Coventry University Faculty of Engineering & Computing

CDE Undergraduate Final Year Individual Projects

Final Report Guidelines

Introduction
The project report represents the culmination of all the work and effort put in over an extended period of
time. As such it serves to communicate this work, the purpose behind it and the various findings that may
have emerged, to the outside world. It is normally the only tangible evidence of your project remaining
after you have graduated. The report must be word-processed with a maximum length not normally
exceeding about 10,000 words (excluding appendices).

Structure
Projects vary considerably, but a typical report will contain at least the following sections or chapters:

Title Page Mandatory

Declaration of Originality Mandatory. Must be signed and dated by the student
Abstract Mandatory
Table of Contents Mandatory
Acknowledgements Optional
Introduction & Objectives Mandatory
Main Body Chapters will be subject area dependent. Consult with supervisor.
Project Management Mandatory section of main body
Critical Appraisal Mandatory section of main body
Conclusions & Further Work Mandatory
Student Reflections Mandatory
Bibliography & References Mandatory. Must be CU Harvard style
Appendices Some mandatory

The Declaration of Originality (template given in Appendix A) must be included at the start of the report
signed and dated by the student. The report will not be accepted if this is not bound in and fully
completed. Further information on the report contents can be found in Appendix B with some tips on
report writing in Appendix C.

Format
Reports must be word-processed/typed in 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, one-and-a-half or
double-spaced on one side of A4-size paper only, with a left-hand margin of at least 25mm. They should
be written in clear, grammatically correct English, making the assumption that the reader is technically
literate but not necessarily expert in the field covered by the report. Keep the report as concise as
possible, without omitting vital information. Irrelevant "padding" will not gain additional marks.

Diagrams, graphs and photographs with suitable captions should be used where necessary and helpful to
the understanding of the written text. Use the decimal numbering system for chapters, section headings
and captions.

Binding
Two soft-bound copies of the report are required for assessment. Various stationers in Coventry
undertake binding. The Resources Shop in the Lanchester Library, for example, provides a full binding
service. You should note, however, that very long queues form in the shop just prior to the hand-in
deadline. You are advised therefore to complete your report and get it bound well before the submission
deadline otherwise you may be submitting late. It's also a good idea to bind a third copy of the report for
yourself in case you need to refer to it during your presentation.

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Submission
There are three elements to the submission of the final report:

1. An electronic submission to Turnitin through your Moodle project module web.

2. 2 soft-bound copies of the report;
3. 2 CDs, one bound in per copy of the report;

Failure to submit all three elements by the published deadline (or a revised deadline if you are
granted a deferral) will render your submission late and you will consequently score zero for the
final report element of the project. Late submissions will be accepted up until 31 July and will be
marked but not graded.

A PDF version of the report must be uploaded into the Turnitin facility of the Moodle module web. This
facility checks the proportion of non-original work contained in the report. An unsatisfactory result may
result in an accusation of cheating. The deadline for your Turnitin upload is midnight of the due date.

Two identical copies of the project report with CD must be presented to the Assessments Office in the
Armstrong Siddeley Reception by 4.00pm on the due date. The office will normally accept submissions
up to two weeks before the final deadline.

The CD must comprise the following contents:

A single PDF file containing the project report. This file should be named
<surname>_<initials>_<SID>_<year>.pdf (e.g. Rowling_JK_1234567_2010.pdf).
Any computer source code you have developed as well as any software product/artefact.
Any ancillary information you wish to submit. This could include technical documents, data
sheets, test data or results, etc. .

Where possible, documents/document-type products/artefacts should be in PDF or Microsoft Office

format. Use a permanent marker pen to label the CDs with your full name, student ID, project title and
the relevant academic year (e.g. 20010/11).

The CDs will be retained by the Department. One is for your supervisor and the other will be archived by
the projects coordinator. You may collect your report after the Programme Assessment Board has
concluded its proceedings. Due to lack of storage space, reports not collected by the November
graduation ceremony will be disposed of. See the Faculty Calendar on the Faculty web site for the
relevant dates.

Unless you have a pre-authorised deferral then work received after the deadlines, for whatever
reason, will be deemed late. If you fail to make a submission then you may be denied a resit
opportunity.

Assessment Criteria
The report will be assessed by the project supervisor and a second assessor on the following criteria:

Quality of Technical Content and Realisation of Objectives

Record of Accomplishments, Learning and Scholarship
Structure, Presentation and Referencing

The criteria are equally weighted. A guide to the grading of these criteria is given in Appendix D.

The report constitutes 40% of the module mark. The mark for the report will be the average of the
supervisor's and second assessor's mark. Where the project coordinator perceives a significant
difference in the marks, particularly in respect of the pass/fail or classification boundaries the assessors
will be required to meet and determine an agreed mark. In the event of agreement not being reached, the
report will go to moderation.

Please note that the external examiners always view a sample of the reports. They expect the overall
mark for the project to be reflected in the quality of the report.

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Final Remarks
You must ensure that any non-original material cited in the report is properly referenced, in accordance
with the CU Harvard style. If you fail to provide adequate references then you may be subject to a
cheating investigation.

Remember that the Assessment Office will not accept reports that either do not comply with the binding
requirements, do not have the declaration of originality bound-in or are missing the CDs.

You do not have to wait until the deadline to submit your work, as previously mentioned, the Assessments
Office will normally accept submissions up to two weeks before the final deadline. Bear in mind that a
very large number of students also have to bind and submit their reports. If you arrive in a queue at the
Assessment Office before 4.00pm but the counter closes before you reach it then your submission
immediately be deemed as late.

The copyright of the project and report but not necessarily of any final product belongs to Coventry
University. This means that the University reserves the right to make a copy of your report available to
future students. If the report includes information confidential to a sponsor or client then arrangements
can be made with the sponsor/client to have any sensitive sections deleted before the report is made
generally available. Projects completed for outside interests should therefore have been read and
approved by the sponsor/client in light of the above.

The following is a link to general guidance on report writing. It opens in a new browser window or tab.

Click here for general guidance on report writing

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Coventry University Faculty of Engineering & Computing

Appendix A: Declaration of Originality and Copyright Statement

Declaration of Originality
This project is all my own work and has not been copied in part or in whole from any other source except
where duly acknowledged. As such, all use of previously published work (from books, journals,
magazines, internet, etc) has been acknowledged within the main report to an entry in the References list.

I agree that an electronic copy of this report may be stored and used for the purposes of plagiarism
prevention and detection.

I understand that cheating and plagiarism constitute a breach of University Regulations and will be dealt
with accordingly.

Signed: Date:

Office Stamp

Copyright
The copyright of this project and report belongs to Coventry University.

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Appendix B: Further Details on Report Content

N.B. The Coventry University logo (the Phoenix rising from the flames) is copyrighted and is not to be
used by you. The University’s binding service may put the official logo on the front cover.

Title Page: Set out as per template on the next page.

Abstract: A summary of about 250 words which briefly states the primary objectives of the project, the
approach taken to achieving those objectives and the principal conclusions or outcomes.

Introduction and Objectives: Explains why the project is important, sets out the background or context
of the project. The main objectives of the projects of the project must be stated here.

Main Body (this is not a chapter heading): Not a single chapter but usually a number of sections
based on the project’s major/lifecycle stages.

In these chapters you will explain how you achieved your objectives and justify your particular approach
which should be supported by a literature or technical review and/or theory. You must be able to
demonstrate that your work is grounded in existing knowledge and established methodologies.

The results of your investigations/activities should be presented, analysed and evaluated using
techniques appropriate to the subject area. Any software, equipment, instrumentation etc used should be
fully specified.

Appropriate use should be made of diagrams, graphs, etc. If your project involves many diagrams then
just provide suitable examples. The remainder can be presented in the appendices. Do not include
computer code unless there are key fragments that exceptionally require explanation.

Do not include large amounts of theoretical information that is already published in books or
conference/journal articles. Instead, make reference to such material where needed. The report is
primarily concerned with the work you have actually done yourself.

Project Management: Includes a review of the project schedule, adjustments to plan of work, etc.

Critical Appraisal: A dispassionate and detailed discussion and analysis of the work and its outcomes,
both positive and negative. The section will demonstrate the knowledge and expertise that you have
gained from your project.

Conclusion and Further work: Short and concise statements of what the principal outcomes or
conclusions of the work are. Ideally they should be quantifiable. Only ideas that have been evidenced
and discussed earlier in the report may be mentioned here. If relevant, include here suggestions for
possible ways in which the work could be continued. You might suggest alternative approaches to be
explored or areas in which your work could be further developed.

References and Bibliography: Provide a complete list in CU Harvard format of both the sources you
have read but not used directly (bibliography) and those sources you have cited in your report
(references). A single list will suffice.

Student Reflections: Reflect on your personal performance and learning experience during the project.

Appendices: These must be titled, numbered and referred to from the main body of the text. They
contain detailed information generated over the course of your project but not essential for a reader to
gain an understanding of the work and its results. Your project specification and interim progress report
must be included here. Use a separate numbering system to that of the main text.

Currently two templates in Microsoft Word 2007 format, developed from originals produced by Dr. Alkis
Stavrinides, are available on which you can base your report. The first is fairly generic but may need to
be adapted to specialist areas. The second is rather specific (but still adaptable) to computing projects.
Links open in a new window:

Click here for adaptable template 1. Click here for adaptable template 2.

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Coventry University Faculty of Engineering & Computing

C O V E N T R Y
U N I V E R S I T Y
Faculty of Engineering and Computing
Department of Computing and the Digital Environment

[Replace items in blue as appropriate] Full Course Title

Project Module Code and Module Title

Project Title
Author: Author's Name
SID: 1234567

Supervisor: Supervisor's Name

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Engineering Subject X

Academic Year: 2010/11

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Appendix C: Tips on Writing your Final Report

1. It is good practice to write up your findings as you finish each major stage of your project and not
to leave everything to the end. One good reason for this is that most supervisors are quite happy
to read and provide feedback on early drafts of sections. This feedback will allow you to hone
your final report to best effect.

2. Set aside a whole day to do the preliminary stages: the collecting together of all the information
you have gathered; sifting through it to reject any unnecessary material; formulating a contents
page after considering the ordering of material that will provide the most logical flow through the
project report. Doing this time-consuming stage in one block of time enables you to remember all
that must be included and how you arrived at your final solution. The ‘flow’ of your project
development is very important to the readability of the final report. You may find it useful to write
major headings on post-its and move them around until you have a report structure you feel is
satisfactory (or use the ‘outliner’ feature of a word processor to do the same).

3. Once you have an idea of what your contents page will look like, it is a good idea to discuss it
with your supervisor. They should be able to advise you on the ordering you have chosen and
discuss with you what material should be included in each section.

4. Use Microsoft Word to create a master document and subdocuments with a common template so
that all documents produced throughout your project can be easily slotted in and will all have the
same formatting, etc. The template should comply with the guidelines set out in the Report
Writing Guide.

5. Write up one report section fairly early on in your project so that your supervisor can advise you
on writing style (etc) before you embark on your final report writing.

Having kept a comprehensive logbook of the work done, you will find that at this stage, the task of writing
the report becomes much simpler. You should be able to go through the logbook and transcribe the
notes you have made in it into rational commentary on the development of your work throughout the
project. This will include decisions made, with appropriate reasons, during each stage of the project, and
examples of the types of problems encountered and how they were overcome or avoided.

The following is a link to general guidance on report writing. It opens in a new browser window or tab.

Click here for general guidance on report writing

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Appendix D: Report Grading Guide

This guide relates to: Quality of Technical Content and Realisation of Objectives
Record of Accomplishments, Learning and Scholarship
Structure, Presentation and Referencing
on a scale of 0 to 10

Scale Technical Content & Accomplishments, Structure, presentation

Point Realisation of Objectives Learning & Scholarship & Referencing

9+ Exceeds the criteria below.

Comparable with best professional practice and examples as illustrated through journal papers,
8+
technical manuals, and data sheets in associated topic areas.
The technical content is The record is lucid, complete, The report is entirely
complete and correct in all and faithfully reflects a high appropriately structured with
respects. The objectives have level of accomplishment. It is all material.
7+
been fully met or exceeded. evident that learning and
scholarship meet or exceeds
expectations.
The technical content is An accurate record but reflects The report is generally
essentially sound although that more could have been appropriately structured
6+ greater depth or breadth could achieved. although improvements could
have been attained. The be made. *Presentation is
objectives have been fully met. neat, clear and consistent.
The technical content is A largely complete record of Some weaknesses in structure
essentially sound although accomplishments, learning and or presentation. *The work is
there may be some small scholarship although there are fully referenced to standard.
5+ deficiencies or errors in the clearly areas that could be
technical content with substantially improved.
significant subject material
missing. Most objectives met.
The core concept/theory is An acceptable record of There are clear deficiencies in
essentially correct but there are accomplishments but there are
the presentation and structure.
Pass major deficiencies or errors in major shortcomings. *There is
Non-original content is only
technical content. Only a evidence of adequate learning
partially or poorly referenced.
4+ minority of objectives met. and scholarship. *It is, however, clearly the
student's own work.
There are major deficiencies or Accomplishments more or less Lacking structure or
errors in technical content. indiscernible. Lacking evidence conformation to templates.
Objectives have not been met of learning and scholarship. Untidy/inconsistent
Fail
to any real significance. presentation. Lack of
referencing of non-original
4-
work or material although
deliberate plagiarism is not
suspected.
0 Complete lack of compliance to requirements and/or plagiarism/cheating established.

* prerequisite for higher grades.

N.B. Turnitin Similarity Index – There is no "correct" or "acceptable" value. It all depends on what is
being matched as to whether or not cheating/plagiarism is involved.

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