Handbook for Degree Project Writers - Student LTH - Lunds ...

Handbook forDegree Project WritersMASTER’S PROGRAMMES IN ENGINEERING 2012THE FACULTY OF ENGINEERING (LTH) | LUND UNIVERSITY

ContentsHANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERS© Lund University Faculty of Engineering 2012Text: Kajsa-Stina KalinCover and layout: Robin PoulsenPrinted by Media-Tryck 2012Introduction................................................ 5What is a degree project?........................... 5What is the role of the examiner?................ 5What is the role of the supervisor?.............. 6Getting started........................................... 6How do I find a degree project?.................. 6Enrolment and registration.......................... 7Degree projects at other universitiesand/or abroad............................................. 7Scholarships................................................ 8Confidentiality and copyright...................... 8Project plan and timetable.......................... 9Implementation.......................................... 9How do I choose a methodology?............... 9Documentation......................................... 10Searching for secondary sources............... 10Reference management............................ 11Help and support...................................... 11Presentation............................................. 12Report...................................................... 12Popular science or scholarly article............ 13Oral presentation...................................... 13Public review............................................ 14Registration of examination...................... 14Printing the repot..................................... 14Publishing the report................................ 15Evaluation................................................. 15

8 HANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERSIncoming exchange studentsEvery year many incoming exchange studentsmake a degree project as a part of exchangestudies at Lund. You must arrange with asupervisor at department at LTH before youcome to Lund.The same rules apply for exchange studentsas for students enrolled at LTH. Check withyour home university that there is no mismatchwith respect to the rules at home.Note that grades given on degree projectsare only given as Pass/Fail. LTH does not issueECTS grades on degree projects.Remember: Plan your work so that you havecompleted the presentation and the publicreview of another students’ degree projectbefore you return to your home university.Project plan and timetableYou are to dedicate 20 weeks of full-timework to your degree project so a project planis very helpful. Many supervisors actually requireyou to have one. The project plan is toinclude a short description of the background,aim, delimitations, methods and objectives ofyour degree project. You should also mentionthe roles of the people involved and includea general timetable. The timetable shoulddivide the work into interim targets and setdeadlines for when these are to be achieved.The timetable can for example include informationon when any measurements, calculationsand interviews are to be done.Remember: Start early by considering the approximateform the report will take: the issuesto be discussed, delimitations, methodologyand structure, but be aware that these may bemodified in the course of the work.

10 HANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERS HANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERS 11ImplementationHOW DO I CHOOSE A METHODOLOGY?You are to apply scientific and engineeringmethodology. This means that statementsand results are to be well supported, thatsources are to be openly accounted for andthat the work is to be carried out in an objectiveand systematic way. The choice of methodologydepends on the question you setout to answer. The most common methodsapplied to degree projects are casestudies,experiments, modelling and mapping, or acombination of these.You carry out your data collection throughinterviews, surveys, observations and measurements,for example. The collected materialis then to be analysed and the method ofanalysis you choose depends on your data.Quantitative analysis is done using statisticalmethods on data which can be counted orclassified, such as number, density and colour.Qualitative analysis is done on words and descriptions,for example on material compiledthrough interviews.Tip: Test the methodology before you launchinto your main trial, for example with the helpof a pilot study.Remember: Double-check all the informationyou gather.Tip: Structure your workday so that you geta sufficient number of hours done each day.DOCUMENTATIONThe degree project is a process in whichthe aims and delimitations can change overtime, depending on your findings. It is oftenvery helpful to document your work as yougo along. One way of doing this is to keepa journal. For example, document the conditionsthat apply when conducting interviews,measurements and other investigations. Thiscan save you the effort of carrying out newinvestigations if you get unexpected or oddresults; it is a simple way of being able tocheck back through your work. It can alsofacilitate communication with your supervisor.Tip: Document all meetings with supervisorsand confirm all agreements in writing, forexample via email. This reduces the risk ofmisunderstandings and increases the chancesof all those involved honouring their commitments.Tip: It can be difficult to get an overview ofyour work when you are in the middle of it.Give yourself time for reflection, for exampleby ending each day by going through whatyou have achieved and where you are headed.SEARCHING FOR SECONDARY SOURCESYou will need to find out what has previouslybeen written within your subject area. Forthis you can use books, journal articles andreports. You can also find a lot of useful materialon the internet, such as facts from publicauthorities, companies and organisations,news and scientific information via databases.Lund University Library’s catalogue, in whichall the University’s library books can be found,is called LOVISA. The joint catalogue for allSwedish university and university college librariesis called LIBRIS. Research articles areoften published electronically and can befound on the internet and in the databasesaccessible to everyone at Lund University.Lund University Library’s electronic resourcescan be accessed via Summon.Use the most recent material in your subject inorder to minimise the risk of your informationbeing obsolete.Remember: Take a critical approach to yoursources! Ask yourself who is the author ofthe book or the website and what they knowabout the subject.Tip: For a shortcut to relevant secondarysources, consult the list of references in anexisting report within your subject area.REFERENCE MANAGEMENTThe degree project is a scholarly study whichmeans that you must account for your sources;a failure to do so could make you guilty ofplagiarism. Different departments have differentrules for how to present your references;find out from your supervisor what systemapplies at your department. A good referencelist is necessary to enable the reader to reviewyour work, but also so that you, the author,can trace your material.LTH has a policy for plagiarism which canbe found on the homepage. Read it and rememberthat you can be guilty of prohibitedplagiarism merely for failing to formulate andpresent other people’s ideas independently.Remember: Complete your list of referencesas you go along. This will save you a lot oftime in the long run, as it is often time-consumingto locate something you read a longtime ago.HELP AND SUPPORTYou can turn to the Study and Language SkillsCentre (Studieverkstaden) at Lund Universityif you want to discuss your report or studymethods with someone other than your supervisor.The Centre also offers short coursesin study techniques, academic writing andpublic speaking and can help students whodo not have Swedish as a first language.If you need help searching for information, referto one of LTH’s six faculty and departmentallibraries or to the Studiecentrum library.For help writing a report in English, consultawelu.srv.lu.se. This site includes informationon English grammar and tips on writing inEnglish.The students’ union at LTH can help you ifproblems or conflicts arise during your degreeproject. They can for example sit in on meetingswith your supervisor to support you. Youcan also turn to the head of the departmentwhere you are doing your degree project or tothe study advisor for advice and help.

12 HANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERS HANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERS 13PresentationREPORTThe report is the final product and what remainsonce you have completed your degreeproject. The quality of your degree project isassessed to a large extent on the basis of thequality of your report.Your task includes placing the work in contextand explaining why it is relevant. Thinkcarefully about balance in the report. A goodreport contains many sections, for examplethe aim, the issue addressed, a descriptionof the background, methodology, results anddiscussion. The most important part is yourown work, however. Remember to highlightthis and be clear about what constitutesyour own work and what comes from othersources.The report is to be written in Swedish or inEnglish but regardless of which language youchoose, you must write a short summary,known as an abstract, in English. Discuss themain target readership of your report withyour supervisor and adapt your choice ofterminology, formulations and explanationsaccordingly. The target readership is usuallymade up of “experts in the field”.Remember: Be critical! Give a careful accountof your selection criteria and delimitationsand discuss any variations in measurementdata, alternative explanations and thereliability of your sources.Tip: Write the report as you go along andset up interim targets for when the varioussections are to be completed and when theyare to be reviewed by the supervisors.Tip: When your project is nearly complete,it is a good idea to let someone other thanthe supervisor read your report and commenton it.Remember: Proofreading often takes longerthan expected.POPULAR SCIENCE OR SCHOLARLY ARTICLEThe popular science or scholarly article youwrite should summarise your degree project.You must write the article in order to passyour degree project course, but you can decideyourself whether it is to be a popularscience piece or a scholarly article. The targetgroup for a popular science article usuallyconsists of first-year students on the Master’sprogramme in Engineering. You should optfor a scholarly article if you have arrived atnew scientific results, in which case yourtarget group is the scientific community. Thearticle is part of your degree project and is tobe included in the main report.ORAL PRESENTATIONYou are to present your degree project ata public seminar. An appropriate length foryour presentation is usually 20 minutes. Whenyou have finished presenting, someone willusually discuss your work and there shouldalso be time for questions from the rest ofthe audience.The oral presentation serves to get the audienceto understand what you have achieved.Remember that most of the people whoare attending the seminar have only seen thetitle of your degree project. Take the time toexplain the issue and concentrate on the mainfeatures rather than trying to explain everything.The images you use should be clear andvisible from the very back of the room; avoidcomplicated diagrams and formulas.Tip: Attend at least one degree project presentationbefore doing your own.Public reviewIn order to pass your degree project course,you must also publicly discuss anotherstudent’s project. You can find degree projectsto discuss on LTH’s homepage. Upcomingpresentations are announced under the“Examensarbete” tab. The point of publicdiscussion is for you to learn to review anengineering study and to provide objectivecriticism.During the public discussion, you commenton the main features of the report and anyalternative approaches. Consider for examplewhether the delimitations of the study arereasonable, whether the background descriptionis sufficient, whether all the issuesraised have been addressed, whether theRegistration of examinationUse the form “Examensarbete – Sammanställningav aktiviteter” (Degree project – Compilationof activities). It is available on LTH’s homepage.Fill it in as you complete the variouscomponents of your degree project: report,presentation, public discussion and popularscience or scholarly article. When the formhas been completed and all the componentparts are signed by the examiner, hand it into the department/course administrator whoensures that the degree project is registeredas examined and passed.Tip: Visit the room where you will be presentingin advance and check that the technicalequipment works, test how loudly you needto speak and how you can move around theroom.conclusions are scientifically supported andwhether it is clear which parts of the workare the author’s own contribution and whichparts come from other sources. The examinerfor the degree project you are discussing willdecide whether the public discussion is approved(given a pass grade) or not.Tip: Attend a public discussion before you doone yourself.Tip: Conduct the public discussion before youfinish writing your own report. This can behelpful to see what problem areas there maybe in a report, allowing you in turn to increasethe quality of your own study.The day after your pass grade has been registeredin Ladok, you receive an email with thelink to the evaluation questionnaire for yourdegree project. The questions are adaptedto degree projects and cover aspects such asrelevance, satisfaction, supervision and publicdiscussion. Complete the survey and help tomake degree projects at LTH even better!

14 HANDBOOK FOR DEGREE PROJECT WRITERSEvaluationPRINTING THE REPORTDifferent departments have different rules forthings like how to structure your report andhow many copies to print. Contact your departmentand find out what rules apply there.Before printing, it is a good idea to go throughyour work one more time and check forexample that the margins are wide enough,that the references to diagrams and charts arecorrect and that the images are of sufficientquality. Check which pages will end up on theleft and which on the right hand side.PUBLISHING THE REPORTThe department is responsible for publishingthe degree project in LUP, Lund UniversityPublications. Contact your department if youwant your degree project to be searchablethere. LUP is included in Uppsök, a nationalsearch engine for degree projects. Publicationin LUP means that your degree project willalso be searchable in Uppsök, which can bean advantage as potential employers sometimesconsult the search engine.Remember: Are you printing in colour or inblack and white? The choice can affect howreadable and comprehensible your diagramsand photographs are in the document.

Handbook for degree project writersWith the support of your supervisor, you are to achieve the learning outcomesset out in the course syllabus for degree projects. You will find the coursesyllabus on www.lth.se.REMEMBER• Theory and methodology are to be on the same level as the Master’scourses in your specialisation.• You are to carry out the entire chain from problem formulation to problemsolving independently.• Plan your work so that you complete the assignment within the deadline.• Critical thinking is to permeate the entire degree project.• You are to clearly state how your degree project relates to sustainabledevelopment and to ethical issues.• The report is to be so comprehensive that it clearly shows that you haveachieved all the learning outcomes in the course syllabus.Tip: Discuss the outcomes stated in the syllabus with your supervisor duringthe course of the work.LUNDS TEKNISKA HÖGSKOLAwww.lth.seBox 118221 00 LundTel 046-222 00 00