MSc in Advanced Computing and MCS Computing (Standard and Specialist)
A Guide to Individual Projects

1. Introduction
2. Choosing an Individual Project
3. Project Allocation
4. Equipment
5. Meeting Your Supervisor
6. The Dissertation - Contents
7. Project Assessment
8. Pitfalls
9. Timetable
10. Typing and Binding
11. Submitting Your Dissertation
12. Sample Cover Page

1 Introduction

The individual project is in many ways the most important single component of the MSc programme. It provides the opportunity for you to demonstrate independence and originalityto plan and organise a large project over a long periodand to put into practice the techniques you have been taught throughout the course. Whatever your level of academic achievement so faryou can show your individuality and inspiration in this project. It should be the most satisfying piece of work in your course.

The Project Coordinators are responsible for the overall coordination of MSc individual projects. You can contact them if you have any problem with the formal organisation of your individual project.

2 Choosing an Individual Project

To choose a project you should normally consult the project proposals databaseidentify potential project areas and specific project specificationsand enter your interest in the systemarrange a mutually convenient appointment with the potential supervisorsget them to sign in the database that they have seen you andlast not leastenter your preference in the database.

The idea for your project may be a proposal from a member of staff or your own or perhaps a combination of the two. You should discuss the projects that interest you with the supervisors as soon as possible so that you have plenty of time to think about the best choices for you. Not every project is suitable for every student; some may be specifically tailored to a particular degree (Computing or Advanced Computing MSc) and some may only suit students with a very specific set of interests. Each proposal will indicate these constraints in order to help you to make an informed choice.

Project proposals originating outside the department (e.g. from actual or potential employers or sponsors) are encouragedbut you must provide clear details of what the project involves and have the approval of the Course Director. In exceptional cases permission may be given to do the project work in another institution or countrysubject to suitable arrangements for regular contact with your supervisor in the department being made and approved.

If you have your own idea for an individual project it is your responsibility to find a member of staff who both approves of the proposed programme of work and is willing to supervise it. External projects cannot be approved unless a suitable internal supervisor can be found. The Project Coordinator will be happy to help you find a supervisor but you cannot assume that one can be found in every case.

Points to Consider. To pass your project you must demonstrate the ability to conduct basic background researchto produce a non-trivial implementation or piece of theoretical workand to write a report. Specificallya project must:

• Include a survey of relevant background research. A distinction-level project will show clearly that the student understands the broader context of the subject.
• Explain the design of a (technical or theoretical) artefact and show that a number of technologies and/or techniques have been brought together in a substantial implementation of that artefact. 
  • At pass levelthere is no requirement to demonstrate originality in this design and implementation.
  • At distinction levelthe project should cover some new grounde.g. by developing a complex application which does not already existor by enhancing some existing application or method to improve its functionalityperformance etc.
• A straightforward implementation project is unlikely to gain a distinctionregardless of how well it is done. Similarlyprojects which are predominantly survey reports will not be awarded a distinction unless they are backed up with experimentation implementationor theoretical analysis.
• Include a critical evaluation of the work performed.
  • At distinction levelthis evaluation should clearly demonstrate the technical quality and research merit of the work.

3 Project Allocation

If you chose from the published proposals your first choice of project cannot be guaranteed since individual supervisors can only take responsibility for a limited number of projects. In some cases you may be allocated the project but another member of staff will be assigned to supervise it. Failing thisyou may be allocated one of your alternative choices.

4 Equipment

You are permitted to develop software or hardware on your own equipmentprovided that you can duplicate it here in College for demonstration to your supervisor. Howeveryou should prepare a fall-back position in case your equipment misbehaves. Remember that the software on home computers could be unreliable at times. It is not unusual for a potentially good project to be spoilt by bugs in compilerslibraries etc. on home computer equipment.

You will need to make a request to the project coordinator if you wish to use software which is not currently provided by CSG. A request can then be made to purchase it if an acceptable alternative is not available. A purchase request will need the support of your supervisor and is not guaranteed to be approved.

Please note that there is no excuse for failing to keep adequate backups. If you lose your program or your data or your dissertation because of a system failure no allowance can be made. Extensions will not be granted under  these circumstances.

5 Meeting Your Supervisor

• You must make sure that you arrange regular meetings with your supervisor.
• The meetings may be brief once your project is under way but your supervisor needs to know that your work is progressing.
• You should inform the supervisor of your college address and any changes to itso that they can contact youif/when necessary.
• If you need to talk to your supervisor between meetings and cannot locate him/her in their officeleave a noteor send emailasking them to suggest a time when they will be available.
• Prepare a written list of points you wish to discuss before you go to see your supervisor (or second marker). Take notes during the meeting so that you do not forget the advice you were given or the conclusions that were reached.

6 The Dissertation - Contents

The dissertation is an extremely important part of the project. It serves to show what you have achieved and should demonstrate that:

• You understand the wider context of computing by relating your choice of projectand the approach you taketo existing products or research.
• You can apply the theoretical and practical techniques taught in the course to the problem you are addressingand that you understand their relevance to the wider world of computing.
• You are capable of evaluating and criticising your own work objectively and making constructive suggestions for improvements or further work based on your experiences so far.
• 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.

Most of the second markers will not have followed the project throughout and will only have a short time to see a demonstration. For this reason they will rely heavily on the report to judge the quality of your work. You should also appreciate that the external examinerwho plays a crucial role in the final recommendationhas only the report by which to judge your project performance.

Many students underestimate the importance of the report and make the mistake of thinking that top marks can be achieved simply for producing a good product. This is definitely not the case and many projects have been graded well below their potential because of an indifferent or poor write-up. In order to get the balance right you should consider that the aim of the project is to produce a good dissertation and that software hardwaretheory etc. that you develop during the project are merely a means to this end. Don't make the mistake of leaving the write-up to the last minute. Ideally you should produce the bulk of the report as you go along and use the last week or two to bring it together into a coherent document.

A project will not be awarded distinction if its write-up is not good enoughno matter how good the technical work isand a project will not pass if its write-up is pooreven if the technical work is acceptable.

The physical layout and formatting of the report is also importantand yet is very often neglected. A tidywell laid out and consistently formatted document makes for easier reading and is suggestive of a careful and professional attitude towards its preparation.

Remember that quantity does not automatically guarantee quality. A 150 page dissertation is not twice as good as a 75-page onenor a 10,000 line implementation twice as good as a 5,000 line one. Conciseness clarity and elegance are invaluable qualities in report writingjust as they are in programmingand will be rewarded appropriately. Alsoit is important to appreciate that the appropriate size and structure of a dissertation can vary significantly from one project to the next. Despite these variationshowevermost good dissertations have the following components in common:

Presentation: The dissertation must be printed and bound as specified here. 

Title page: This has the standard form given in the Appendix.

Abstract: The abstract is a very brief summary of the dissertation's contents. It should be about half a page long. Somebody unfamiliar with your project should have a good idea of what it is about having read the abstract alone and will know whether it will be of interest to them.

Acknowledgements: It is usual to thank those individuals who have provided particularly useful assistancetechnical or otherwiseduring your project. Your supervisor will obviously be pleased to be acknowledged as he or she will have invested quite a lot of time overseeing your progress.

Contents page: This should list the main chapters and (sub) sections of your dissertation. Choose self-explanatory chapter and section titles. If possible you should include page numbers indicating where each chapter/section begins. Try to avoid too many levels of subheading. Try if possible to stick to sections and subsections; sub subsections are usually avoidable.

Introduction: This is one of the most important components of the dissertation. It should begin with a clear statement of what the project is about so that the nature and scope of the project can be understood by the reader. It should summarise everything you set out to achieveprovide a clear summary of the project's background and relevance to other work and give pointers to the remaining sections of the dissertation which contain the bulk of the technical material.

Background: The background section of the report should set the project into context by relating it to existing published work which you read at the start of the project when your approach and methods were being considered. There are usually many ways of approaching a given problemand you shouldn't just pick one at random. Describe and evaluate as many alternative approaches as possible. The background section is often included as part of the introduction but can be a separate chapter if the project involved an extensive amount of research. The published work may be in the form of research papersarticlestext bookstechnical manualsor even existing software or hardware of which you have had hands-on experience. Don't be afraid to acknowledge the sources of your inspiration; you are expected to have seen and thought about other people's ideas; your contribution will be putting them into practice in some other context. Howeveravoid plagiarism: if you take another person's work as your own and do not cite your sources of information/inspiration you are being dishonest; in other words you are cheating. When referring to other pieces of workcite the sources at the point they are referred to or usedrather than just listing them at the end. The College takes a very strict line on plagiarism; you are advised to re-read the relevant section of the student handbook.

Body of report: The central part of the report usually consists of three of four chapters detailing the technical work undertaken during the project. The structure of these chapters is highly project dependent. Usually they reflect the chronological development of the projecte.g. designimplementationexperimentationoptimisation although this is not always the best approach. However you choose to structure this part of the reportyou should make it clear how you arrived at your chosen approach in preference to the other alternatives documented in the background. For implementation projects you should describe and justify the design of your program at some high levelfor example by using any of the design methods taught during the first and second term coursesand should document any interesting problems withor features ofyour implementation. Integration and testing are also important to describe. Your supervisor will advise you on the most suitable structure for these middle sections.

Conclusions and Future Work: All good projects conclude with an objective evaluation of the project's successes and failures and suggestions for future work which can take the project further. It is important to understand that there is no such thing as a perfect project. Even the very best pieces of work have their limitations and you are expected to provide a proper critical appraisal of what you have done. Your assessors are bound to spot the limitations of your work and you are expected to be able to do the same.

Bibliography: This consists of a list of all the booksarticlesmanuals etc. used in the project and referred to in the report. You should provide enough information to allow the reader to find the source. You should give the full title and author and should state where it is publishedincluding full issue number and dateand page numbers where necessary. In the case of a text book you should quote the name of the publisher as well as the author(s).

Appendix: The appendices contain information which is peripheral to the main body of the report. Information typically included are things like program listingstablesproofsgraphs or any other material which would break up the theme of the text if it appeared in situ. Large program listings are rarely requiredand should be compressed as much as possiblee.g. by printing in multiple columns and by using small font sizesomitting inessential code etc.

User Guide: For projects which result in a new piece of software you should provide a proper user guide providing easily understood instructions on how to use it. A particularly useful approach is to treat the user guide as a walk-through of a typical sessionor set of sessionswhich collectively display all the features of your package. Technical details of how the package works are rarely required. Keep it concise and simple. The extensive use of diagrams illustrating the package in action prove particularly helpful. The user guide is sometimes included as a chapter in the main body of the reportbut is often better as an appendix to the main report.

7 Project Assessment

The assessment of the dissertation will be undertaken by the supervisor and a second marker in the first instance. A selection of dissertationsincluding all borderline onesare assessed by several other qualified personsand by an external examiner.

Appropriate implementation detailssuch as source code or circuit diagramsshould normally be included as an appendix, together with indications of sample runs. Projects which are predominantly survey reports must be backed up with experimentationimplementation, theoretical or conceptual analysisnew illustrative examplesand so on.

Some element of originality is expected in the project and it will be useful if you can comment on the significance of the workespecially when you feel that the project may be awarded a distinction.

A Distinction level project is one which demonstrates significant breadth and depth. It involves a combination of sound background researchan outstanding implementation or an outstanding piece of theoretical workand a well-structured and well-presented report detailing the project's background, objectives and achievements. The project involves significant technical problems that have been largelyor completelyovercome.

A Merit level project is one which displays both breadth and depth and should demonstrate a high level of individual technical competence and professionalismalthough the final output might lack elements of novelty or sparkle. There should be at least a moderate level of risk in the project's objectivesin that the project was not completely specified at the outset or that the work presented some difficult challenges that needed to be overcome. All implementation work should be solid in terms of design and correctness, although there may be scope for improvements.

A Pass level project is one which displays an ability to solve well definedi.e. moderately low-riskproblems competently. Howeverthe student may lack ambition or drive and may prefer to shy away fromor fail to overcome, the more difficult challenges associated with the problem area. The resulting software/hardware should be broadly functionalalthough it may be limited in scope.

Three aspects of each dissertation should be assessed.

1. Technical Achievement: this assesses the objectives and the technical contributions of the project. It addresses specific issues such as the designcorrectnesscompletenesselegance, usability and so on of the final producttheoretical or practicalthe approach and techniques employedand the significance of the achievements relative to the state-of-the-art.
   
   
2. Background Research: this assesses the student's awareness of relevant previous workand how the project builds upon or exploits existing techniques or results. For implementation projectsit assesses the way the student arrived at the initial project specification and work programme.
   
   
3. Quality of Dissertation: this assesses the selectionorganisation and presentation of materialthe quality of prosethe clarity of explanationsdiscussion of related workspellingpunctuation, legibilityclarity and relevance of diagrams and so on.

Please comment on each of the above three aspects.

Please also indicate the grade of the project:

• D*: for Distinction and Distinguished (85-100)
• D: for Distinction (73-84)
• M: for Merit (63-67)
• P: for Pass (53-57)
• F: for Fail (0-47)
• MD: for Distinction/Merit borderline (68-72)
• PM: for Merit/Pass borderline (58-62)
• FP: for Pass/Fail borderline (48-52)

The mark is optional and will not be reported externally, but it is helpful for internal moderation.

Please note:

1. A project should not be recommended for a Pass/Merit/Distinction if the report is not up to a Pass/Merit/Distinctionrespectively.
2. A project should not be recommended for a Distinction or Merit if it was submitted late without permission from the Course Director.
3. A distinguished project should be one that is marked in the 80-100% range.

8 Project Pitfalls

Some of the most useful things to know about individual projects are the common pitfalls. Why do some projects go wrong? Here are some of the common causes of failure:

• Choosing/Starting the project too late. Submit your project request form on time and start the project as soon as you can. The longer you leave it the harder it is to get motivatedespecially when all your friends seem to be flying ahead. You should aim to have completed a substantial part of the project by the middle of August.
• Failing to meet your supervisor regularly. If you arrange a meeting with your supervisorturn up at the agreed time. If you are stuck for any reason and you have no meeting arrangedcontact him or her immediately. You gain no sympathy from anyone if you lose contact with your supervisor and produce a poor project as a result. Your supervisor will be happy to help you but they can do nothing if they are unaware that you are having trouble.
• Allowing too little time for the report. You should try to produce as much of your report as you can as you go alongeven though you don't know in advance its exact structure. The last two weeks of the project should be dedicated to pulling together the material you have accumulated and producing a polished final product. Remember to leave sufficient time for the binding of the report before the submission deadline.
• Failing to plan a fall-back position if the planned work is not completed on time. Try to plan your project in stages so that if things go wrong in a later stage you have a completed stage to fall back on.
• Trying to satisfy an external customer at the expense of your academic work. Do not let any outside interests interfere with your work. The guidance for your project should come from your supervisornot your prospective employer.
• Over/Under Ambition. Try to be realistic about what you can achieve in the time available. A good project requires a lot of input from you and should prove to be technically challenging throughout. At the same time howeverit is better to do a small job well than it is to fail to do a big job at all. Your supervisor will advise you on his or her expectations of the project and this will help you set your sights accordingly.
• Submission of preliminary drafts. Do not submit your thesis without letting your supervisor read through it first. He or she will invariably have comments and suggestions for improvement. You should normally expect to revise the complete draft at least once. Dissertations failing to meet minimum standards will not be accepted for award of the MSc degree.

Early in spring term: Project proposals posted. You should study the project proposalsand discuss several of them with the members of staff who proposed them. Proposals will continue to arrive during term 2 so keep looking at the list. You can also suggest your own ideas for an individual projectprovided that you prepare a detailed project descriptionand discuss it with a member of staff who is willing to be your supervisor. The project coordinator can advise you about suitable supervisors.

Middle of the spring term: Submit your project preferences via CATE. Soon afterwards in the spring term: Project allocation complete. MAC and MCSS students will then work on a project backgound paper until the end of the spring term. All students start work on their projects as soon as they have completed the examinations. Plan your work. You have the whole summer before you and it is very easy to underestimate the time required to complete the project. Do not write the dissertation in the last week but write it as you work on the project.

Arrange a demonstration (and/or presentation) of your project with your supervisor and second marker (and anyone else who may be interested in the subject area) well before the submission date. The format of the Demo/Presentation is entirely up to you to decide with your supervisor.

Early in September: Please note we no longer require the usual hardback binding for the projects. Please use the standard black binder provided by the departmentwith transparent front and back cover attachedalso use and a separate blue sheet at the back of the report. All stationary and machine for binding are provided by the department; you will be notified where to get your project bound nearer the submission deadline.

Hand in the three bound copies of your dissertation and electronically submit your dissertation. Check here for these deadlines.

10 Typing and Binding

The dissertation should be typed on A4 paperfont size 11single spacing, and double sided printed with 2.5cm margin on the binding side and 2cm on all other sides. See here for a guide on how to achieve this using either Microsoft Wordor LaTeX. The stationary for binding will be provided by the department.

Three copies are requiredwhich will be retained by the College. Three good quality photocopies may be submitted.

Please also note that there will be over one hundred Masters students having their thesis printed and bound in beginning of September. The printers in the labs and the binding machine become very busy. DO take into account the time this may take it is unlikely to be a quick service. DO allow enough time.

11 Progress Reports

A progress report of approximately 4-6 pages is expected to be submitted by the deadline on the main page. Submission is via CATE in the usual manner (the exercise can be found in the "June-July" period for your respective courses). This is not marked for creditbut is used so that we can ensure satisfactory progress is being made by all students. As a result extensions will be granted only in the most exceptional circumstances.

12 Submitting Your Dissertation

Dissertations is to be submitted by the deadline specified on the main pageunless an extension has been authorised in writing by the Course Director and agreed with your supervisor. Only in the most exceptional circumstances will an extension be granted.

Please submit bound dissertations to the Student Administrations Office (Room 370). Your dissertation will not be accepted unless you also bring along:

• the receipt for electronic submission from CATE
• a clearance form from the Central Library (please ask for the form at the counter; you will need to have returned all your library booksincluding those from the Departmental Technical Library)

There are three files to submit in CATE:

• The electronic version of your report as: report.pdf
• the filled next destination form as form.txt (a blank form can be downloaded from here)
• any associated files (e.g.data and source code) as archive.[tar.gz,tgz,zip] (note that CDs/DVDs will not be accepted)

Imperial College London

Department of Computing

Title of Dissertation

by

Name and Initials

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the MSc Degree in XXXXX of Imperial College London

September 2008

Last updatedJanuary 2009. spc03