COMPUTER COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPT.
SCIENCE KUMASI TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
PROJECT
GUIDELINES
The Document provides the guidelines for writing project reports
conducted by students of the Computer Science Department of Kumasi
Polytechnic.
Aims of the Project:
The project aims to develop students’ research, analytical and programming skills and to apply
them to a substantive research project comprising a well-defined scientific or engineering
research or application problem of the students’ (guided) choice. The project will enhance the
students’ ability to utilise the knowledge, understanding, and skills developed previously across
the whole programme, integrating this in the context of the particular study and project
undertaken.
Intended learning outcomes:
Assessable outcomes
The acquisition of detailed knowledge and understanding on a specialist subject
The ability to source and reference material
The ability to assess and critically appraise alternatives.
The application of cognitive skills including analysis and argument
The application of problem solving skills to particular research/scientific problems in
the subject area
The ability to design and implement an algorithm, to port an existing implementation to
a new environment, to produce, test, and evaluate new or revised code.
The application of written presentation skills and the formulation of results so as to be
able to present defensible conclusions.
The application of oral presentation skills and the ability to produce and use effective
visual representation of research work.
Additional outcomes
The acquisition of project-management skills
To source information and employ information technology
The ability to produce individual work
The student will, with appropriate guidance from the HOD or other lecturers, select a topic of
interest to them and of academic/professional relevance within the area of research in the
community. All students will be allocated a project supervisor who will act as academic guide
and provide support to the student. Each student will undertake their project research in one
academic year, and complete a written report, and an oral presentation of their project by the
official submission deadline.
Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Students will undertake their project under the guidance of their project supervisor(s).
Interaction with the project supervisor(s) will be by means of individual tutorial support.
Students are expected to be in touch with their supervisor(s) on a regular basis. A complete
academic year will be devoted to the completion of the research and implementation stage,
writing-up stage and the oral presentation of the dissertation.
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Academic Misconduct:
Copying:
It is clear to all that, if a student is asked to do a piece of work, then simply copying all or part
of someone else’s work is not acceptable: copying is cheating and regarded seriously as
academic misconduct. More importantly, perhaps, it is not sensible. If there is a purpose in
asking a student to do a piece of work it will be to promote or assess the student’s learning, and
copying contributes nothing to that purpose. Equally, you should never employ anyone to write
an essay for you: this is a variant of copying.
Cheating, which is the attempt to gain an advantage for oneself or another by deceit and other
misconduct are breaches of discipline under institution’s regulations for conduct and are
punishable by a range of sanctions.
Cheating includes:
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another’s work as one’s own.
This applies whatever the source of the material (for example, a published source, the
web, or the work of another student), whether the material is copied word for word or
paraphrased, and whatever the extent of the material used.
Falsifying data, evidence, or experimental results.
Providing assistance to another student in an act of plagiarism or falsification.
Packaging Your Project:
Nothing is more depressing than to receive an otherwise competent dissertation, which is
illegible. Please make sure that you follow the guidelines below when writing the dissertation.
The font has to be Times,
Font size 12pt
Line spacing 1.5
Major headings: Centered and bolded
Minor headings and sub-headings: Capitalize the major words and bold them with their
numbering, such as 1.1, 2.1.1 and so forth. They should be left-aligned
Start a new chapter on a fresh page
Leave one line to indicate a paragraph
The alignment of all the other sections of the dissertation should be “Justify”.
Consistency of graphical expression has to be maintained throughout the project
STRUCTURE:
1. TITLE PAGE which should have the following format
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FACULTY
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2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (on separate page). To those who helped the author during the
project and in preparing the project report.
3. ABSTRACT (on separate page). A brief summary outlining the subject matter and the
conclusion of the project. It should not more than one page
4. Table of Contents (on separate page(s)). Use Roman numerals (example i, ii, iii, ...) for the
Acknowledgements, the Abstract and the Table of Content,. From Chapter One to the end, use
Arabic numbers (example 1, 2, 3, ...). This also includes List of Figures, List of Tables and List
of Code Snippet pages.
5. A complete list of chapters with sections and subsections
6. References (on separate page) List them as they appear in your work using the IEEE format.
Example:
[1] S. K. Opoku, "A Robust Cryptographic System using Neighbourhood-Generated Keys",
International Journal of Research in Computer Science, 2 (5): pp. 1-9, September 2012
7. List of Figures (on separate page) provide a comprehensive list of all the figures used in the
project from Chapter two to the end except the appendices. Format them as shown below
Figure Number Figure Description............................................................. Page number
Example
2.5 Architecture of Java SE ...................................................................... 8
8. List of Tables (on separate page) provides a comprehensive list of all the tables used in the
project from Chapter two to the end except the appendices. Format them as shown below
Table Number Table Description................................................................ Page number
Example
3.1 Cost of Networking Materials in 2013....................................... 23
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9. List of Code snippet (if available): (on separate page) provides a comprehensive list of all
the codes employed in Chapter two only, during your literature review. Format them as shown
below
Code Number Code Description................................................................ Page number
Example
2.5 SQL Statement for Saving Multiple Records........................... 12
10. Appendices: (on separate page) should include, depending on the nature of the project, the
following:
Complete listings of the programs (codes) written as part of the project
A User Manual for the software
Printouts of input or output results from the software where relevant
Testing reports of the system which do not fit the main body of the project report
Other relevant information which does not fit in the main body of the project report
Project Outline or Contents of the Chapters:
This section provides guidelines for the arrangement of chapters and the basic contents of the
various chapters required for the project. Your supervisor can modify the details of a chapter
Chapter One (Introduction): It includes background of the project, the various
objectives the study aims at achieving, the scope of the project and the significance of
the project. It also gives brief description of how the study is organized
Chapter Two (Literature Review): Students review publications that are related to their
project. The contents of the chapter include:
o Definition and explanation of major terminologies used in the project with
references
o Describe how various methods or processes were carried out, writing their
advantages and disadvantages with references
o Compare and contrast various related works, methods/methodologies,
technologies, principles, rules and theories that are related to the student’s
project with the view to uphold and constructively criticise view points
Chapter Three (Proposed System Design): This chapter discusses the structure,
architecture and design of the proposed system. Students are required to describe the
abstract nature of how their systems work. The chapter includes:
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o A description of the method/methodology that the student will be using.
Examples include: Waterfall, incremental building. Prototyping and describe
the various models or modules of the solution that conform to the methodology
described above.
o Creation of models and modules, describing how the various modules interact
with themselves using tools like Data Flow Diagrams, use cases, flowcharts
and etc. General diagrams and images are also accepted
Chapter Four (System Implementation): This chapter describes the implementation
stage of the work. The chapter includes:
o For software development, students are required to provide class diagrams,
structure of their program or sequence diagram to show the implementation and
the interaction of the various classes or modules. For other development projects
such as networking, electronic device implementation, students are to provide
images or pictures of the system and the various components (as possible).
o For software development, snap shot of the various interfaces are also required.
Description of the various interfaces and their functions are required. For other
developments, description of the various parts (with images) and their functions
are required
o Testing interfaces or image/pictures and the various error messages provided by
the system in terms of vulnerabilities, wrong entry, and wrong operation should
be captured as snap shot or pictures/images. They form an integral part of this
chapter
Chapter Five (Summary, Discussion and Future Work): The chapter includes:
o The summary of the overall work in no more than two paragraphs (less than 300
words) as the introductory part of chapter five.
o A discussion telling whether the objectives stated in chapter one have been
achieved and how were they achieved during the project work.
o Analysis of the implemented system, writing about its strengths and limitations.
o Conclusion: The conclusion should not be a mere summary of the work but it
should be on what has been achieved and its importance to the community.
o Provide information about what should be done in the future to enhance the
system that has been implemented
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PROJECT MARKING SHEET
Index Number of Student:
Title:
Name of Marker: Signed:
Total Mark Awarded (%):
Signature of HOD: Date:
SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT FEATURES:
Maximum
Criteria Description Mark Awarded
Mark
Review of related Work 10
Understanding the subject area 10
Clarity and depth of project
10
description
Complexity of the problem 10
Content (70%) Quality of the software (or
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device), design and style
Appropriate use of data structures,
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algorithms or design principles
Appropriate use of tools, libraries,
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existing code and etc
Balance of detail 5
Organisation and Logically developed structure 5
Structure of the Correct citation of sources 5
report (20%) Lay out of Sections and
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subsections
Style and Style of Writing, Grammar 5
Presentation (10%) Length (At least 5000 words ) 5
Total 100
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PROJECT PRESENTATION MARKING SHEET
Index Number of Student:
Title of Presentation:
Name of Examiner:
SPECIFIC ASSESSMENT FEATURES:
Content (Maximum 60):
o Understands Material (25).....................................................................
o Responses to questions (15)..................................................................
o Project Description – Definition, Depth, Structure (20).......................
Structure and Organization of the Presentation (Maximum 20):
o Logically developed string of information (12).....................................
o Clear structure – Introduction, Development, Summary (8)..................
Style, Timing (Maximum 10):
o Presentation style (5).............................................................................
o Time Management (5)...........................................................................
Visual Aids (Maximum 10):
o Adequacy (6).........................................................................................
o Quality (4).............................................................................................
Total (out of 100)
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WRITING YOUR PROJECT PROPOSAL:
A good proposal is likely to be used as chapter one of your project when written properly.
You are therefore advised to take your time and think deeply about what you want to do.
1. Front Page Format
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FACULTY
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2. Content
a. Background of the Study: The background information provides sufficient
content to the reader so they can understand the purpose of the work, the design
and the interpretation of the results. It provides a general overview of the topic
of study. It includes clear, focused, accurate and detailed information to
understand the science investigated during the study
b. Statement of the problem: The statement of the problem is the focal point of
your research. It is just one sentence (with several paragraphs of elaboration). It
explains how the problem relates to business, social or political trends by
presenting data that demonstrates the scope and depth of the problem. Try to
give dramatic and concrete illustrations of the problem. After writing this
section, make sure you can easily identify the single sentence that is the problem
statement
c. Objectives: The main aims that the project ought to achieve
d. Scope of the Study: The Scope includes the specific variables of study, the
location of the study, the samples, the respondents and weaknesses of the study
which are beyond the control of the researcher. It is also the important section of
a project which includes: coverage of the study, area, the subject, the research
instruments, the research issues and concerns, the duration of the study and the
constraints that have direct bearing on the result of the study
e. Significance of the Study: The importance of the work you are doing
f. Organisation of the Work: Provides brief description of the various chapters of
the study
g. Time Management: It describes how the time has been scheduled to complete
the work in time
h. Tools Requirement: What is/are programming language(s) required. The kind
of database management system you are going to use and the various
mechanisms required for your project. For non software development project,
state the various tools that are required and how you intend to acquire them
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