Download - Session 1 Talk to Students
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
1/19
Final Year Projects/Dissertations:
the Student Perspective
Professor Alan Eardley
School of ComputingStaffordshire University
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
2/19
The Literature Review
Literature review or literature search?
Some people use the terms interchangeably
More accurately, a review is in outline form and
can form a part of a proposal etc. and search
has more depth and is part of FYP/dissertation
Why do you need to do a literature review?
To place your work into an established context
To develop your understanding of the subject area
To give you analysis and development material
and tools
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
3/19
How to do a literature review
Define and identify what your research is about
The research question(s) or hypothesis(es)
The research domains (topics)
Search on key words that are central to domains Top down search - general familiarity first, then
increase depth as understanding increases
What are the important publications?
What are the significant theories/examples/models?
Who are the movers and shakers in your area?
How has the subject developed?
Relate the domains to one another
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
4/19
Getting the most from the literature:
the four C words
Dontjust quote add value with your own:
Comments say what you think about what you
are quoting and what you understand it to mean
Comparisons contrast different viewpoints and
theories to show you understand them
Categorise - able to relate and classify things tosimplify and organise complex material
Criticise show that you have developed an
opinion and an informed point of view
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
5/19
And another C word
Draw conclusions that inform your work
Show that your work relates to and is relevant
to other work
Avoid reinventing the wheel
Question: when was the wheel last reinvented?
Show that you will use the information gained To understand the problem more keenly
To develop better solutions and improvements
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
6/19
A last C word
Citation styles and referencing standards
Understand which is required Harvard or APA?
Learn how to cite sources correctly Journals, conference proceedings, electronic sources Use of paraphrasing and direct quotes
How much to quote?
Use of footnotes and endnotes
Reference list or bibliography? Follow guidelines and agree with your supervisor!
The best way to learn to cite (and to write) is toread many academic publications
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
7/19
Always remember, when researching
You are adding a brick to the wall of
knowledge
You are standing on the shoulders of giants
Who said this?
It is quite possible that others will cite your work
Would you want them to plagiarise your work?
So, dont plagiarise the work of others
Reading without understanding is like eating
without digesting
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
8/19
Developing the research
Secondary and primary research one informs
the other
Which is which?
Which comes first?
Research should tell a story of link and flow
Links (between domains/topics)
Flow between secondary and primary research
The chapters in your report or dissertation
should be like a chain
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
9/19
Research methods
The basic tools of primary research
Convince the reader that you know what you
are doing by choosing the right tools
Well chosen research methods help you to:
Manage your project/dissertation
Write up your research in a clear and precise way
Butthe methods need to be carefully chosen
and well justified
Dont just follow a routine or formula
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
10/19
Your research design
Focuses on research question, problem or advantagethen
Chooses an appropriate research approachthen
Includes suitable research methods to carry out tasksthen
Selects and justifies suitable research techniques for
- Data collection
- Data analysis
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
11/19
Your research design (continued)
Which research approach should you take?
Quantitative or qualitative?
How have you defined the research project?
Which methods support your approach?
What are you trying to find out?
There are alternatives to surveys!
What research techniques fit your method?
How will you capture and analyse the data?
You dont have to use questionnaires!
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
12/19
Your research design (continued)
The process of research design
Define the flavour of your project
Background, research question, aim and objectives
In the cases of approach, methods, techniques
Identify a shortlist of possibles
Use criteria to select the most appropriate from list
Justify your selection in the report/dissertation Show that you have considered this carefully
Monitor the effectiveness of your research and beprepared to show that you have learned
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
13/19
Critical reflection
Be prepared to be critical of your own work
As it develops in the narrative make your thought processesclear in the text By owning up to your mistakes and side tracks
And by showing that you are learning from them! At the end of the report/dissertation the all-important
conclusions chapter Revisit your aims/objectives/deliverables have you succeeded?
Comment on the effectiveness of your methods
Emphasise and criticise your outcomes Most of all show you have benefited from the project as a
learning experience What would you do differently?
What else would you (or someone else) do next?
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
14/19
Differences between L6 and L7
A Bachelors degree
A thorough demonstration of knowledge of your subjectarea
A test of competence to show that you can do thingscorrectly
Basic professional standards
A Masters degree
More critical and penetrating knowledge of your subject Doing things with what you already know
More advanced professional standing
Masterness implies more
More analytical, more innovative, more original
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
15/19
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
16/19
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
17/19
Using Turnitin
Saves time, draws attention to suspect work
Only a guide, needs care in interpretation
Which is most likely to be plagiarised work?
A 50% overall score made up of two items with 20%similarity and ten of 2%
A 50% overall score made up of fifty items of 1%similarity
Language has repeated clich or jargon phrases
Can be excludedMore restricted vocabulary tends to more repetition
Avoid repeating yourself in writing
Make it easy for the assessor to interpret the report
Its an indication of good writing anyway!
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
18/19
Joint publications and research
Can Masters students and their supervisors get theirresearch published?
Yes! Definitely
Will it benefit them? Yes. Positively
And whats in it for APU?
Reputation as a university (its what Universities do)
Increased academic standing internationally
More attractive to staff as a long-term career
More attractive to top students as a place to study
-
8/12/2019 Session 1 Talk to Students
19/19