School of Engineering and Materials Science
Handbook for MSc Extended Research Projects
90 Credit Project Module EMS715P
2024-2025
1. Overview & Aims of the MSc Extended Research Project Module
This project module gives you an opportunity to carry out an in-depth extended research project that spans all three semesters of your MSc programme. Undertaking an extended research project is a significant component of your MSc degree and requires you to independently conduct research of significant scope and depth whilst under academic supervision.
Your MSc Extended Research Project will address specific problems and/or challenges within a particular area of interest in science and engineering. You will have an opportunity to build on your existing scientific and engineering knowledge; and to develop a range of other research project skills and abilities e.g., reviewing literature; critical analysis; project management; communication and organization skills; devising a research methodology; data analysis; academic writing; constructing logical arguments to justify pursuing a particular area of research, methodology and methods; and project planning to meet key deadlines.
MSc extended research projects are quite diverse across different domains of science and engineering. As such, extended research projects sit along a continuum of science and engineering research to encompass both traditional research-based projects and industry-based projects. However, extended research projects will still share many overlapping components and characteristics, whilst also accommodating distinctive elements suited to research and/or industry.
1.1 The key aims of conducting an extended research project at MSc level include:
1. To develop research skills e.g., critical analysis of literature; scientific writing and referencing styles; proposing rationales and defining research question(s); devising project methodology and executing a research project.
2. To develop students' understanding of research methodologies and the scientific method; and applying suitable methodology design to an extended research project.
3. To appreciate the ethical implications for conducting research; the environmental and societal impact of solutions to complex problems; and the need to minimize adverse impact of conducting research and research outcomes.
4. To develop transferable skills e.g., project management; project implementation and completion; working autonomously; collaborative working with research supervisor; and communicating research findings to a target audience.
5. To develop key competences and commitments relevant to professionalism in science and engineering and/or to work toward professional registration e.g., CEng.
1.2 The key learning objectives of t he extended research project are to:
a. Apply knowledge of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering
principles to the solution of complex problems in an innovative and original way.
b. Demonstrate independent thinking and working; initiative; and competent technical judgement in science and engineering.
c. Analyse complex problems to reach substantiated conclusions using first principles of mathematics, statistics, natural science and engineering principles.
d. Select and apply appropriate computational and analytical techniques to model complex problems, recognising the limitations of the techniques employed.
e. Select and evaluate technical literature and other sources of information to address complex problems.
f. Design solutions for complex problems that meet a combination of societal, user, business and customer needs as appropriate.
g. Apply the need to minimise adverse impacts of conducting research e.g., health & safety, diversity, inclusion, cultural, societal, environmental, commercial matters, codes of practice, and industry standards.
h. Evaluate the environmental and societal impact of conducting an extended research project; and the impact of outcomes or solutions to complex problems.
i. Communicate effectively on complex engineering matters with technical and non- technical audiences.
1.3 The final project report:
Your research project will culminate in the writing up of a final project report. The path to a final project report submission is likely to involve interacting with other people e.g., your project supervisor, technical staff, postgraduate students, academic staff, postdoctoral fellows and administrative staff. Below are examples of some key points to help progress you through your extended research project:
• Apply and develop your time management and planning skills.
• Critically review literature of previous work conducted by others.
• Plan for writing up your final project report e.g., create a report template; create key section headings.
• Use tables, figures, diagrams, charts and graphs to help communicate sections of
your final report. Remember to signpost the reader to tables, figures, diagrams, charts and graphs in the body of your text.
• Generate results, tables, charts and graphs to help communicate.
• Incorporate appropriate calculations, simulations modelling.
• Present your results, findings and outcomes and be able to discuss their implications.
• Cite references accurately and consistently using the appropriate referencing convention and style.
• Present arguments and conclusions in an accessible, logical and structured manner suitable for both technical and non-technical peers.
The above are skills will also be sought by a potential future employer, and the extended research project provides to wit an excellent opportunity to develop these skills and add to your portfolio of achievements.
Note: In order to graduate with an MSc you need to pass all taught modules and the Extended Research Project. Failure in modules to the value of not more than 30 credits (2 modules other than the Project) can be condoned if your average mark over all the taught modules is not less than 50%, and the markfor the two failed modules is not less than 40%. You will have the opportunity to resit your failed examinations at the end of the summer (Late Summer Resits).
*Please refer to the latest QMUL academic regulations for further details.
2. Assessment and Deadlines
Your performance during the project is assessed by various means as outlined in the table below. Each component of assessment has its own deadline and all submissions are electronically submitted. If you do not submit an assessment by the deadline specified on QMPlus, your submission will incur a penalty and daily deduction in marks up to 7 days after which the assignment will receive ZERO marks. Please ensure that your project planning and contingency planning gives you enough time address any last-minute technical problems or mishaps to avoid submitting late and incurring a penalty. Please note that reasons for late submissions, such as, “hard drive crashed”; “forgot to check emails”; or “QMPlus was running slowly whilst uploading” cannot be accepted as valid reasons for late submissions.
Assessment Breakdown
*See also Appendix 3 & Appendix 4.
Submission Timeline
*△See QMPlus for exact deadlines dates.
3. Lectures, Workshops, Supervision & Self-Study
It is important to attend lectures and workshops as these sessions intend to help inform the direction you take for your MSc extended research project and your project plan. In addition, you will need to work independently on researching articles/readings, resources planning, project management and it is recommended that you arrange regular meetings with your supervisor. Refer to the module QMPlus page.
4. Getting Started
You will be given an opportunity to select your own key areas of interest for your final year project and we will do our best to find an appropriate academic as your supervisor. We will also do our best to match your area of supervisor. We may not be able to guarantee a particular academic for your project because there is a limited number of academics to act as supervisors. However, in SEMS there are academics that have interdisciplinary knowledge and skills that can be adapted to different project interests.
Note: You cannot change supervisor without re-allocation by the module organiser. Project supervisor allocation depends on the availability and workload of academics.
5. Project Log & Project Planning
A project log is a detailed record of all the work you are doing in your project where you bring your notes, ideas, planning and progress together in a single document. The logbook may also include concepts, sketches, equation developments, calculations, graphs, summaries of papers you have read including their full source details and records of meetings with your supervisor or others from whom you seek advice. The logbook (aka notebook) can be requested for review at any point during the year by your supervisor or academic assessors. You are strongly encouraged to maintain your logbook to help you, and your supervisor, make progress leading to a successful outcome from your extended research project. You may also be asked to upload a pdf of your log at certain points during the year.
The purpose of a project log is to:
• Maintain a summary record of the work you have undertaken on at least a weekly basis;
• Develop structuring and planning skills (project timeline);
• Identify directions for research/work;
• Maintain a record of progress/milestones achieved;
• Identify problems (supervisor or student) in a timely fashion.
The project log includes the following (although this list is not exhaustive)
• Project Title
• Project Aim(s)
• Project Objectives
• Project Plan
• Record of supervision meetings
• Record of notes, discussions, thoughts, suggestions, ideas, questions/queries
• Record of progress and actions
• Record of resources, literature, reading, article etc.
• Record of sketches drawings, graphs, illustrations etc.
More guidance will be provided during module lectures, module sessions and supervision. Lectures/workshops will cover logbook formats, layout, content and ongoing logbook entries and regular logbook reviews/submissions.
Success on the MSc degree programme rests upon careful planning. Project planning and project management is a transferable skill which graduates are expected to possess.
Balancing the work-load over the year involves placing emphasis on project work at the beginning of the year, leaving time for revision toward the end. It is important that you meet regularly with your supervisor and discuss your progress and plans for further work. On average, you should typically spend between 12 to 15 hours per week on your project and keeping your logbook up to date. You will be asked to update and submit your logbook during the year.
6. Role of the Project Supervisor
The role of your project supervisor is to support you whilst undertaking your MSc Extended Research Project. Your project supervisor will provide you with guidance and feedback on the direction and progress of your project as well as feedback on project coursework submissions. You can approach your supervisor to share and explore your project ideas and project progress, however, it is not the role of the supervisor to prescribe each stage of your project. Use the time during supervisor meetings effectively through preparation and planning (see earlier section on logbooks & project planning). For your MSc extended research project, you will be expected to take ownership of your project and adopt a proactive approach to arranging regular meetings with your supervisor and with your project planning. If you have problems contacting or meeting your supervisor, email the module organiser.
7. Technical Project Support
If you need models, fixtures or apparatus to be manufactured, it is essential that your request is made at the earliest possible date. Go to the following link for information on the workshop, laboratories and facilities in SEMS.
https://www.sems.qmul.ac.uk/research/facilities/mechanicalworkshop/whatwedo/
https://www.sems.qmul.ac.uk/pgadmissions/facilities/
See also the points below to help clearly communicate with technical support staff.
1. Obtain approval from your supervisor for the purchase of consumables
(https://admin.sems.qmul.ac.uk/forms/technical/) via the School’s Intranet.
2. For work requests, the project manufacturing requirements must be clearly defined and approved by your supervisor before you start to discuss any work with a technician. Only students who have an accepted and issued work request https://admin.sems.qmul.ac.uk/forms/technical/ to a technician will be able to arrange a meeting time with the technician. This will enable the technician to prepare for any discussions and for the Laboratory and Workshop Manager to progress the work. The Laboratory and Workshop Manager will then inform you by email when to discuss the project with an appropriate technician.
3. Ensure that you plan ahead and provide the technical project support staff with
clearly explained and structured requirements. For example, engineering drawings with a parts list/BoM should be generated preferably using CAD software to show with 2D projections and exploded/assembled 3D drawings.
4. Reasonable attention must be given to the target dates for completion of the work.
5. Work will be given priority on a first-come first-served basis.
6. Close contact with the allocated technician should be maintained and, if
necessary, discuss and agree any design modifications/amendments/refinements. Design modifications cannot be made endlessly and major re-designs will be considered as new work requests.
7. Student access to the student workshop will be available as appropriate,
depending on levels of student competence as determined by the Laboratory and Workshop Manager.
8. Record all discussions with your supervisor and the technicians in your project log.
8. Ordering Materials & Consumables
Ordering Consumables for Projects Consumables for all projects must be ordered by using the online https://admin.sems.qmul.ac.uk/forms/consumables/. Please complete the form. making sure all appropriate areas have been filled in. When you have finished all sections click the ‘Send this request’ button and it will go to the designated supervisor for approval. Once the supervisor has approved the order it will go to SEMS Finance to be ordered.
Please note consumables should not be purchased in any other way.
Note. The University has preferred suppliers, which must be used. Requests for items that can be exempted from VAT must be directed to the Accounts Assistant. [In the past some students bought items themselves and then confronted the matter of VAT reclaim].
If, in exceptional cases, a new supplier is to be used, the name of the company must be added to the financial information system, Agresso, by Finance Department staff. Until the company’s details are added to Agresso, the order cannot be placed. It is the duty of the order requester to obtain a sample of the company’s headed paper [by fax is sufficient] so that the Accounts Assistant can complete the New Supplier’s form for the Finance Department and attach the sample. Students should be mindful of the lead-in time in these circumstances.
MSc Extended Research projects have a budget of £50 allocated to them.
Note. Students should not make any purchases of consumables or equipment with their own financial resources in expectation of being reimbursed by the University, as this will not be authorised.
9. Project Module Assessments
9.1 Directed Learning Assignment 1 (DLA1)
The Directed Learning Assignment 1 (DLA1) provides you with a valuable opportunity to develop your research and analytical skills through extracting and evaluating articles of interest. For the DLA1, you will be asked to identify and carry out a concise critique of several research articles related to area of extended research interest. DLA1 enables you to critically analyses the rationale, content, outcomes and implications of each article through a process of evaluation and extraction. Guidance on the approach, structure and template will be given in advance of beginning DLA1.
9.2 Directed Learning Assignment 2 (DLA2)
The Directed Learning Assignment 2 (DLA2) develops your knowledge, awareness and understanding of ethical issues relating to research e.g., ethical principles, plagiarism, academic integrity, consequences of misconduct. DLA2 will assess your understanding through an online test.
9.3 Rationale, Aims and Objectives (RAO) A1 Size e-Poster
A clear and focused project rationale, with concise aims and objectives, is vital to gaining valuable data and insights from your extended research project. The justification behind the project and the design of your project methodology needs to also be subjected to critical analysis in order to review and evaluate the validity and reliability of your extended research project.
The RAO poster provides you with an excellent opportunity to showcase and communicate your project to both technical and non-technical audiences; and draw attention to the purpose, value, gap-in-knowledge and implications of your extended research project.
Although the poster will be produced before the completion of your project, the design, layout and content of your poster will also help you to address the design of your project methodology and anticipate the type or kind of data and/or outcomes you will collect and analyse. The poster will also give you an opportunity to focus on the potential implications of project findings and conclusions in relation to the project rationale and its chosen methodology. Although the poster will be a ‘snapshot’ of your project, it is a valuable exercise to aid your project planning and clarify the purpose of your extended research project in a concise manner.
The Industrial Engagement Committee will also select suitable posters to showcase at the Industrial Liaison Forum (ILF) event held by the School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS) in the Octagon. The ILF event is an exciting and vibrant opportunity for our industrial partners and to view some of the best projects from this academic year, and to learn more about collaborating on projects with the School of Engineering and Materials Science
(SEMS).
9.4 State of t heArt Report (SOTA)
The State of the Art (SOTA) report critically reviews the literature on research, technology, methodologies, findings and conclusion research to allow the reader to understand how your SOTA informs the rationale behind the project. A literature review also places your extended research project within the context of existing knowledge and information from publications. The SOTA provides you with a valuable opportunity to build on your knowledge and critically review the research and technologies e.g., discuss and compare previous work and research designs as well as identify gaps in the current knowledge relevant to the focus of your extended research project.
The report should be written in a coherent and logical manner with arguments justified and supported by references for literature within the body of the report. The SOTA report should include:
• Cover sheet.
• Declaration.
• Contents page.
• Brief introduction.
• Literature review.
• Conclusions and implications for SOTA for project RAO.
• List of references.
The maximum length of the SOTA is 2000 words; and for the SOTA you can combine the cover sheet and declaration into a single page.
The SOTA report also gives you an opportunity to develop and improve your academic
writing skills, as well as familiarise yourself with the appropriate format of a report and the referencing style. For example, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, headings and sub-
headings,12pt Arial or New Times New Roman font, Harvard referencing. It is important that the formatting of reports is kept consistent throughout the report and complies with an
appropriate referencing style. and standard.
It is also recommended that you discuss and consult with your project supervisor about the appropriate report format and referencing style. appropriate for your area of academic
research. There are different referencing formats in academic writing, such as Harvard,
Vancouver, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, APA, so it is important that you agree the format and style with your project supervisor and maintain consistency through your report writing.
Below are some links to help support you with your academic writing, but there are also many other sources accessible online.
Academic Skills Centre
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/library/academic-skills/
Academic Writing
https://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/topics/academic-writing/
Academic Style
https://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/writing/academic-style/
Referencing
https://aeo.sllf.qmul.ac.uk/writing/referencing/
9.5 Final Project Report
In addition to the points discussed in the previous section, guidance and details of the length, layout and format of the final project report are given in Appendix 1 with the assessment criteria for the final project report in Appendix 4.
9.6 Viva Examination (Oral Examination)
Your viva (or oral examination) is an opportunity for you to discuss, explain and justify the work you did for your extended research project. The time and venue for your viva will be
arranged between you, your MSc project supervisor and an independent examiner after
submission of your final project report. Your viva will take place within the allowable period for conducting vivas, and not attending your viva has the same consequences as an
absence from any other examination, i.e., the award of ZERO MARKS for this component. Only in exceptional circumstances where your absence is justified by acceptable
independent evidence will a substitute time be arranged. The usual format is for your
supervisor and the independent examiner to be present, and they will both have received your extended research report.
In advance of your viva, you will need to prepare a concise 3-5minute presentation of your extended research project – do not exceed a maximum of 5 minutes. Preparing a short
presentation will also help you prepare for your viva by covering the salient points from your project report for your viva examiners. Your viva presentation could include, for example, a concise summary of your allocated project rationale, aims, objectives, specific problem(s), method/approach, justification, outcomes, results, findings and outcomes. Your summary of your extended research project needs to be short, clear and concise e.g., what you did; how and why you did it; what was the purpose and outcome (context, results &
conclusion); why it was useful; and how did you address/meet the project RAO. Remember to upload a pdf file of your viva presentation to both viva submission points before your viva.
10. Queen Mary Logo
The Queen Mary logo is copyrighted and MUST NOT be reproduced by students. The presence of logo on the cover page or elsewhere in your report would indicate that the
contents of these pages were produced and verified by Queen Mary University of London,
which would not be the case
11. Academic Misconduct, Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Academic misconduct is a serious examination offence with serious penalties applied for academic misconduct. Plagiarism is defined as the copying of material, text of
figures, from another source without attribution. All photocopied, scanned or copied figures or text must have the source acknowledged.
The literature review and final report must be expressed in the student’s own words and
contain a significant individual contribution with acknowledgement and referencing of other literature or sources of information. Plagiarism involves presenting someone else’s work as one’s own irrespective of intention; close paraphrasing; copying work of another person or student; using the ideas of another person without proper acknowledgement; and repeating work that you have previously submitted without properly referencing yourself i.e., ‘self-
plagiarism’ shall also constitute plagiarism.
QMUL will take all necessary steps to maintain the academic integrity of its programmes of study, and every allegation of academic misconduct will be dealt with in accordance with this policy. Plagiarism in reports is a serious examination offence and may incur severe penalties e.g., receiving a zero mark; not graduating; suspension/expulsion and wasting an academic year.
Academic misconduct does not just involve plagiarism and includes the following:
• Examination offences.
• The use, or attempted use, of ghost-writing services for any part of assessment.
• The submission of work, or sections of work, for assessment in more than one module or assignment (including work previously submitted for assessment at another institution).
• The fraudulent reporting of source material, experimental results, research, or other investigative work.
• Collusion in the preparation or production of submitted work.
• Use, or attempted use, of ghost-writing services for any part of assessment – please note that having a third party proofread and change grammar and spelling may fall into this category as well.
For further information go to:
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/governance-and-legal-services/student-appeals/academic- misconduct/