NM965 – MSc Individual Project (Thesis) Guidelines

Preparation of Thesis:

The thesis should be a maximum of 12,000 words excluding front matter (e.g. abstract, contents, acknowledgements etc.) and references and appendices. We would encourage you to keep it around 10,000 words. Exceeding the word limit by more than 250 words will result in a penalty, as set out below.

The penalty that will apply will be 2% per 500 words over the limit (after the first 250) up to a maximum of 20%. The penalty will not bring your project mark down below 50%.

The thesis should be prepared in Times New Roman script, 11 point and should have a spacing of 1.5 lines.

The details regarding the exact format of your thesis and the materials to be included should be agreed with your supervisor. There is no “standard” Departmental template.

PLEASE STATE THE WORD COUNT NUMBER ON THE COVER PAGE OF YOUR MSC THESIS.

Layout of Thesis:

There should be a margin of 25 mm at the left-hand edge, 20 mm at the top of the page and 25 mm at the bottom and right-hand edges.

Text pages should be numbered in continuous sequence. Preliminary material (e.g. cover page, contents pages, acknowledgements and abstract) may be given separate pagination (e.g. i, ii, iii, iv etc).

Each chapter should start on a new page.

Language:

The thesis should be fully written in English. All the figures and tables should only be in English.

It is the student’s responsibility to check the language (grammar and spelling) before they submit their thesis. Microsoft Word’s ‘Spelling and Grammar’ facility or a similar proofreading facility (such as ‘grammarly’) can be used to minimise any spelling and grammar mistakes.

Access to Physical Labs and Computers on Campus (in light of COVID-19):

Access to the physical research or computer labs may not be possible for the health and safety of students and staff. However, depending on the Government’s advice and the University’s decisions, some of the current restrictions on campus may be eased in months to come. However, we understand there are a lot of uncertainties associated with the use of labs and therefore we urge you to have contingency plans if you intend to use our labs for your project.

If you need to use an available specialist software package (such as ANSYS, ShipX, AQUA, etc), please contact our Department’s IT Officer, Mr Ross Gilmour, for the best way to access these software tools. The use of any software packages for your MSc thesis should be agreed with your supervisor.

Use of Confidential Data in Thesis:

Your individual MSc project (i.e. your thesis) may be supported by a company and that company may provide you with data to carry out analysis. Please make sure that the materials or data included in your thesis are open to the public domain, meaning that no confidential data should be revealed in your thesis.

If you need to reproduce confidential data in your thesis, a confidentiality agreement will need to be signed between the student, supervisor, company and the University to ensure that data is kept secure and access to the thesis is restricted. That is very likely to delay the submission process and your graduation. We therefore do not encourage this, especially under the lockdown restrictions. If you have any concerns or doubts about this, please don’t hesitate to contact our PGT Director, Dr Tahsin Yuan as soon as possible. We would like to reiterate that even though your thesis has support from industry or from another Department at the University, your lead supervisor must be from NAOME, as in line with our regulations.

Structure of your Thesis:

The structure of your thesis may change depending on your topic and methodology, so you should confirm the structure of your thesis with your supervisor before you start to write up your thesis. However, below is an example that is commonly used in a scientific paper or thesis:

Title page with the student’s name and registration number

Acknowledgements (optional)

Abstract (between 200-300 words)

Content page(s)

Chapter 1- Introduction

Chapter 2- Literature Review

Chapter 3- Methodology

Chapter 4- Results and Discussion (or Discussion could be a separate chapter from Results)

Chapter 5- Conclusion (or Concluding Remarks) and Future Work

References

Appendices

While writing your thesis, avoid abbreviations; such as “it’s; doesn’t; didn’t; weren’t”.

Every table and figure in your thesis should include a number and caption. The caption for a figure appears below the figure, whereas for a table it should be above.

All figures and tables (or the data used) that are produced from another source need to be referenced, using the same citation style that you have used throughout the thesis. The most logical place for the citation to appear is at the end of the caption.

Figures or tables should be cited in sequential order in the main text. This tends to be forgotten by students!

There is not a “standard” reference system for an MSc thesis. The most commonly used ones are Harvard Referencing (guidelines on the Harvard system are on the NM965 MyPlace site) and numerical referencing. A guideline about the numerical referencing style can be found on this website.

There are several online references in the library which you can examine to learn how to write a thesis or dissertation. These books also explain how to conduct a literature survey and they give the details of academic writing. One of these books is by Murray, Rowena “How to Write a Thesis”. You can access this e-book using your university account through the Library at this link. Although this book is for a PhD thesis, it has some sections relevant to an MSc thesis as well.

You should also make sure that your literature review involves collecting, evaluating and analysing publications (such as reports, books, conference and journal articles) that relate to your research question. You should be critical in your literature review, not too descriptive. You may find the article on this website useful about how to write a literature review. As also mentioned in this article, your literature review should be organised using one of or a combination of various approaches, such chronological, thematic, methodological or theoretical.

Conduct of Research:

The topic of the MSc thesis must align with the learning outcomes of the programme being studied. Students must perform their own technical/engineering work within the context of their individual project beyond reviewing other studies available in the literature. The technical/engineering work may include but not limited to:

Analytical or numerical modelling

Physical testing in a lab environment (such as model tests)

Full-scale tests/measurements

Field data collection

Structured surveys, etc and their analyses

Supervisor Protocol:

All MSc students should have a lead supervisor from NAOME. Depending on your topic and case, you may have a co-supervisor from a company or another research institution or Department within Strathclyde. It is the expectation that all students should manage their own thesis with good time management. Students should arrange meetings with their supervisor with a view to discussing their progress and receiving feedback. If a physical meeting is not possible, an online meeting should be organised. Students should also inform their supervisors about their progress via regular emails. This is particularly important for us to monitor the engagement of Tier-4 students with their studies.

If for any valid reason you want to change your supervisor, you should contact Dr Yuan as soon as possible, as any changes should be finalised before 9th July 2023. All the supervisor changes will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Only in exceptional cases will it be possible to change your supervisor after 9th July 2023.

Deadline:

The deadline for the thesis to be submitted is 4pm on the 15th August 2023.

Normally, if you miss the deadline you forfeit all of the marks associated with the final submission element of the project i.e. you score zero, unless you have any personal circumstances. As a result you will not get an MSc unless you have mitigating circumstances for missing the deadline which you have declared as below. However, this academic year due to COVID-19, an extension request may be submitted for individual projects if there are acceptable grounds. The late submission penalties will not be applied to MSc individual report submission.

The details of the Personal Circumstances Procedure can be found at this website. You should however note that the following are not considered to be mitigating circumstances:

o Inadequate planning to cope with last-minute delays and missing deadlines because of computer difficulties, or transport difficulties,

Losing work not backed up, failure of a single data source.

Submission:

One electronic copy should be submitted through Turnitin on MyPlace by the deadline.

There is no requirement to hand in a bound hard copy of the thesis.

Plagiarism:

On submission of your work to Turnitin, the Originality Score should be <20%.

You can submit your work as many times as you like up to the deadline of 4pm on the 16th August. However, after the first submission, the originality score may take up to 24 hours to appear. Remember this as you near the deadline! Also, please don’t forget to click the ‘submit’ button on MyPlace.

Any work with an Originality Score greater than 20% will be examined in detail to assess whether the work is inbreach of the University Regulations regarding Academic Dishonesty. Details of these procedures can be found here. If you have any concerns then you should talk to your supervisor or the Program Director.

We would also urge you to review the University’s Guidance on “Good Academic Practice and the Avoidance of Plagiarism” on this website.

Please be informed that “duplication or the inclusion in coursework of material identical or substantially similar to material which has already been submitted for another assessment or for the award of another degree” is also an example of plagiarism.

It is important to reiterate that direct copy-paste is not allowed. To give an example, you may have a lower Originality Score of 10%, but if you have copied and pasted a complete paragraph (without using a proper reference and quotation marks), you will be questioned for that part. Remember that Turnitin shows the copied sections to evaluators with a comparison to the original text on the side.

If you read a piece of literature that you want to use in your thesis, rephrase it and properly reference it in the text and list it in the references section.

If you want to use a direct quotation from a reference (when you feel it is important not to change, e.g. a saying, definition or a motto), then use italic text “in quotation marks” and properly reference it in text and in the references section.

Regardless of their value, you should avoid extensive use of direct quotations. Too many quotes give you less scope to highlight your own ideas and contributions. Quotations in total should not occupy more than 5% of your thesis.

Plagiarism is treated seriously in our University, so please assess your report carefully before you submit it!

Assessment Method and Assessment Criteria:

Each project is marked independently by two members of staff, generally the supervisor and one other member of academic staff. This is termed as unseen double marking. If the difference between the two markers is outwith 5% (i.e. 6% or more), we may send your thesis to a third marker to arrive at a final mark. The third marker will be able to see the feedback and marks of the previous markers. The MSc theses will also be checked by the External Examiner.

The following marking scheme will be used for the assessment of your project:

Introduction, context, research objectives: 10%

Amount and quality of background research / literature review: 20%

Research methodology: 5%

Technical depth of the work done (numerical modelling, data collection, experiments, etc.): 25%

Results, analysis and evaluation of findings: 20%

Conclusion and recommendation for future work, identification of improvement for the project: 10%

Presentation, structure and writing (including good spelling and grammar), and the list of references: 10%

Feedback on your MSc thesis:

Once the assessment and moderation of the MSc theses have been completed, we will return your mark and feedback through MyPlace at around the September Exam Board time.

The Board of Examiners may allow a thesis to be re-submitted only if the original mark is at least 45%, in which the re-submission must be made by a deadline to be given by the Department. In case of re-submission, the first attempt mark will be taken into account when calculating your Credit-Weighted Average (CWA).

Marking Guidelines for all Categories: 90-100%Exceptional80-89%Outstanding70-79%Excellent60-69%Comprehensive50-59%Satisfactory40-49%Unsatisfactory30-39%Inadequate20-29%Weak1-19%Minimal0%No relevant work submitted

DescriptorMark rangeClassExceptional demonstration of learning outcomes:   Exceptional in most or every respect, the work demonstrates all of the characteristics noted for First class in the Outstanding range below and is also well beyond the level expected of a highly competent student at their level of study, and could not be bettered for the level of study.90-100DistinctionOutstanding demonstration of learning outcomes: Outstanding in most respects, the work is what might be expected of a highly competent student at their level of study. The work demonstrates most of the following attributes: A breadth of appropriate and focussed knowledge, and a deep and critical understanding of the subject matterAn outstanding standard of synthesis and evaluation, and a critical and insightful analysis.Complexity of thought, creativity, insight and/or originalityEvidence of comprehensive reading and thought of significant complexity and well beyond, but still relevant to, course/assignment materialsOutstanding use of references and exemplars, well beyond, but still relevant to, course/assignment materialsAn outstanding standard of writing and communication and/or presentation, that is clearly and logically structured80-89Excellent demonstration of learning outcomes: Excellent in most respects, the work is what might be expected of a very competent student at their level of study. The work demonstrates Wide, appropriate and focussed knowledge and critical understanding of the subject matter An excellent standard of synthesis and evaluation and/or shows critical and insightful analysis Some complexity of thought, insight and/or originality Evidence of comprehensive reading and thought beyond course/assignment materials Excellent use of references and exemplars An excellent standard of writing and communication and/or presentation, that is clearly and logically structured70-79Comprehensive demonstration of learning outcomes: Very good or good in most respects for the level of study in displaying attainment of the learning outcomes, with marks at the higher end of this scale reflecting stronger and more consistent attainment of the learning outcomes. This work demonstrates: A very good or good level of appropriate knowledge and critical understanding of the subject matter, with only occasional lapses in detail Very good or good synthesis, analysis, reflection, understanding and/or critical evaluation – Evidence of reading and thought beyond course/assignment materials Appropriate use of references and exemplars A good standard of writing and communication and/or presentation, that is clearly and logically structured60-69MeritSatisfactory demonstration of the learning outcomes: The work is satisfactory for the level of study and clearly meets the requirements for demonstrating the relevant learning outcomes. Marks at the higher end of this scale reflect stronger and more consistent attainment of the learning outcomes for this standard of work. This work demonstrates: Satisfactory knowledge and a reasonable understanding of the essential material Weaknesses in the synthesis and/or analysis, reflection, understanding and critical evaluation of material, resulting in parts of the work being overly descriptive in nature General accuracy with occasional mistakes and/or reduced focus on the main issue or lapses in detail Limited evidence of reading and thought beyond course/assignment materials A satisfactory standard of writing and communication and/or presentation, where there may be weaknesses in the clarity and/or structure of the work Appropriate use of references and exemplars, though there may be minor flaws in the referencing technique50-59PassUnsatisfactory demonstration of the learning outcomes: The work meets the minimum requirements for demonstrating the relevant learning outcomes for the level of study in years 1 to 4, but not at PGT level. Marks at the higher end of this scale reflect stronger and more consistent attainment of the learning outcomes for this standard of work, although ultimately insufficiently at year 5 and PGT level. This work demonstrates: Basic knowledge and understanding A weak argument which is not logically structured or which lacks clarity or is based on unsubstantiated statements No relevant critical analysis Insufficient evidence of reading and thought beyond course/assignment materials Poor organisation and/or presentationA lack of references and exemplars40-49FailInadequate demonstration of the learning outcomes: The work fails to meet the minimum requirements for demonstrating the relevant learning outcomes for the level of study. Marks at the higher end of this scale reflect stronger and more consistent attainment of the learning outcomes within this range of marks. This work demonstrates: An insufficient level of knowledge and understanding A poorly structured, poorly developed, or incoherent argument, or no argument at all An awkward writing style or poor expression of concepts A lack of familiarity with the subject and/or assessment method Insufficient evidence of reading and thought beyond course/assignment materials A lack of references and exemplars30-39Clear fail: Weak demonstration of the learning outcomes: The work is very weak or shows a decided lack of effort. The work demonstrates Very poor or confused knowledge and understanding, with reference to only a few key words, phrases or key ideas No argument or one based on irrelevant and erroneous content Irrelevant content and extensive omissions Weaknesses of presentation and/or logic and/or evidence Inadequate evidence of learning Incomplete or inadequately presented references, if any20-29Minimal demonstration of the learning outcomes: The work is extremely weak. The work demonstrates: No knowledge or understanding of the area in question Incomplete, muddled, and/or irrelevant material Irrelevant or little content, extensive omissions Weaknesses of presentation and/or logic and/or evidence Deficient evidence of learning Incomplete or inadequately presented references, if any1-19No relevant work submitted for assessment0Absent

Please note if the overall mark falls below 50, the project is judged as a fail.

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