Academic Timeline & Report Details

Academic timeline:

28/10     –     First progress report (4pm)
(28/10    –     Ethical Approval Form)
18/11      –    Second progress report (4pm)
09/12     –     Research/Theory/Background and Specification progress report (4pm)
10/02     –     Third progress report (4pm)
(24/02    –     Poster deadline)
17/03      –     Fourth progress report (4pm)
18/04      –     FINAL project report (11.55pm)
(24/04    –     28/04 – Oral examination)

First progress report To-Do’s:

  • Demonstrate that you have clearly defined the problem space for your project.
  • Discuss the motivation / scope / aims / objectives of the project.
  • Include a short annotated bibliography.
  • State what software platform (programming language(s), software packages, software environment(s)), hardware platform and operating system(s) you will be using.
  • Include a detailed plan (personal timeline) of progress for the remainder of your project (until April).
  • Must consist of a Gantt chart AND a list of deliverables (unless your supervisor requires otherwise).
  • Need to state if ethical approval is needed for your project (more info here).

Second, Third, Fourth progress report To-Do’s:

  • Describe progress and any changes that have been made as a result of unanticipated problems.

Background and Specification report To-Do’s and Tips: (10 pages)

*Background and context for the project.
*Review of any relevant literature, including web-sites.
*Requirements.
*Specification.
*Design.

  • Set the project into context by motivating the project and relating it to existing published work (which you will have read at the start of the project when your approach and methods were being considered).
  • Don’t just pick one approach, describe and evaluate as many alternative approaches as is reasonable.
  • The published work considered in the report may be in the form of research papers, articles, text books, technical manuals, or even existing software or hardware of which you have had hands-on experience.
  • Acknowledge the sources of your inspiration – you are expected to have seen and thought about other people’s ideas (your contribution might be to apply existing ideas in novel ways).
  • When referring to other pieces of work, cite the sources at the point where you refer to or use them, rather than just listing them at the end.
  • Where appropriate, report should give a detailed, complete specification of any code to be implemented for the project (may be based on material in the first progress report but should extend it).
  • Specification should be as low-level and detailed as you can manage at the time you submit the report.
  • Should use standard software engineering methods for specification, such as: requirement lists, use cases, state machines, entity relationship diagrams, and UML notations!

FINAL report To-Do’s: 

  • Demonstrate that:
    • you understand the wider context of computing by relating your choice of project, and the approach you take, to existing products or research.
    • You can apply the theoretical and practical techniques taught in your degree programme to produce a significant piece of written work and a substantial piece of software that addresses a particular problem in computer science.
    • You are capable of objectively criticising your own work, discussing its implications, and making constructive suggestions for improvements or further work based on your experiences so far.
    • As a computing professional, you can explain your thinking and working processes clearly and concisely to third parties who may not be experts in the field in which you are working.
    • you have considered, addressed and critically assessed ethical, economic, cultural, legal and environmental issues of relevance to their project work.
    • you have given sufficient attention to ethical codes and ethical principles, taken account of safety, security and privacy requirements, appreciated human and personal rights, respected relevant laws and standards, exhibited an understanding of the effects of project decisions on communities, the environment and individuals.
  • Should be tidy, well laid out and consistently formatted (qualities should be: conciseness, clarity and elegance)
  • Should be made in LaTeX (download guide from @Keats).
  • More here.

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Important notions:
* Possibility to book an iPad for iOS development (@Keats).

Other important points from “BSc Project Guide to Deliverables 2016-2017”:

  • The final year project should involve some or all of the following: research, specification, design, implementation, validation, and critical analysis.
  • The final year project is a substantial exercise in the application of computer science principles, and should involve some or all of the following: research, specification, design, implementation, validation, and critical analysis.

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