comparing existing theoretical models without testing them in practice  Objectives may include  Identifying the details of the extension  Introducing the extension to the original theoretical model  Comparing the original theoretical model with the extended version

15. 15 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Applied project  Deal with conducting experiments and building proof-of-principle implementations and gathering evidences from them.  The aim may be gaining experience from implementing a new algorithm or protocol  Objectives may include:  Setting up a simulator  Implementing the new algorithm or protocol  Testing and analysing the results obtained  Suggesting improvements to the algorithm or the protocol

16. 16 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Project Structure  Project Title  Introduction  To the subject area;  To the problem within the subject area  Reasons why it is important to investigate the chosen problem  Aim of the project  A short description of what you intend to do.  Objectives  How (by what steps) do you intend to achieve the aim of the project.

17. 17 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Project Checklist  Paper language: it is clear and concise?  Mandatory Information: does it contain the required information?  Quality Assurance: Have you discussed the project proposal with a competent person or a potential supervisor?  Skills and Resources: Do you have the necessary background and resources to do the project?  Time: Have you estimated the time it takes to complete the project?

18. 18 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Developing the Aim  Activities that you need to perform when developing the aim of your project Refine the Initial Aim Develop the Arguments behind the Aim Write the Introduction

19. 19 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Refine the Aim  The aim is a short statement in the form of a clear, unambiguous sentence describing the overall goal of the project  Use the write wording and terminology  It is important that you check and evaluate every word of the aim:  Are all words clear, or can some words be interpreted to mean different things?  Does your aim promise too much?  Are there any restrictions on the aim (time, space, etc.)?  Have you explained all the concepts that are used in the aim clearly?

20. 20 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Argument Behind the Aim  The project aim needs to be supported by proper arguments which explain why it is important to investigate the topic  The arguments should relate to relevant theory and should have clear links to the aim  Using the literature to support the aim is an efficient way of strengthening your arguments  First, find important concepts or factors in the aim or in the arguments. Then find the appropriate literature for these concepts and factors  As you develop the motivations behind the aim, you may need to adjust the wording of the aim

21. 21 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Write the Introduction  Write a high level introduction to introduce the work and present the overall picture  Subject Area  Sub-Area  Problem  Aspect of the problem  Aim  Introductory chapters are sometimes written so that they resemble a funnel  Use standard template forms: check Moodle

22. 22 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 The first sections of the form identify you, and allow you to provide information that confirms your eligibility to take the module.

23. 23 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Titles need to mean something. Take care with title length. Titles should be precise. Questions as titles should be avoided. Titles need to mean something. Take care with title length. Titles should be precise. Questions as titles should be avoided. Students who work with staff when putting together their proposals usually submit higher quality work and are registered on the module more quickly than those who do not. In the brief description of the research area you demonstrate that there is a context into which your proposed work will fit.

24. 24 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 In the proposal outline you are selling your project idea. Where it is appropriate your proposed project, use the emboldened text to put your detail together. Fill in this section as though you'd expect someone else to carry out the work. If you are so clear about what your study is going to involve doing that you could give instructions to somebody else, and have that person carry out your research (instead of you) you will have a good proposal. Your ideas should be clear and straightforward, easily articulated on paper (and not something in your head!)

25. 25 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Details of specialist hardware and software are important for technical projects: we need to be sure that we have access to the resources to support you. Your research questions should provide an indication of the contribution your work will make to the subject area (as outlined in section 6 above). Use a straightforward question format. Avoid “crystal ball” speculation-type questions that cannot be addressed in this type of work. Take special care with aims. Aim for three or four and use terms such as “critically evaluate”, “analyse”, “investigate”, “determine”, “elicit” when composing them. Possible output/deliverables may include development of software, a feasibility study, a comparative evaluation, an extensive survey, a design, a set of recommendations.

26. 26 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Your references provide evidence that you have read around your topic. The references should include high quality material (not Wikipedia, not text book chapters, not articles from trade magazines). Use a recognised referencing format. It is in your best interests to have the agreement of a supervisor before submitting the form – but do not name anyone without permission. Completed proposals (but not drafts) should be submitted to the module leader in time for the deadline.

27. 27 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Completing the proposal form Fill in the sections –The order of filling it in is unlikely to be linear –Make sure that it all makes sense as a “whole” document Attention to writing style –Academic tone –Logical ordering of elements –Attention to detail, e.g. Harvard for in-text citations, APA for listed references

28. 28 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 What to avoid when writing a proposal: Failure to do the preparatory reading, for example –No evidence of familiarity with the literature of the research domain –Methods proposed do not make sense Inappropriate “research” proposed, for example –Research questions too broad, too trivial, impossible to answer –Aims not linked to research questions –Proposal is focused on development, rather than Masters level research Poor presentation, for example –Written style (use of “I”, contractions, journalistic tone), formatting

29. 29 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Make a final check of the work that you produce for the proposal against the content of the feedback form.

30. 30 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Convince us Why it is worth undertaking this project What you propose to do How you intend to go about it What it will deliver The potential impact/importance of this proposed work

31. 31 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Reasons why a proposal would be rejected If the proposal is incomplete If the proposal sections 6-8 contain less text than asked for If the proposal is very similar to another student's proposal (current or past) If the proposal contains large amount of text that has been copied from the web or other plagiarised material

32. 32 Edinburgh Napier University Imed Romdhani November 2012 Module SOC11101 Thanks !! Questions?