Student Project Guide The Project is your opportunity to investigate and report on a topic that interests you. It is undoubtedly a challenging assessment but it is equally a rewarding part of your course – and one that can be useful in targeting potential employers and differentiating yourself from others. What follows is some useful advice and guidance to help you along the way. The Project Process The Project is entirely your responsibility. It is the role of your supervisor to offer advice and guidance, for example, on lines of enquiry, reading, methodology, etc and to act as a sounding board for your ideas. You will also have a course of lectures and tutorials to assist you – you MUST attend these sessions. Choosing a research topic Without being clear about what you are going to research it is difficult to plan how you are going to conduct the project. Formulating and clarifying the research topic is the starting point of your research project. You may seek inspiration for your topic from a variety of sources - lecture notes, previous projects, books, web based sources, news, professional publications, peer reviewed literature, your peers etc. You must ensure, however, that the problem has sufficient relevant research published in peer-reviewed journals. Consulting the Literature A good place to start is Google Scholar. Try typing in a range of key words that surround your theme and see what literature already exists. Within this literature you will then start to identify what are the controversies and unsolved problems. Although some resources via Google Scholar are freely available – many expect you to pay – so you can also do the same by accessing peer reviewed literature via your Athens account. Once you are clear about the focus of your research you will need to identify your Research Question and the objectives of your proposed study – these are very likely to develop as your work develops. This is normal – but you need a very clear idea, from the outset, what you intend to achieve – and this needs to be guided by the peer reviewed literature you are reading. Research Strategy Once you are clear about the focus, you will be able to select the most appropriate research strategy and data collection and analysis techniques. Your research strategy may also be informed by the literature you have started to read – i.e. – how has this theme been investigated before? Could you look at the same problem but use a different methodological approach? Could you use the same approach but look at a different sector or case? The formulating and clarifying process is time consuming and will probably lead you in different directions. However, without spending time on this stage you are far less likely to achieve a successful project. In addition, your research topic must be something you are capable of undertaking and one that excites your imagination. At the personal level you need to feel comfortable that you have, or can develop, the skills that will be required to research the topic. The Role and Responsibilities of the Supervisor The supervisor should: 1 Clarify to the student the requirements, timescale, assessment procedures including assessment criteria, structure, length and format of the final product 2 Agree with the student on a title, aims and objectives, scope, plan and structure after discussion. 3 Ensure that the topic chosen is manageable and suitably focused – many students try to tackle far too much. 4 Monitor progress, recognise and deal with problems and keep appropriate records. 5 Be accessible to students on a pattern agreed at beginning of the project and agree action points with the student at the end of each meeting. You are entitled to five hours of support. This may be face to face, but email and Skype are equally as effective. 6 Read and advise on drafts 7 Provide support by encouragement and positive advice as well as constructive criticism 8 Supervisors will not be the first marker of the project. It will be blind marked by another supervisor. Role and Responsibilities of the Student Students are expected to: 1 Work conscientiously and independently within the parameters of the guidance offered. 2 Ensure that project work is started early enough and that time is well managed throughout the project 3 Attend supervisory meetings well prepared having addressed prior action points and with a clear agenda for the meeting 4 Maintain progress in accordance with the timescale agreed with the supervisor at the outset 5 Present written material in sufficient time for comment and discussion before proceeding to the next stage 6 Ensure that the standard of English is sufficient for the presentation of a project 7 Take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties with your supervisor 8 Give adequate notice for unscheduled meetings with your supervisor Presentation of the Project There are various types of dissertation/research project but generally they follow the same structure. The project should be word-processed and printed, double sided on A4 paper. The typing should be one and half spaced with a left-hand binding margin of 4cm (1.5 inches). Font type should be either Times New Roman (font size 12) or Ariel (font size 11). All pages and diagrams should be numbered. Grammar, spelling and style, as well as clarity, contribute towards the assessment of the report. You will need to supply TWO HARD COPIES on or before the submission deadline, one of which should be the FULL turnitin report. Structure & Format The cover page should state the title, student name and ID number, and the date of submission (month, year). The following format is recommended, though exceptionally your supervisor may suggest an alternative format: Title Acknowledgements Abstract (brief paragraph) Contents & Page numbers List of figures and tables (if required) Introduction Literature review Methodology Findings and Discussion Conclusions Recommendations (if appropriate) Reflection (five hundred word reflection of your learning during your Programme at GSM – NOT just relating to the Project) Bibliography Appendices (additional graphs and materials linked to the main report) Brief overview of key chapters Introduction Here you should provide a clear rationale for the research. You should introduce the issues and debates within the area – calling on textbook sources but also key peer reviewed literature. You should give a brief introduction to the case study (if you have one), identify your Research Question and Objectives and a brief overview of the chapters that follow. Literature Review This purpose of this chapter is to identify: •What is already known about the area? •What concepts and theories are relevant? •What research methods and strategies have been used in this area? •Are there any controversies? •Are there any inconsistencies in findings? •Are there any unanswered questions? Your review also has a number of other purposes: • To help you to refine your research question(s) and objectives further. • To highlight research possibilities that have been overlooked in research to date. • To discover explicit recommendations for further research. These can provide you with a justification for your own research question(s) and objectives. • To help you to avoid simply repeating work that has been done already. • As a rule of thumb, at least 80% of the sources used in this chapter should come from peer-reviewed literature. Research Methodology Your research design is the general plan of how you will go about answering your research question(s). It will specify the sources from which you intend to collect data, how you propose to collect and analyse these, discuss ethical issues and the constraints you will inevitably encounter. Findings and Discussion The purpose of this chapter is to report the facts your research discovered, to interpret these results and relate the findings to the original research goals and objectives. The implications of the research should also be discussed here. Conclusions and Recommendations In summing up the work you should: 1. Demonstrate that you have answered the research question(s). 2. Demonstrate that you have met the research objectives. 3. Consider your findings in relation to the existing literature. 4. Reflect on any implications for future research. 5. Your Recommendations should be insightful and show clearly how your work leads to them Reflection This is a 500 word reflection of your learning during your GSM Programme. Try to be insightful – avoid saying things like – “I wished I had planned my time better” – unless this is a particularly pertinent point. Bibliography and Referencing You MUST use the Harvard system for all referencing. Your Bibliography will include sources which have informed your thinking but which you have not referenced within the report. ALL sources cited within the report will need to be listed here, alphabetically, by author. Appendices Every appendix must have a reference in the main body and the reader directed to the relevant appendix at the appropriate place in the text. However, appendices should only contain additional information. All relevant information must be included in the main body. Academic Integrity Students must accept ownership of their own work. Academic integrity is fundamental to creating a good project. In order to maintain academic integrity, all material used throughout the project MUST be fully referenced. Keep all research evidence such as completed questionnaires, transcripts, recorded interviews and focus groups, photos etc in a safe place until you receive a final mark. The College may ask you to produce evidence of research. Academic Misconduct Plagiarism is representing another person’s work as being your own, or the use of another person’s work without acknowledgement, e.g. by: • Importing work from another person’s work without using quotation marks and identifying the source; • Making a copy of all or part of another person’s work and presenting it as your own by failing to disclose the source; • Making extensive use of another person’s work, either by summarising or paraphrasing the work merely by changing a few words or altering the order in which the material is presented, without acknowledgement of the source; • The use of ideas of another person without acknowledgement of the source, or the presentation of work as your own which substantially comprises the ideas of another person. Other academic misconduct includes: • Falsification of data; • Duplication of assessed work without acknowledging previous submission; • Allowing/helping another to copy or paraphrase your work without acknowledgement; • Breach of professional confidentiality; Turnitin You should use Turnitin to help check the originality of your work. You should submit your work at various stages to make sure that you are referencing your material clearly, and hence help you to avoid academic misconduct. Ethical research As an underlying principle, there must be a sense of openness and transparency when conducting research. Researchers have the responsibility to: 1. Use the information or data collected only for the purpose intended, and are under an obligation to prevent its misuse; 2. Recognise that they must not influence the opinion or behaviour of participants, though, in some instances, their presence may well influence the participants’ response; 3. Ensure that bias is minimised; and 4. Alert potential users of the research about any limitations of validity and reliability of the research methodology. Awareness and sensitivity Any research involving human subjects should be explained, as comprehensively as possible, to all concerned. Researchers must take into account the nature and the degree of sensitivity relating to the specific area under investigation. The following elements should be fully communicated: 1. The nature and purpose of the research 2. How information or data is collected, stored and analysed 3. Assurance given in relation to identity, anonymity and confidentiality, as appropriate, ensuring that guarantees are fulfilled 4. Individuals must have the right to refuse participation or withdraw their responses 5. Research using under 18s will be undertaken only under exceptional circumstances. Any such proposal would need to be discussed with your supervisor. Do’s and don’ts Do discuss and explain clearly the work with supervisors. Do inform participants of the purpose and method of the investigation. Do obtain permission, consent or approval before the start of the investigation if the research takes place in a work environment. Do assure confidentiality or ensure acceptability from the participants for disclosure of information or data obtained. Do ensure consideration and respect for others. Do be aware of responsibilities to the College, organisation, industry, profession and the general public. Do seek advice from the supervisor when constructing questionnaires Do make sure there is security of information or data, where appropriate Do ensure that any assurances given are honoured. Do create a good impression by behaving ethically Do always recognise sources of information. Don’t cause unnecessary emotional stress, embarrassment or annoyance to participants. Don’t ask potentially offensive or intrusive questions especially in relation to sexuality, race or religion. Don’t plagiarise. High ethical standards must be maintained at all times as the integrity of researchers and the image of the College is at stake. If ever in doubt, always ask. DO NOT ASK YOUR SUPERVISOR FOR A PREDICTED GRADE – They will not give one. They will indicate to you if the Project is likely to fail. They are also not there to ‘guarantee’ you get a certain grade, regardless of how this will impact your final classification. IT IS YOUR RESEARCH! Finally, I trust you will enjoy this challenging but rewarding part of your programme. Start early and stay close to your supervisor. Good luck Paul Booth Project Module Leader Undergraduate Project First Information Form Family Name: __________________ Given Name(s): ________________________ Student ID Number: _______________ Programme of Study: ___________________________________________________ Topic area: Please provide an idea of the topic that you are planning to cover in your project. In which of the following subject areas does your topic fall? HRM Information Systems Events Management Marketing Tourism Oil and Gas Management Signature ………………………………….. Date………………………….. The information on this form is to be returned by …………. Assessment criteria and feedback sheet. Student name: Assessment Comment Aims of research clearly defined; objectives/research questions relevant to aim. Clear focus on aims / objectives maintained throughout. If appropriate, hypotheses defined and explained. (10%) Literature review – thorough review of appropriate secondary sources; relationship between the literature and the project explored (i.e. justification is linked to literature) (20%) Research methodology – explanation and justification of an appropriate methodology – approach and data collection techniques appropriate to aims and research questions. (20%) Data Analysis - Appropriate analysis of data in the light of the research objectives and questions. Clear and analytical presentation of findings. (10%) Discussion - results discussed, highlighting significant findings and comparing theory & practice where appropriate (10%) Conclusions / recommendations - based on a reasonable interpretation of both the research conducted and the existing literature. (10%) Critical evaluation of own work. Areas for further research identified and discussed. (5%) Overall layout and presentation is of an acceptable standard, logical and adds value to the document. Appropriate structure. (5%) Reflection on programme is detailed and insightful. (10%) Recommended Mark (1st Marker) (any extra comments on reverse) % Second Marker’s comments: Agreed Mark after internal moderation: Level Descriptors: First (70%+) Likely to be characterised by all or most of the following: – Excellent coverage of relevant issues, highlighting key areas of interest and drawn from a range of credible sources. – Logical and coherent throughout. – Research is clearly presented and appropriate analysis conducted and discussed. – Develops a strong case with good conclusion, providing a convincing argument and reflecting on the research process. 2.1(60-69%) Likely to display the following characteristics in some or all areas: – Should cover all key areas of literature but may lack detail in some places or use less robust sources. – Logical and coherent throughout, but perhaps a little factual in places or offering a less well developed argument overall. – Research methods are clearly explained and some analysis of results is conducted and discussed. – Good conclusion builds from analysis. 2.2 (50-59%) Will typically display some or all of the following characteristics: – Focuses on just one key area of literature (or weaker coverage of several key areas). – Argues the case, although this may not always be consistent and may show areas of weakness. – Research methods and analysis of results may be lacking in some areas. – Conclusion could be rather factual. 3 (40-49%) Will typically be characterised by some or all of the following: – Basic factual knowledge of the key areas, perhaps using poor sources from the literature. – Some attempt at conducting research, but likely to be weak in methodology and/or analysis. – Weak argument and conclusion. Fail (<40%) Likely to display some or all of the following characteristics: – Weak and sketchy knowledge, usually using few sources. – Research typically very weak in all areas. – Little or no argument and poor conclusion.