Research Project Thesis Write-Up Guidance For Ug Assessment

Introduction (15%)

The introduction should survey the field of the project critically and carefully and could include appropriate background. It most often relates to your literature review completed at level 5 (not always) BUT cannot be and should not be exactly the same! Remember that here, at Level 6, it is more focused and specific. I t will also be much shorter and more up to date compared to any work carried out last year (especially given the reading you will have completed since!).

Your introduction should provide enough background for your write-up to be comprehensible to an intelligent non- specialist. It should explain the specific problem that your project addresses. It may be that you are filling a perceived gap in the existing theory/knowledge or replicating/developing a method. As always, this background should be supported by previous work in the area i.e., accurately citing all sources.

Your introduction can include diagrams (labelled as Figure 1, 2,..) and tables (labelled as Table 1, 2…), where appropriate. Please note: Figure labels should be below the figure and table labels above. In addition, any figures and tables (and their labels) do not go towards wordcount.

There is no specific word limit for this section, and you should go with flow of your project write-up. Some lecturers may advise you to use some sort of guide based on the weighting per section in rubric. As such, for ‘Introduction’, one may end up calculating around 885 words (excluding citations). Please consult with your supervisor, the best approach for your project.

Method (15%)

This section should describe the materials, equipment, participants, methods, procedures and techniques employed in a style like that you read in journal articles related to your field of study. You should aim to describe your method so that an experienced and informed scientist could repeat the work from your description. Once again, follow the style of papers written in the field you are working in. Often, subheadings are used to break aspects down and provide a logical flow.

Remember, extensive detail is not required and complex information of a highly technical nature, e.g., statistical workings, histologist staining protocols, instructions for making up solutions and computer program listings (to name a few) can be flagged up in your appendix and/or project notebook (where appropriate). Once again, should you wish to include any aspects that contains extensive detail, then be mindful that this could be added as an Appendix and referred to in method.

It should be clear what your procedures were intended to determine and the reasons for any controls used (if applicable). If your project i s based on pre-collected data, you should be able to give a succinct account of the method used to collect that data. Where relevant, you should include the suppliers for materials and equipment used in the data collection processes. Consult with your supervisor as required on specifics of section write-up. Any Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) assessments and consideration of ethical issues and your responses to such aspects should be referred to here in the method section.

Please note that copies of ethics, COSHH, risk assessment forms (and any other relevant forms) should go into Project Notebook (PebblePad). For ease, in terms of your second marker also seeing, you may also include example copies as Appendices in your project write-up. Make sure to refer to any document in Appendix in your writing.

If your work has certain components such as questionnaires, information sheets, consent forms and so forth, then mention relevant aspects here in method and add key components. However, any detailed aspects or copies of these forms should be placed in Appendices and referred to in text.

If your project is a systematic review and meta-analysis type project, then this section should serve much the same purpose as that for the experimental/observational projects. It should explain how data sources were selected and using what search engines. The systematic approach used must be mentioned thoroughly, such that the process can be followed, and the sources can be located by others. Towards the latter stages of the method section, there should be a subheading highlighting data analysis aspects. Here, one should have an explanation of how the raw data was processed, particularly what statistical tests were employed, and justification of the statistical methods used (where relevant of course!). Please note that some projects may not use any statistical tests and results may be analyzed in a different manner. Again, follow in a similar way to papers in your field and consult with your supervisor.

Your method section can include diagrams (labelled as Figure 1, 2,..) and tables (labelled as Table 1, 2…), where appropriate.

Please note:

Figure labels should be below the figure and table labels above. In addition, any figures and tables (and their labels) do not go towards wordcount.

There is no specific word limit for this section, and you should go with flow of your project write-up. Some lecturers may advise you to use some sort of guide based on the weighting per section in rubric. As such, for ‘Method’, one may end up calculating around 885 words (excluding citations, if any included). Please consult with your supervisor, the best approach for your project.

Results (20%)

This section should present your results so that it i s clear what each experiment/parameter measured and analyzed was intended to achieve and what conclusions can be drawn from the results. It should NOT be just a series of tables or graphs. The results should be presented in a processed form that can be easily understood. It should not include large quantities of raw results. Raw data collection and detailed processing will be examined in the project notebook. I f you feel that aspects of raw data must be included in places then make sure to consult your supervisor first.

Meanings or interpretations you attach to the results should be clearly presented. It should not be left to the reader to derive meaning from the data. It is inappropriate to duplicate the presentation of any one set of data in different forms unless this greatly aids interpretation and is acceptable practice in your subject area. For example, choose whether to present data as a table or a graph but do not present both (for same data set) just because you can. Use of this strategy to “pad out” the project is obvious and i s likely to gain no further markers. Ensure that all numerical data have correct units.

Label all graphs and diagrams as Figures i.e., Figure 1, 2, 3 and so forth. If you have a figure label for a graph/diagram – then please note that this should go below the figure. Note: there is no need for label below and have a title also (as both would be stating much the same). Discuss specific aspects with your supervisor. Labels for all tables should go above the tables i.e., Table 1, 2, 3 and so forth.

Remember to include text to describe what the figures/table are showing. All too often, if this is left till last minute then only figures and tables are included with no descriptive text included in results section. You will most certainly lose marks if this were the case.

Please note:

Any figures and tables (and their labels) do not go towards word count.

There is no specific word limit for this section, and you should go with flow of your project write-up. Some lecturers may advise you to use some sort of guide based on the weighting per section in rubric. As such, for ‘Results’, which i s worth 20%, one may end up calculating around 1125 words (excluding citations, if any included). Please consult with your supervisor, the best approach for your project.

Discussion (30%)

This section should explain how the results relate to the aim laid out in the ‘Introduction’. You should also place your own results in the context of previously published work. Inclusion of thorough citations (i.e., where you are obtaining information/ideas from) throughout relevant parts of your thesis is very important. Always ask yourself; “where is the evidence to back up what I am stating?”

State your overall conclusions or explain why your results were inconclusive (good reflection upon approaches, provides the ideal opportunity to make up for poor results, whether they are your fault or not). State and explain suggestions for further work and formulate suggestions for the future in this type of work. Consider any shortcomings in technique or experimental design and the significance this may have had on any unexpected findings. Show awareness of the limitations of the work and reasons why others may disagree with conclusions. Try to imagine how you would read your report if you held the opposite viewpoint, address the reservations you can and suggest how those you cannot, could be resolved. When it comes to limitations, note that this can be included in your write-up in a clever way. There is no need to have a section dedicated to ‘Limitations of Project’ (unless your supervisor suggests this is the way forward in your area of work). Instead find a way to weave the limitations into your discussion. Always write in third party, throughout the write-up; so no:

“I think this…”
“My suggestions are..”

Please note:

If the need arises, you can include figures and tables in discussion. Note that those included (and their labels) do not go towards Word count.

There is no specific word limit for this section, and you should go with flow of your project write-up. Some lecturers may advise you to use some sort of guide based on the weighting per section in rubric. As such, for ‘Discussion’, one may end up calculating around 1605 words (excluding citations). Please consult with your supervisor, the best approach for your project.

Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of your academic journey? Don't worry, we've got your back! Exam Question Bank is your trusted partner in achieving academic excellence for all kind of technical and non-technical subjects.

Our comprehensive range of academic services is designed to cater to students at every level. Whether you're a high school student, a college undergraduate, or pursuing advanced studies, we have the expertise and resources to support you.

To connect with expert and ask your query click here Exam Question Bank