TJWC Final Year Projects 1
Final Year Project Report Chapter Guide
Front Matter ................................................................ 1
Acknowledgments ........................................................ 1
Abstract ........................................................................ 1
Introduction ................................................................. 1
Background .................................................................. 2
Requirements Capture ................................................. 2
Analysis and Design ...................................................... 2
Implementation ........................................................... 3
Testing .......................................................................... 3
Results .......................................................................... 3
Evaluation .................................................................... 4
Conclusions and Further Work .................................... 4
User Guide ................................................................... 4
Bibliography ................................................................. 5
Appendices ................................................................... 5
This note covers in detail the normal report structure.
You must also comply with previously taught
guidelines on clear labelling of figures, graphs, use of
tables instead of lists in text, plagiarism, etc.
The advice given here will apply to many projects.
However each project is unique, and you should
without fail get advice from your supervisor about
how to structure your report, and its content, well
before writing starts.
Where the advice given here and that of your
supervisor differ, you should follow your supervisor's
advice as they will be taking into account the
individual nature of your project.
Your report should, without fail, contain the sections
specified in the Project Guide. In addition, the
structure and content of the internal chapters is
typically as below.
Some variation in structure is possible for the internal
Chapters, however omitting relevant content is not.
For example, the project Evaluation Chapter could be
a subsection of the Conclusions, or the Results. An
analytical project would not have a User Guide unless
the software used to run simulations is intended to be
of use to others. That is often but not always the case.
Where linked material is distributed throughout the
report it is very important to make explicit forward or
backward references to the relevant sections. This
enables a reader to understand your argument
without the burden of repeated material.
Front Matter
The first page of your report should be a standard
format Cover Page. The second page should be the
mandatory Plagiarism Statement. Signature is not
required – its presence will imply signature.
Between the Abstract and the Introduction there will
normally be a Contents page (or more than one if
required).
Acknowledgments
This section is optional, but customary.
Abstract
The abstract should (very concisely) summarise the
topic, content and conclusions of the project.
Abstracts can vary in length from 50 words up to at
most 200 words. They are more concise than
executive summaries. They do not need to be
identical to any previously submitted abstract. Note
that abstracts have no explicit marking in the final
report scheme, so keep them short and clear.
Introduction
The introduction should set the scene and give a high-
level problem statement/specification, so that after
reading the introduction the reader understands
roughly what the problem is and what you intend to
do about it. Is the idea to write software, or develop
an algorithm, or produce hardware, or something
else?
You should then highlight and summarise the most
interesting or important questions or problems that
your project addresses, and the broader context in
which those questions or problems are situated.
