MSc Dissertation Project Guidelines_CE_2014-15(3)

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MSc Project Guidelines

2014 / 2015 Course Title Abbr Course Leader

Civil Engineering and Construction Management (D2J7, D2JP)

CECM A.Cuthbertson [email protected]

Structural and Foundation Engineering (D2R7, D2RP) SFE O. Laghrouche [email protected]

Safety & Risk Management Safety & Risk and Reliability Engineering

SRM SRRE

P Thompson [email protected]

Water Resources and Catchment Management (D2A7, D2AP)

WR L.Beevers [email protected]

Summary Administrative

The decision to progress students to MSc Dissertation is dependent on them achieving an average of 50% in their course exams and coursework with no marks below 40%

A list of potential project titles nominated by the University academic staff is available on Vision entry for this course under LEARNING MATERIALS (List is updated in March each year)

If you wish to undertake one of the University nominated projects contact the supervisor named in the project list directly

Student nominated project titles must be approved by the course leader, whose names are shown above and Dr. M. Gul: [email protected]

External supervisors must be approved by the course leader

Submission of the completed dissertation will be via Turnitin on the Vision website Dissertation

Two soft bound copies of the dissertation will also be submitted via the SBE Student Office, PG admin desk.

Dates for submission: o 15th of August 2014 o 5th of December 2014 o 2nd of April 2015

Guidelines

Each project should undertake in depth research resulting in a dissertation that is the students own work and adds to the knowledge in the chosen research area

The MSc project is primarily the students own work. Supervisors will most likely support at the beginning and the end of the project and may guide students with expert questions.

Students should keep in regular contact with their supervisor to ensure supervisor confidence that it is the students own work. On-campus students must maintain face to face contact with their supervisors

Students should regularly consult the Vision website Dissertation (Civil Engineering Discipline) for any new information

The Postgraduate Programme Handbook


Students should monitor their progress continually so that the project workload can managed efficiently

The project research methodology should be carefully considered to ensure that it is logical and will achieve the desired outcomes

We expect the dissertation to be presented in a professional manner, using graphs and tables where appropriate to support the research findings and should be rigorously referenced throughout. Three soft bound copies are to be submitted to the student office.

Administrative

Introduction

The final part of your MSc programme of study is a project dissertation on a topic to be agreed between yourself and the respective course leaders. The dissertation is a substantial piece of work, equivalent to 4 of the taught courses.

Proceed to Dissertation

You should bear in mind that the final decision to allow you to progress to the MSc project will not be taken until after all of your taught course marks are available. This decision is dependent upon you achieving an average mark of 50% in your course exams and coursework and none of your marks being below 40%. If you decide to start your project before you have been formally progressed you must do so at your own risk as it is possible that you may not achieve the required criteria when your full set of results are available. Although you may choose to start your dissertation project before you have been formally progressed, the University will not accept it for marking until after you have been progressed to the dissertation stage at a formal exam board. If you submit a dissertation before you have been progressed, you will have the dissertation returned immediately. Students who do not achieve an average mark of 50% will be required to transfer to the PG Diploma course and graduate. Alternatively they may prefer to resit one or more of their courses to try to improve their marks and achieve the performance level required for progression to the MSc project. A maximum of three resits is allowed for each postgraduate student during their MSc / PGDiploma.

Role of Supervisor

The role of the supervisor is to supervise the project, not to do it for you. The supervisor will give guidance and help but at all times it is the responsibility of the student to ask for help and assistance. It is likely that most of the supervisors effort will be spent at the commencement of the project getting it started and at the end in helping the student to finish. The student should always drive the development and progress of their project and demonstrate initiative and the ability to work independently throughout its execution.

Project Timescale

Duration

For

Full time on campus students, it takes a semester to complete their Masters dissertation

Part time on-campus students, it takes two semesters to complete their dissertation.


Part time IDL/ALP students, it takes two semesters to complete their dissertation from when they register for the dissertation

The dissertations will only be examined in May and September so full time on campus students consider the August deadline and part time students the December deadline for submission of the project dissertations.

Submission

You cannot submit a dissertation before formally being progressed to the dissertation stage by an exam board. Any dissertations submitted before progression will be returned immediately.

Selection of Project Topics It is important that you choose a topic which interests you and will help you develop the knowledge, understanding and skills which will help you further your career. All students have the option of undertaking a Student Nominated Project in which you propose your own topic, perhaps on consultation with your employer or colleague, or a University Nominated Project where you select from a list proposed by academic staff of the School of the Built Environment

Student Nominated Projects

Proposals for student nominated project topics must be sent to the dissertation co-ordinator. Once you have decided upon the area you wish to research, you will need to provide the dissertation co-ordinator with a title and a paragraph of your proposed project. You can also nominate a potential supervisor, the final decision however will be made by the course leader. When considering supervisors in SBE, part time and IDL students are encouraged to visit the websites of the members of staff in SBE and learn more their research interests and fields of expertise. You can contact those whose areas are close to yours and discuss your projects with them. Part time and IDL students may wish to consider nominating a local supervisor from amongst your senior colleagues and acquaintances within the engineering profession. However they must be approved at the start of the project by the course leader and be willing to submit their CV to the course leader for consideration. The format of what you are required to submit for approval is given in Appendix 1. If the project involves access to a construction site and laboratory facilities, the student needs to provide a cover letter from the authorized person confirming the accessibility to the project, risk assessments and safety certificate (samples in Appendix 2).

University Nominated Projects

If you wish to select a University Nominated Project, you should consult the list available on Vision. The list is published annually, usually around the end of March and is updated regularly to show availability. You should contact directly the member of staff who has nominated the topic for his/her agreement to act as supervisor (you may also want to find out more details of what the project will entail). You should apply for the project

Research Proposal Once the project title and abstract has been agreed with the course leader/supervisor, the student must develop the project idea into a research proposal. It should be about 2 pages long and provide details of the planned research methodology and tasks that will be undertaken. Your Submitted Research Proposal should contain the following.


Your name, course title, registration number and the title of the project. An outline research proposal, describing in no more than 2 pages:

The background to the project,

A statement of aims & objectives

An outline of your planned research method,

A list of potential beneficiaries or end users of the research.

A list of any resources required from Heriot-Watt University

A list of any resources required from other sources

Supplementary supervision (if appropriate)

A statement confirming that issues of confidentiality will be addressed.

A list of any ethical issues that may arise form the project. Name, relationship & expertise (brief CV) of proposed local supervisor should additionally be provided where appropriate If the course leader approves the research proposal, they will allocate a project supervisor from amongst the University staff. This will normally be the academic who nominated the project for a University Nominated Project.

Submission Procedures Submission of the final dissertation will be in electronic format via Turnitin the Schools virtual learning environment Vision. Documents can be submitted in *.pdf or MS Word format. Please make sure that Content Copying or Extraction is allowed when you submit the dissertation as a *.pdf document. You can verify this setting by choosing Document -> Security -> Show Security Settings for this Document. The submission deadlines each year are usually in

April August December

Two paper copies must also be forwarded to the student office. They should be printed on A4 paper and securely bound in ring binders or an equivalent system of binding (loose leaf binders are not acceptable). Students must make their own arrangements for copying and binding of the dissertations.

Marking and Assessment of the Dissertation Each dissertation will be independently read and assessed by two members of staff, one of whom will be the supervisor. Once the markers have completed their marking report they will then have a meeting to seek to reach an agreed mark. In determining the final mark, you may be asked to attend an interview/viva. Failure to attend a viva or, within reason, show that the work is not your own may result in you failing the Project/Dissertation. If the two assessors disagree about the standard of the report a third assessor will be appointed to adjudicate the result. An agreed mark is then reported to the postgraduate examination board. A local supervisor, if nominated, may be asked to provide an opinion on the quality and originality of the submission, but responsibility for assessment lies wholly with the university. The assessment guidelines for marking the dissertations are detailed in Appendix 3.


Plagiarism The School and the University treat plagiarism extremely seriously. Suspected cases of plagiarism will result in disciplinary action being initiated against the student. Section 9 of the School Dissertation Guide explains the issue of plagiarism in greater detail. Please work with your supervisor to ensure that any published work used in the preparation of your dissertation is done so legitimately and referenced appropriately. You will normally be expected to submit your work for plagiarism checking electronically through the Turnitin site prior to final submission.

Guidelines

Introduction All MSc students studying with the School of the Built Environment at Heriot Watt University are required to undertake research and to prepare and submit a project dissertation. The project provides an opportunity to undertake an in depth research programme and make a contribution to our knowledge of the subject in question. The end of project dissertation should be the students own work and it will involve considerable effort in its preparation. Although all dissertations are different and vary according to the topic studied there are many features such as style and layout that are common. This guidance note introduces some of the features and conventions to be found in good dissertations and provides a starting point for further reading on research dissertation preparation. The MSc dissertation is equivalent to 4 taught courses and is the most substantial piece of individual work undertaken during the course. It is not the length of the dissertation that is assessed by the examiners but the quality of the research. As an indication the dissertation should be around 50 pages excluding Appendices. It should demonstrate that the student has the ability to conduct a piece of rigorous research in their chosen field and analyse the results using informed judgment and critical thinking and essentially, to reach hard conclusions based on your work. It is not sufficient for a dissertation to be about description, measurement and summary alone. These activities simply provide a framework for the thinking and reasoning.

Maintaining progress on the dissertation It is most important to maintain progress on the research work in your project even in the face of competing demands for your time. A dissertation cannot be completed satisfactorily in an intensive campaign close to the submission date because the planning of the research tasks and writing up of the dissertation takes time. Therefore students should work back from their intended submission date allowing sufficient time for the various stages of the work in consultation with their supervisor. The final stage is writing the dissertation (dissertation should be written continuously to avoid excessive writing up time towards the end, maybe mention this somewhere). This always takes much longer than expected particularly the final stages when all the basic text is completed. Usually it is only when writing up that certain features of the results are noticed and often require further analysis or reading. It is not uncommon for a student to start writing with one opinion and completely change their mind during the process. Students should be prepared to revise the structure of the dissertation as different aspects of the work vary in importance. The introduction and final conclusions should not be written until the main text is finished so that you can be sure of the conclusions that will be drawn from your research.

Research methodology Every MSc dissertation should give due consideration to research design and method. Research design includes evaluating the type of data that has to be collected, evaluating methods of selection, and designing the sample and subsequent analysis of the data. There are numerous texts on


research methodology and dissertation preparation that can be consulted and a Heriot-Watt courses is available to you Research Methods in Civil Engineering, which you may consider taking to support your project studies. The research strategy should be discussed thoroughly with your supervisor.

Ethics Formal ethical approval is only required for MSc dissertations in sensitive cases e.g. working with children, elderly or otherwise vulnerable people or investigating sensitive topics like criminality, poverty, homelessness, drug issues (and thered be many other examples). In most other cases it will be enough for the supervisor to discuss ethical issues with the student and ensure that ethical practice is being followed.

Presentation of the Completed Dissertation Detailed specifications for the presentation of the dissertation are contained in the School Dissertation Guide. It is extremely important that you conform to these specifications. Errors of non-standard presentation can cost significant marks, yet they are easily avoided. In particular, your attention is drawn to the form of referencing to be used. The Harvard referencing system, as explained in the School Dissertation Guide, is recommended, although other conventions may be used, such as the numbering system, which allows the automatic tracking of your references using the Word Endnote Tool.

Expectations

Dissertation Quality

To illustrate the possible range in quality that may be found in completed dissertations, the following examples show typical features that might be found in 3 dissertations of varying quality- poor, good and excellent. As your work progresses you should reflect on where you feel your dissertation might be placed and do all you can to ensure the best quality possible is achieved.

An Example of a Poor Dissertation

The introduction is woolly and neither the general subject area nor the specific topic of investigation is properly introduced.

The literature review is little more than a summary of documents with no attempt to be critical, no attempt to place the text in a logical sequence and no discussion on the implications.

The logical development of the hypothesis will probably be unclear and there is probably little or nothing on research methods and data analysis.

The attempt at data collection is poor, experimental work would be poorly described and badly executed e.g. no calibration, did not follow the ISO method, selective collection of published data, or poorly thought out questionnaires, incomplete case studies or haphazard use of archives or literature.

The resulting analysis of the information is poor. There is little data to consider and this is described rather than rigorously analysed.

Presentation of the results and other information is likely to be haphazard.

An Example of a Good Dissertation

There is a good overview of the subject and a reasonable description of the aims and objectives which are then appropriate for the rest of the dissertation.

The literature review contains a summary of the key documents and has some discussion. Some documents are compared to others though some probably appear to be unconnected to the main aims and objectives.


Data collection is well thought out and explained, leading to collecting of data in a systematic manner.

The dissertation demonstrates that the student has a good grasp of the results and a relatively clear understanding of their importance. The results will be well presented though it is likely that their full implication will not be appreciated. Inconsistencies in the data will probably be missed or ignored.

An Example of an Excellent Dissertation

There is an excellent overview of the subject and a clear description of the aims and objectives of the dissertation, which are then appropriate for the rest of the dissertation.

There is an excellent literature review with documents being reviewed which are all up to date and relevant.

There is appropriate cross-referencing and points of agreement and dispute are identified and discussed. The aims and objectives of the dissertation are seen to emerge naturally from the review.

Areas where the literature is deficient are also correctly identified.

Research methods are identified and appropriate methods selected. Data analysis methods are identified and discussed.

The approach to data collection follows from the literature review but is modified to suit local experience and the topic. The student has collected data in a consistent and appropriate manner and has used a method specifically designed to answer the original aims and objectives.

An excellent analysis of the data is carried out. In the case of non-numerical, or qualitative, data a thorough examination will lead to underlying themes and trends being revealed and presented in a highly structured way.

Discussion of the themes is carried out with reference to the issues being investigated in the dissertation, leading to appropriate and concisely expressed conclusions being drawn.

In the case of numerical results they would be clearly presented probably in graphical form and would establish clearly whether or not the original hypothesis (aims and objectives) had been met. Statistical analysis would probably have been carried out establishing beyond doubt whether or not the conclusions were justified. Inconsistencies in the data would be highlighted and explained.

Dissertation Structure

Every dissertation should address the following aspects. The emphasis placed on each of these should be discussed with your supervisor to ensure the most appropriate balance of effort.

Introduction and general context

It is necessary to give context to your investigation within the first chapter to help locate the work academically. This helps justify why your study is timely and relevant by making reference to other related published work in the field, and evaluating the contribution your dissertation will make to the field. This section will not normally exceed 3 pages. The preparation of this chapter necessarily requires a student to read widely about the subject even though not all material read will appear in the dissertation.

Literature review

The object of the literature review is to review the scholarly literature on the subject and critically review it. This review will almost certainly include a comparison between references and therefore discrepancies and differences of opinion should be highlighted and discussed. The review must include a general review of the subject leading to a hypothesis, a review of research methods and a review of data analysis methods.


Research methodology

The research methods should demonstrate that the student is able to undertake research appropriate to the subject in a systematic and meaningful manner. The method adopted would follow from the literature review and may include experimental work in the laboratory or in the field, interviews, questionnaires, surveys, case studies or the systematic collection of data and other information from the literature or archives. Note that collection of published data is not the same as a literature review of that data and a student should be aware of the difference. The collection of information for analysis and discussion is central to a dissertation and the rigour that would be expected for laboratory experiments should be the same as for any other data source.

Discussion, information analysis, interpretation and conclusions

The analysis of the information and the conclusions should demonstrate that the student understands the significance of the findings, present them in an appropriate manner and can draw sensible conclusions.


Appendix 1: Student Nominated Projects

The Outline Research Proposal The research proposal is the essential first step in laying the groundwork for the dissertation. It involves taking your initial idea and developing it into a more structured format which considers the elements outlined below. Preparing the proposal will obviously involve some initial investigation and library work to look at articles, books and perhaps other dissertations related to your topic of interest (It is not merely describing your idea!) The effort involved is not wasted as the research proposal forms the first chapter of the dissertation itself. You will also find that a thorough approach to the proposal will help clarify your own ideas and direction for the project. The selection below is adapted from Dissertation Research and Writing for Construction Students by S.G Naoum, which is a good text to refer to for further guidance.

Rationale for the study

A discussion of approximately 500-800 words which sets out the problem and the reason for the proposed study, highlighting the issues to be investigated. This should explain to the reader why it is a timely and worthwhile investigation. The rationale should be supported by a few key references to related work in the area which you are proposing to build on (a precursor to the literature review). Key references should be drawn from related research in the proposed area of study. Journals, conference proceedings, reports etc. are a good source of up-to-date material.

Aim

A clear one or two sentence aim should be provided, highlighting your ultimate goal for the dissertation.

Objectives

Usually between three and five, single-sentence, objectives should be developed. Objectives are the breakdown of the aim into those separate, but related, issues that when investigated will allow you to achieve the main aim. The aim can be considered to be strategic in nature while the objectives are operational.

Outline research methods. This explains your approach to the study in terms of its deskwork and fieldwork aspects. The deskwork will be the literature review, and you should identify what the main themes of the literature review will be (what is it that you are looking for from the literature). Also what type of journals and other publications you will investigate for the literature review. (you should try to identify a few named journals that you will use). The fieldwork relates to the actual data you will collect. In construction management research this is normally through case studies, questionnaires or interview of relevant personnel. What form of data do you envisage collecting and how will this be used to help achieve your objectives.

Literature review

For helping to develop the literature review there are a many good civil engineering and construction management related journals available on-line through the university library web site. The internet also contains a wealth of information on most research topics; however they can often require registration and payment to access details of the research.


Appendix 2 RISK ASSESSMENT FORM

Risk Assessment Form and Guidance

Description of Activity being Assessed:

Attach WORK TASKS LIST or a METHOD STATEMENT describing in chronological order all tasks that make up the activity/project/visit/laboratory based test programme/field trip/etc.

Location:

Who is exposed to the hazard:

Strike through those not applicable

Academic/technical/administrative/secretarial/research/undergraduate & postgraduate students/visitors/members of the public/cleaning staff/security staff/others (identify).

Assessment Team Members (at least 3 persons):

Team Leader Job Title:

Team Leaders Signature:

Date of assessment:

Review (by) date:

Legislation applicable:


Activity No.

(See

Attached Work Tasks List).

Hazards List the hazards associated with the activity.

Control Measures already in place to control the risk

List any safety measures that are already in place to control the risks.

Risk rating score with

existing controls

L x S or C Refer to matrix

below.

Additional controls required List in this column any extra safety controls or precautions that are required but are not currently in place.

Risk rating score with new controls (Residual Risk) L x S or C Refer to Matrix below.

Completed (Control measures met) Where Additional Control measures are required, fill this column in with the date that they were put in place.

Consequence/ Hazard Effect

List consequences/

effect of hazards.

1

2

3

4

5


Activity No.

(See






existing controls


below.





List consequences/

effect of hazards.

6

7

8

9


Activity No.

(See






existing controls


below.





List consequences/

effect of hazards.

10

11

Continue on separate sheet(s) if necessary.

Risk assessment reviewed as acceptable by accountable manager/supervisor

Yes/No ? Signed:

Date: Job Title:


ASSESSMENT GUIDANCE

Risk = Likelihood x Severity or Consequence

Use the hazard matrix below to calculate the risk rating for the activity:

First Aid injury/

illness Minor injury/

illness 3 day injury/

Illness Major injury/

illness Fatality/

disabling injury

1 2 3 4 5

Very likely 5 5 10 15 20 25

Fairly likely 4 4 8 12 16 20

Likely 3 3 6 9 12 15

Unlikely 2 2 4 6 8 10

Very unlikely 1 1 2 3 4 5

Risk and Planned Corrective Action to be rated from the following:

Risk Level Category Tolerability Comments

1- 2 VERY LOW acceptable No further action is necessary other than to ensure that the controls are maintained.

3 4 LOW acceptable No additional controls are required unless they can be implemented at very low cost (in terms of time, money and effort).

5 7 MEDIUM tolerable Consideration should be given as to whether the risks can be lowered, where applicable, to a tolerable level, and preferably acceptable level, but the costs of additional risk reduction measures should be taken into account. The risk reduction measures should be implemented within a defined time period.

8 - 14 HIGH tolerable Significant efforts should be made to reduce the risk. Risk reduction measures should be implemented urgently within a defined time period and it might be necessary to consider suspending or restricting the activity, or to apply interim risk control measures, until this has been completed. Considerable resources might have to be allocated to additional control measures.

15 and above VERY HIGH unacceptable Significant improvements in risk control are necessary, so that risk is reduced to a tolerable or acceptable level.


Hazard Prompt List

HAZARD Present?

YES NO

PHYSICAL

Slippery or uneven ground

Work from heights

Falling objects, i.e. tools and/or materials

Inadequate workspace

Manual handling

Trapping, entanglement, burns or other equipment related

Transport

Electricity

Noise/vibration

Fire and/or explosion

Stored energy (e.g. pressure systems)

Unsuitable thermal environment

Violence to staff

CHEMICAL

Via skin contact

Via inhalation

Via eye contact

Via ingestion

Sensitising

Oxidising

BIOLOGICAL

Inhaled

Contact with bodily fluids

Ingested

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Excessive workload

Physical violence, bullying or intimidation

Involvement in an accident/post traumatic stress

OTHER HAZARDS

Are there Hazards other than those listed above that are relevant to activity? if so identify and add to Risk Assessment

Dissertation Guideline 11/11/2014 16

Work Tasks List

Project Identification Details:

Activity No.

Location People

(E),(YP),(CON),(PUB),(VIS) Equipment Activities

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Assessor/team members: Date of completion:

Assessor/Team leader: Signature:

Dissertation Guideline 11/11/2014 17

Appendix 3: Assessment Criteria

School of the Built Environment Civil Engineering Programme

Postgraduate MSc Dissertation Assessment

Student name:

Registration No:

Course title: Study mode:

Assessment Grading

Grade Guidance Notes:

A+ Distinction

(Normally 80+%)

As following category, but in addition, displaying a very high ability to comprehend the subject matter within the wider context and demonstrating considerable originality. The highest level of structure and presentation.

A Distinction

(Normally 70- 79%)

An extremely thorough, distinction level piece of research. Thorough understanding of the subject and issues. Demonstrates a high degree of critical appraisal analysis, clear ability to formulate/construct hypotheses and excellent understanding and application of research methods. Conclusions are well supported by the content. Very well structured and presented.

B

(Normally 60- 69%)

A good understanding of the subject and issues. Demonstrates a clear ability to ask the right questions and formulate/construct hypotheses to address the issues. Good understanding and application of research methods. Critical appraisal and analysis is demonstrated and conclusions and recommendations supported. Well structured and presented over and above the basic standard.

C

(Normally 50-59%)

A reasonable understanding of the subject and issues, which asks questions and addresses potential answers, supported by a reasonable degree of analysis and critique. Acceptable consideration of research methods. Conclusions are reasonably formed and recommendations are generally supported by the work undertaken. Reasonable structure and presentation.

D

(Normally 40-49%)

Diploma Pass

Does not meet MSc standard. A basic piece of work which demonstrates limited knowledge/effort and understanding, supported by only little analysis and minimal review. Poor or non-existent consideration of research methods. Identifies the basic issues only where conclusions are not supported. Meets the basic requirement for structure and presentation.

Fail

(Normally

MSc Dissertation Project Guidelines_CE_2014-15(3)

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