Dissertation RE – Ra - Paper Answers

Dissertation Planning Document

KB7052 – Investigative Project

Your Dissertation Title

Your Name

Student Number and Programme of Study

Supervisor Name:

1th June 2021
1
1

Contents
Technical Summary 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Problem Statement 1
1.3 Aim and Objectives 1
1.4 Literature Review 1
1.5 Methodology 2
1.6 Statement of Work 2
1.7 Subject Knowledge and Technical Skills 2
Appendix A.

Ethics Approval

3
Appendix B.

Project Planning Files

4
B1. Risk Management Plan 4
B2. Software and/or Equipment Self-learning Plan 4
B3. Resource and Sustainability Plan 4

B4. Project Gantt Chart

B5. Project Risk Analysis

B6. Critical Path Analysis

B7. Stakeholder Communication Plan

5
Appendix C.

Additional Information

Use the pre-set styles to set your heading level so this table is automatically generated

Technical Summary

Background

Provide an introduction to the project and the rationale of the work.

Word count ~300. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Problem Statement

Set out a concise problem statement and define a research question.

Word count ~200. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Aim and Objectives

Proposing the main aim of your project and elaborate on the meaning thereof.

The aim is the fundamental purpose of what you were trying to do – to find out something, to make something, to test something. The aim is often expressed as a statement of the research question or hypothesis.

Explain the objectives of your project. These are the sub-goals you needed to achieve in order to complete your project. There will be several objectives – typically around four to eight. This can be linked to stages in the Gannt chart.

You may also wish to include objectives that discuss the parts of your dissertation, like “To produce a literature survey on the subject of…” or “To write a discussion of the implementation of the system”.

Word count ~200. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Literature Review

A literature review presents the current knowledge including substantive findings as well as theoretical and methodological contributions to a particular topic. This can include related theories, equations, numeric models, and experimental set-up, system diagrams, etc.

Word count ~600. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Methodology

Here you should explain the technical methodology chosen to conduct the work and the reason for that choice, related theories, equations, numeric models, and experimental set-up, system diagrams, etc. All of these to be justified by your literature review. Consider using original figures created by yourself.

Word count ~600. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Statement of Work

Describe the scope of the work. This section should link with the Gantt chart. Describe the different stages of the project along with the milestones to be reached and the key dates. You can also include a critical path analysis to indicate which tasks are dependant on others. Set this section out as a list of work modules.

Word count ~300. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Subject Knowledge and Technical Skills

Here you should explain the subject knowledge and technical skills that may be required to complete the project and fulfil your aims and objectives.

This section should link the above sections, with planning documents in the Appendix sections – e.g. self-learning plan, project design and management plan + Gantt Chart.

Word count ~300. This is a guide only, focus on quality of content.

Word count = XXXX

(Maximum words 2500)

Ethics Approval

Evidence showing your Ethics form has been APPROVED:

e.g. a screenshot of the approval email from Ethics Online.

Project Planning Files

B1. Risk Management Plan

In this section add your risk management plan approved by supervisors – scanned photos or screenshots of the signed forms.

B2. Software and/or Equipment Self-learning Plan

In this section, propose your equipment/software/computer programming self-learning (with support) plan, reflecting the “Related Subject Knowledge and Skills” section.

B3. Resource and Sustainability Plan

In this section, add your Resource and Sustainability Plan documents approved by supervisors – scanned photos or screenshots of the signed planning report.

B4. Project Gantt Chart

In this section, provide the Gantt chart indicating:

· Tasks and work plan for achieving your aims and objectives

· Milestones and review points

· Additional time management reflecting self-learning plan addressing the “Related Subject Knowledge and Skills” section

· Do NOT create a Gantt chart that looks like a waterfall! Some of your activities will overlap. Mark specific and key meetings and decision points.

B5. Project Risk Analysis

In this section, include a risk analysis for your project. You need to include technical risks, but also overall project risks such as those from your engagement with your industrial sponsor. A risk analysis template has been made available on Blackboard.

B6. Critical Path Analysis

Ad a diagram showing your critical path analysis. Try using either a fishbone or circle and arrow diagram.

B7. Stakeholder Communication Plan

Create a simple table capturing the key people with whom you engage and communicate on your project. Capture their roles and responsibilities. Describe how frequently you should engage with them. Indicate how you can best influence them through your communication strategy.

Additional Information

You may want to include other appendices to help your planning.

KB7052

Research Project

– Module handbook

Contents

Welcome

Introduction

What is the key module information?

What will I learn?

How will I learn?

How will I be academically supported?

What will I be expected to achieve?

How will I be assessed?

Higher Education Framework

Overview

Competencies

Responsibilities

8
Overview 8

Student

Supervisor

Module Tutor

Supervision

Supervision Process

Unproductive Supervision

Research e-Journal and Evidence

14
Overview 14

Contents of Research e-Journal and Evidence Website

Ethics, Governance, and

Health and Safety

15
Overview 15

Ethics and Governance Policies

Liability

Ethics Online

Research Ethics Approval Confirmation

Health and Safety

Participant Informed Consent

Research Data

Ethical Issues and Adverse Events

20
Overview 20

Writing Style

Referencing Style

Expected Size of Submission

Approved Journals

Confidential Material

Research Paper

23
Overview 23
Writing Style 24
Referencing Style 25
Expected Size of Submission 25

Preliminary or Front Matter

Textual Matter

References or Back Matter

28
Confidential Material 29

Format

Submission

31
Overview 31

Your Submission Deadline

Your Submission Mechanism and Requirements

TurnitinUK

Deadline for Returning Your Mark and Feedback

Mechanism for Returning Your Mark and Feedback

Assessment

Assessment Process

Stage 1: Research Supervisor’s Report

Stage 2: Internal Assessment Report

Stage 3: Internal Moderation Report

Stage 4: Internal Cross-Moderation Report

Stage 5: External Moderation Report

Module Learning Outcomes (MLO)

Assessment Criteria

Viva Voce Examination

FAQs

Additional Information

Referral Attempt

Academic Integrity Statement

Failure to Submit

Academic Misconduct Policy

Academic Registry Policy Home Page

Anonymous Marking

Welcome
Welcome to the research project and the handbook for the module.

Prof. James Martin

is the module tutor. He will work alongside a team of academic colleagues in the Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering who will support you with your research project. For information about James’s role as the module tutor, your role as a student, and your research supervisor’s role, please see the section entitled Responsibilities.
Introduction

The module is taken by students enrolled in the following master’s degree programmes:

· MSc Construction Project Management and BIM;

· MSc Engineering Management;

· MSc Mechanical Engineering;

· MSc Project Management; and

· MSc Renewable and Sustainable Energy Technologies.

The length of time it will take you to complete the research project is dependent upon your mode of study. If you are a full-time student, you will complete your research project over the equivalent time of one semester. If you are a part-time or distance learning student, you will complete your research project over the equivalent time of two semesters. The notional student workload is exactly the same for all students, i.e., full-, part-time, and distance learning.

All being well, you will officially commence your research project shortly after the Programme Assessment Board (PAB) held immediately after you have completed the taught modules for your master’s degree programme (equivalent to 120 credit points of postgraduate study at level 7). Once you have gained

Academic

Regulation for Taught Awards

(ARTA) progression status at the PAB, you will be officially enrolled in the module and gain access to the Blackboard course for KB7052, including this handbook.

The research project provides you with an opportunity to undertake a piece of independent, original research on a subject of your own choice, which must be relevant to the ethos of your master’s degree programme. You are required to choose a topic which is of interest to you and which allows you to demonstrate your achievement of the research project module learning outcomes. You must also choose a topic that will enable you to carry out empirical research, write, and submit your dissertation within the available timescale permitted for your project.

Title selection procedure is as following:

1. You can propose your own project:

· Rigorous enough for our Master’s programme

· Prepare your project title and a 100 word project description

· Submit this information to us via the MS FORM

2. We have research project titles proposed by our academic colleagues:

· You need to select the ten (10) projects that most interest you in order of your preference, via the MS FORM

You will need to make your ten project choices, even if you wish to propose a project of your own. Although this handbook should provide you with answers to many of the questions you may have whilst enrolled in the research project module, should any remain, you should contact the module tutor for any clarification you may need.

Module Information and Specification

What is the key module information?

MODULE TITLE
Research Project
MODULE CODE
KB7052
MODULE LEVEL

Level 7

CREDIT VALUE

60 Northumbria University points

ASSESSMENT WEIGHTING

· Project Description – 0%

· Dissertation – 100%

MODULE TUTOR
Prof. James Martin

What will I learn?

The module will build upon the concepts and theories presented during the research methods module. It will require you to develop, consolidate, and apply your independent research, academic study, and research project management skills to the investigation of a topic of your own choice that is relevant to your programme of study. You will be required to undertake analytical and evaluative research that will result in the production of a dissertation,. If you choose to present your research project and findings as a research paper, you will be required to comply with the presentation and formatting requirements stipulated by the research journal determined by your programme of study. Alternatively, if you choose to present your research project and findings as a dissertation, you will be able to undertake a study that will lead to the presentation of either a traditional or work-based dissertation and subsequently required to comply with the presentation and formatting requirements stipulated in this handbook. Pre-selected, approved research journals to which you may aim to submit your research paper are listed in this handbook.

How will I learn?

At the beginning of your penultimate semester of study, you will receive a -student briefing lecture that will provide you with an overview of the requirements of the module. The lecture will also introduce you to the research project, which you will be required to complete and submit for formative assessment towards the end of your penultimate semester of study. Your proposed title may be based on your industrial experience, professional practice, laboratory work, or linked to topics covered elsewhere in your programme of study that you wish to explore further. The function of the project description will be for you to introduce your proposed topic of investigation, outline the purpose and rationale of your intended study, state your research goals and question(s), and indicate the delimitations and limitations of your planned work.

Additionally, you will also develop a project plan that you will implement during the execution of your investigation (with critical stages and milestones identified) designed to enable you to meet the module’s learning outcomes. You will also be required to complete and submit for approval a research ethics registration form. You should note there are no marks allocated to the research project description project plan, or ethics registration form. Your proposal will be formatively assessed to ascertain the potential of your topic to satisfy the module’s learning outcomes and the philosophy of your programme of study. Your supervisor will provide you with guidance and support during the execution of your research project and while writing your dissertation. Furthermore, your supervisor will monitor your compliance with the University’s research ethics and governance policies and procedures and, where appropriate, your adherence to the University’s codes of practice to safeguard the confidential nature of the data you have collected and analysed.

How will I be academically supported?

As your research project will require you to engage in a substantive amount of independent work, you will be allocated a research supervisor to provide you with guidance and support. The allocation of a supervisor will enable you to obtain formative feedback on the development and progress of your research project. Throughout your period of engagement, your supervisor will guide you through the process of formalising, executing, preparing, and writing up your research project during supervision sessions. If you are a full- or part-time student, you will meet regularly with your supervisor to discuss and reflect upon your progress; whereas if you are a distance learning student, you will use Blackboard Collaborate as the medium for supervision [during the COVID pandemic, all students may us Microsoft TEAMS or Blackboard, as directed by their supervisor]. The Blackboard course will provide support to you outside of supervision.

What will I be expected to achieve?

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

· Propose a clear and logical research design, data collection and analysis strategy which is appropriate to the research context, variables and attributes of your intended data; and

· Evaluate different methodological approaches and data collection and analysis techniques.

INTELLECTUAL/PROFESSIONAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES

· Define, refine and operationalise a researchable topic that is succinctly focused and critically justified regarding its theoretical framework and research methodology and accurately reflects the philosophy of your programme of study;

· Conduct a targeted literature search of library and web-based materials (including institutional data and advanced scholarly articles) and critically appraise and analyse your findings;

· Integrate and modify ideas, concepts and theoretical models that you have selectively extracted from academic literature;

· Critically evaluate and test the applicability of theoretical models to your researchable topic;

· Design a detailed programme of research, data collection and analysis that integrates research goals, data requirements and standardised methods of collection and analysis, and takes into consideration theoretical and methodological constraints and limitations;

· Identify carefully considered gaps in your completed research and propose appropriate and relevant possibilities for further research; and

· Write an original dissertation, which does not exceed the stipulated word limit, in an academically acceptable format. It must be theoretically and methodologically linked, paying particular attention to the integration of the literature review, the focused choice of methodology explained in comparative terms, the critical evaluation of your data, and the clear and concise presentation of new results.

PERSONAL VALUES AND ATTRIBUTES

· Design and execute a detailed programme of research, data collection and analysis that takes into consideration the professional, research ethics and governance characteristics of a Northumbria University postgraduate student.

How will I be assessed?

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT WILL TAKE PLACE VIA A RESEARCH PROJECT PROPOSAL

You are required first to complete a 1,500-word research project proposal using a standardised template. The proposal will include your research project plan. You will submit this document within two weeks of the beginning of your research project semester to your academic supervisor for assessment and feedback. Your proposal will be formatively assessed to ascertain the ability of your topic to satisfy the module’s learning outcomes and the philosophy of your programme of study. Furthermore, your proposal will provide an opportunity for the in-process evaluation of your intended topic at a relatively early stage in its development. There are no marks allocated to the research project proposal or research project plan.

You will be required to confirm your project proposal with your academic supervisor before completing your online ethics form.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

You will be summatively assessed by one item of coursework. This will be your, which may be presented as a Dissertation (please see the section entitled Dissertation for further details).

Dissertation

Your dissertation will be a written record of your research project and its findings. It will include a statement of your research aim(s); research question(s) (and hypothesis/es where appropriate); and a demonstration of the appropriateness of your research methodology and the methods you employed during data collection and analysis. Your publication will also illustrate the development of a clear and focused theoretical perspective: it must include an integrated critical appraisal and detailed analysis of existing literature; a focused demonstration of methodological issues appropriate to your study; the accurate new interpretation and evaluation of primary and/or secondary data; and the clear and concise presentation of new results, including an account of the theoretical and practical limitations of your study in terms of its relation to the area/topic you chose to study.

Your dissertation will end with a conclusion, during which you will present a critical and holistic reflection of the appropriateness of your study’s research goals; theoretical development; methodological approach; derived results; limitations and recommendations for improvements, and further research.

You will be required to submit your dissertation using the Turnitin-UK tool in the Blackboard course. Your summative assessment feedback will be released to you using the Grade Mark facility in Turnitin-UK. The Quick Mark and Rubric Score Card tools will be used to provide you with summative assessment feedback.

Higher Education Framework

Requirements of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Higher Education Framework for Taught Master’s Degree Programmes

Overview

According to

The Framework for Higher Education Qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

, master’s degrees are awarded to the student who has demonstrated:

· A systematic understanding of knowledge, and a critical awareness of current problems and new insights, much of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of their academic discipline, the field of study, or area of professional practice;

· A comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their research or advanced scholarship;

· Originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the discipline; and

· Conceptual understanding that enables the student to evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in the discipline; and to evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses.

Competencies

Typically, holders of the qualification will be able to:

· Deal with complex issues both systematically and creatively, make sound judgments in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences;

· Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional or equivalent level; and

· Continue to advance their knowledge and understanding, and to develop new skills to a high standard;

and will have:

· The qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring:

1. The exercise of initiative and personal responsibility;

2. Decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations; and

3. The independent learning ability required for continuing professional development.

The elements of the QAA’s framework inform the pedagogy and philosophy of the research project module. You should carefully reflect on each outcome and consider how you can best demonstrate these abilities while completing your research project and writing your dissertation or research paper.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities of Key Stakeholders

Overview

This section outlines the key responsibilities that rest with you, as the student, your research supervisor, and the module tutor. If you do not magnify your duties as a research project student, you may experience an unanticipated reduction of your mark or fail to complete your research project and submit your dissertation or research paper promptly. Furthermore, should you fail to engage with the requirements of the module (please refer to the

Handbook of Student Regulations

for further information), you may run the risk of being withdrawn from the module.

Student

Each student enrolled on to the research project module has a set of responsibilities. As a student, you are required to adhere to these responsibilities, which are outlined as follows:

· To read this handbook and the guidance available to you at

Northumbria University’s Library Portal

to ensure you reference correctly and avoid plagiarism and other forms of academic misconduct;

· To work consistently on your research project throughout the period allocated to you for the completion of your studies;

· To meet regularly with your supervisor and to discuss progress on your research project during at least 6 formal occasions. If you are a campus-based student, i.e., you are a full- or part-time student, you will receive supervision in a tutorial group/active learning set with peers. If you are a distance learning student, you will receive supervision in a virtual tutorial group/active learning set with peers via Blackboard Collaborate. If you are a student with an exceptional circumstance which prevents you from attending a tutorial group/active learning set (as described above), you should speak with your supervisor to see if an alternative arrangement can be made. However, it is important for you to understand you do not possess the authority to request your supervisor meets with you individually on a one-to-one basis. Should you fail to engage with your supervisor on at least 6 formal occasions, you may find you are withdrawn from the research project by the module tutor (following consultation with the Faculty Registrar);

· To gain research ethics approval using Northumbria University’s Ethics Online tool prior to commencing your research project, in addition to following the policies and procedures stipulated by Northumbria University to minimise the risks associated with health and safety (please see the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety for further information). Submitted dissertations that have resulted from a research project that has not been granted research ethics approval using Northumbria University’s Ethics Online tool will not be summatively assessed. When you make your research ethics application using the online tool, you need to follow the instructions outlined in the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety;

· To reflect upon and record your progress made against your research plan by recording the items discussed and mutually agreed with the action points in your research e-journal following each research supervision tutorial/active learning set;

· To maintain a research evidence file (please see the section entitled Research e-Journal and Evidence for further information), which includes all correspondence and working papers associated with your research project. It must also include completed questionnaires, interview transcripts; research participant informed consent forms (please see the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety for further information), case study materials, laboratory notes, application printouts, etc.;

· To attend your research supervision tutorial/active learning set at the mutually agreed time or to give adequate prior notice of postponement to your supervisor by e-mail or telephone. It is recommended you provide your supervisor with your mobile telephone number;

· To recognise your supervisor is unable to proof-read and correct your work. Your supervisor will aim to return drafts of your work (where the request to review the work was initiated by your supervisor) with appropriate feedback comments within 20 working days. You do not possess the authority to request your supervisor proofread or correct draft materials and correct spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, punctuation, etc. In circumstances where you initiate a request to your supervisor to provide feedback on draft materials regarding its structure, narrative, and presentation, supervisors can return your work with appropriate feedback comments within a timescale determined by your supervisor that does not exceed 20 working days. If you need help with your use of academic English language when writing your dissertation, you should make an appointment to receive specialist support from Student Support and Wellbeing; and

· To submit your dissertation or research paper on or before the date set by the module tutor (please see section entitled Submission for further information).

Supervisor

Your delegated supervisor will be honest with you and inform you when you are working progressively well or not so well. This means you are required to be honest with your supervisor. You should trust your supervisor to ensure your professional relationship develops and matures. Each supervisor has a set of responsibilities, which include:

· To provide you with advice and guidance with the aim of facilitating your production of a dissertation or research paper of the requisite standard and educational ethos of your programme;

· To meet regularly with you and to discuss progress on your research project during at least 6 formal occasions. If you are a campus-based student, i.e., you are a full- or part-time student, you will receive supervision in a tutorial group/active learning set with peers. If you are a distance learning student, you will receive supervision in a virtual tutorial group/active learning set with peers via Blackboard Collaborate. If you are a student with an exceptional circumstance which prevents you from attending a tutorial group/active learning set (as described above), you should speak with your supervisor to see if an alternative arrangement can be made. However, it is important for you to understand you do not possess the authority to request your supervisor meets with you individually on a one-to-one basis. Should you fail to engage with your supervisor on at least 6 formal occasions, you may find you are withdrawn from the research project by the module tutor (following consultation with the Faculty Registrar);

· To support and monitor your academic, research ethics, health and safety, and professional ethics practice. This responsibility includes reviewing and determining the decision of your research ethics application using Northumbria University’s Ethics Online tool. When you make your research ethics application using the online tool, you need to follow the instructions outlined in the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety;

· To encourage you to reflect upon and record your progress made against your research plan by recording the items discussed and mutually agreed with the action points in your Research e-Journal following each research supervision tutorial/active learning set;

· To offer guidance to you regarding the execution, collection, and analysis of data for your research investigation and production of your dissertation or research paper;

· To be aware and advise you of the correct safety procedures pertaining to your research project and, if in doubt, should seek advice from the Faculty Health and Safety Manager after consulting the Faculty Health and Safety Operating Arrangements in the Staff Intranet;

· To aim to return your draft work (where the request to review the work was initiated by your supervisor) with appropriate feedback comments within 20 working days. You do not possess the authority to request your supervisor proofread or correct draft materials and/or correct spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, punctuation, etc. In circumstances where you initiate a request to your supervisor to provide feedback on draft materials regarding its structure, narrative, and presentation, supervisors can return your work with appropriate feedback comments within a timescale determined by your supervisor that does not exceed 20 working days; and

· To offer constructive guidance and support to you when you are behind schedule. When your progress continues to remain behind plan for more than 20 working days, your supervisor will advise the module tutor of the situation, who in turn may liaise with the Faculty Registrar.

Module Tutor

The module tutor has a set of responsibilities and tasks to perform associated with academic quality assurance of the module. These include:

· To manage and coordinate the module, including liaison with students, supervisors, internal examiners and moderators, and external examiners;

· To allocate project titles to students ….

· To allocate supervisors to students (please see section entitled Supervision for further information). Supervisors may not necessarily have subject-related knowledge relevant to your research project; however, they will possess experience and knowledge of conducting research and supervising students;

· To warn you if you appear to be in danger of failing to complete your research project promptly, or if your work is unlikely to satisfy the module’s learning outcomes following feedback from your supervisor;

· To co-ordinate the internal examination and moderation of dissertations and research papers, including the external examination of work in line with Northumbria University’s academic quality assurance system; and

· To liaise with your Registry Programme Support Coordinator to arrange a Stage 1 Academic Misconduct Panel meeting following the summative assessment of your dissertation or research paper if a concern arises regarding the integrity and originality of your work (please see the section entitled Assessment for further information).

· To undertake an objective review of the supervision allocation if either the student or supervisor express concern that the relationship is unproductive or dysfunctional. Neither the student nor supervisor have the authority to make alternative arrangements for supervision: the module tutor is responsible for allocating students to supervisors and his decision is final.

Supervision
Supervision Process

Members of academic staff, research staff, and research students can act as research supervisors to undertake a supportive and enabling role with you during the time you are working on your research project. If you are a full- or part-time student, you will be supervised in a tutorial group during which your supervisor will adopt an active learning approach to your research supervision.

Your supervisor will arrange the dates, times, and venues of the active learning sets. It is, therefore, important that you make every effort to attend each timetabled tutorial. You do not possess the authority to request individual or one-to-one supervision sessions. If you are a distance learning student, depending on the geographic location of each member of the online tutorial group, your research supervisor may either: arrange online tutorials and active learning sets using Blackboard Collaborate as outlined above or, when this is not possible due to the wide geographic spread of tutorial group members, arrange online tutorials and active learning sets using Blackboard Collaborate with a smaller number of students attending.

Supervisors may read and comment on your draft materials as well as offer guidance about the definition and scope of your research topic. They may also direct you to relevant theoretical and methodological literature references; provide direction with respect to the presentation and structure of your dissertation or research paper; provide guidance to help you maintain all ethical considerations; offer advice with respect to your research methodology and research method choices, including data collection, handling, and analysis procedures; and encourage you to develop original, rigorous conclusions following a critical evaluative analysis of your (potentially incomplete) data.

It is essential that you seek guidance from your supervisor from the start of your research project. The initiative, decision, and creative effort required to realise a successful research investigation must come from you. You should remember your research project belongs to you and not your supervisor. Advice from your supervisors must not be misinterpreted as a relaxation of the regulations outlined in this handbook or the University of Northumbria’s

Academic

Regulations for Taught Awards

(ARTA).

Supervisors are unable to advise on the potential grade any draft dissertation or draft research paper is likely to receive; neither can they confirm whether it is expected to gain a pass result. You should recognise dissertations and research papers submitted for summative assessment will be internally and externally moderated under the University of Northumbria’s Policy for the Internal and External Moderation of Assessed Work. Furthermore, marks will remain unconfirmed until external moderation of the module has taken place by the external examiners, and results have been presented and confirmed at the Programme Assessment Board (PAB). The research project assessment process is fair, rigorous, consistent, and unbiased. It complies with Northumbria University’s Academic Regulations for Taught Awards, Academic Quality Assurance Procedures, including the Policy for the Internal and External Moderation of Assessed Work.

Supervisors are unable to provide you with your unconfirmed mark for your dissertation or research paper. It is the module tutor’s responsibility to communicate unconfirmed, internally moderated marks to students. Your internally moderated, unconfirmed mark and feedback commentary will be released to you by the module tutor no later than 20 working days after submission (unless unanticipated extenuating circumstances delay the release of marks). Should the release of marks be delayed, the module tutor will let you know by placing an announcement on the Blackboard course. Your externally moderated and confirmed mark will be communicated to you by the University of Northumbria’s official results publication procedure, which is initiated by your Programme Support Coordinator in Registry. The module tutor does not release your confirmed mark for KB7052.

Unproductive Supervision

If either you or your research supervisor is in possession of evidence to substantiate a claim that the supervision process is not as productive as it should be, either party should report their concern to the module tutor as soon as possible.

The module tutor will proceed to undertake an objective, independent review of the supervision process. The review will involve the module tutor speaking speak with the student alone and then with the student’s research supervisor. If evidence is gathered by the module tutor which confirms the alleged reduced productivity, the module tutor will consider and implement the most effective solution to ensure a productive supervision process is facilitated as swiftly as possible.

Research e-Journal and Evidence

Requirements of the Research e-Journal and Evidence Website

Overview

Three characteristics of a successful research student include their ability to focus on and complete the right tasks at the right time, their ability and capacity to work independently and efficiently to satisfy targets successfully, and their determination to finish tasks promptly. The successful student, therefore, possesses well-defined time and project management skills.

When you embark on the process of completing a research project, you are required to balance the time you devote to your employment, personal life and commitments, and your research studies. Quite often, you will have more freedom over these choices than you realise; however, making decisions and employing time management skills remain critical challenges for all.

Excellent time management is a skill that can be learned and perfected. One technique that can be used to maximise productive time is to organize research tasks by utilising and maintaining a diary in the form of a research journal. Journals can prove to be a useful resource for keeping track of day-to-day activities and, regarding a research project, can be used for monitoring progress against schedule key milestone events.

Contents of Research e-Journal and Evidence Website

Your Research e-Journal and Evidence website, which is a mandatory requirement of the module, includes two inter-related documents: your Research e-Journal and your Research Evidence File.

RESEARCH E-JOURNAL

Your Research e-Journal is a typed reflective commentary based on your experiences and abilities to develop and execute your research project. You are required to write an entry after each supervision tutorial/active learning set and at key decision points that arise during the journey of your research project. Reflective entries are needed, as a minimum standard, to include the following:

· Date and time of your supervision tutorial/active learning set, including details of the supervision context discussed during the tutorial/active learning session; and

· Progress agreed on targets, and priorities made since your last supervision tutorial/Research e-Journal entry. This section must be completed immediately after/before each supervision tutorial/active learning set, as your supervisor is required to monitor your progress and may decide to review your Research e-Journal as part of this responsibility. If little or no progress has been made, your supervisor may choose to notify the module tutor of the situation (please see section entitled Responsibilities for further information).

RESEARCH EVIDENCE FILE

Throughout the process of conducting your research project, you are required to retain evidence of the work you have undertaken while completing your project to confirm your original contribution. In the past, students were required to retain a physical copy of their research evidence in a file, but from April 2018, students starting the module are now required to use their Research e-Journal and Evidence website hosted in Blackboard.

The evidence included in your Research e-Journal and Evidence website must include your rough notes, journal papers articles, successive draft chapters of your dissertation or your drafts of your research paper, correspondence associated with your project, completed questionnaires, interview transcripts, case study materials, email correspondence associated with your study, computer simulation/calculation printouts, etc. If your research project includes calculations or derivations, the working papers for these must also be retained as part of your evidence. Furthermore, completed surveys, questionnaires, and research participant consent forms (please see the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety for further information) must be retained in your Research e-Journal and Evidence website.

Along with your research supervisor, the internal assessor, internal moderator, and internal cross-moderator of your dissertation will have access to the evidence contained in your Research e-Journal and Evidence website during the summative assessment of your work. Should the Turnitin-UK originality report for your dissertation show indications of an unanticipated similarity to previously published work, the internal assessor will scrutinize your Research e-Journal and Evidence website. It is, therefore, a mandatory requirement of the module that you maintain an up-to-date Research e-Journal and Evidence website in the manner stipulated in this section of the handbook.

Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety

Policies and Procedures Associated with Research Ethics and Governance and Health and Safety

Overview

Conducting empirical research is a requirement of the research project module. Once you have established your research question, you need to demonstrate an awareness of the alternative research methods available and select the most appropriate to meet your objectives (please see section entitled Assessment for further information about the Module Learning Outcomes). It is essential to recognise the constraints you will inevitably be faced with when designing a realistic and meaningful research project. The implementation of the data collection procedure(s) and the subsequent data analysis need to be carefully thought through and built into your programme as soon as possible.

As well as practical and theoretical considerations, it is essential that you consider any ethical and governance issues when designing your research at the outset. Northumbria University’s Ethics and Governance Policy Statements and Procedures can be accessed via its website (please see below).

The key considerations of ethics relate to:

· Whether your research will directly involve human subjects/participants; for example, in surveys, interviews, and experiments. And whether your research will include vulnerable subjects/participants (such as children, other young people under the age of 18, seniors, asylum seekers, those with ill-health or some form of disability); and

· Whether your research project involves the collection of data that will not be permitted to be used for other projects or which consists of the collection of data of a potentially confidential nature or otherwise is personally, commercially or politically sensitive.

Northumbria University’s policy statement highlights the principles of beneficence and non-maleficence as being fundamental to all research activity:

· Beneficence: is the requirement to promote the interests and well-being of others, i.e., the ethical principle of doing good in the broadest sense; and

· Non-maleficence is the principle of not harming – so both principles should be applied.

Ethics and Governance Policies

Northumbria University has established policies, frameworks, and guidance to address ethics in research; this is an ever-changing field and Northumbria University’s policies, and procedures are continually revised and updated. The latest information published by the University is available via its

Northumbria University’s Ethics and Governance

webpage.

The University’s ethics policy clarifies the obligations of researchers, promotes awareness of ethical principles and ethical issues in the conduct of all research activities, and provides a framework for their consideration at Northumbria University. The Northumbria University Research and Ethics Governance Handbook provides detailed guidance on best practice in research. There are also several other documents which can be accessed from Northumbria University’s ethics and governance website, including The Policies and Procedures Relating to Ethics.

The Faculty of Engineering and Environment is required to have in place its procedures for monitoring ethical issues. These procedures are derived from Northumbria University’s ethics and governance procedures. They are designed to complement and supplement Northumbria University’s processes with a focus on the ethical and governance issues most likely to be encountered in the subject disciplines of engineering and environment. The Faculty of Engineering and Environment procedures do not replace Northumbria University’s systems: all research activities should be conducted following the latest methods and researchers should ensure they are familiar with them. This level of responsibility includes you, as a research project student. Details of the

Faculty of Engineering and Environment’s Ethics and Governance

policies and procedures can be found via Northumbria University’s website.

Liability

Research activity that does not comply with Northumbria University’s ethics and governance procedures may not be covered by the Northumbria University’s insurance policies, and individual researchers may, therefore, be liable in the situation of a claim arising because of their research activity. This non-compliance includes failure to submit details about your proposed research project and acquire research ethics approval using Ethics Online.

Ethics Online

IMPORTANT NOTE: when you apply for research ethics approval using the Ethics Online – Research Ethics Online Approval System, you MUST enter the following information in the relevant data entry fields:

· Faculty: Engineering and Environment

· Department: Mechanical and Construction Engineering

· Submitting as: PGT – Postgraduate Taught student

· Module Code: KB7052

· Module Tutor (or Submission Coordinator): James Martin

· Research Supervisor: Name of your Research Supervisor – NOT the Module Tutor

· Named Submission Coordinator (PGT/UGT only): Name of your Research Supervisor – NOT the Module Tutor

If you do not follow these guidelines, you will experience a delay in your research ethics application.

If you have any questions about or experience any difficulties when using the Ethics Online – Research Ethics Online Approval System, please contact the Department Research Ethics Lead, Dr Victor Samwinga, NOT the Module Tutor.

As a postgraduate taught student completing a research project, you MUST use Northumbria University’s Ethics Online – Research Ethics Approval System to submit a request for ethical approval – by [16th Oct 2020] The system is a mandatory University of Northumbria requirement that has received very positive feedback from staff and students who have used it.

Ethics Online allows you to submit details about your research project for ethics approval at any time, on or off campus, as well as track your application through the process. It will also ensure Northumbria University is meeting the highest ethical research standards set out in

Universities UK’s Concordat to Support Research Integrity

, which provides a comprehensive national framework for good research conduct and governance.

The tool captures all required information in a single university-wide system that makes it easier to find and access Northumbria University’s research ethics and governance information and ensures the safety of research and participants throughout the research process.

If you have any questions about Ethics Online, you should review the online Ethics Online User Guides for Undergraduate and Postgraduate Taught Students, which are available to you from the Ethics Online – Research Ethics Approval System section of Northumbria University’s

Ethics and Governance

webpage. The Ethics Online tool is available to you from this section of the Northumbria University’s webpage. Should you have further questions about Ethics Online after you have reviewed the online guides, please speak with your delegated supervisor, or contact the Department Research Ethics Lead (please, see the sub-section immediately above for further information).

Research Ethics Approval Confirmation

You are required to submit an electronic copy (in PDF format) of your research ethics approval confirmation e-mail message to the submission facility in the module assessment area of Blackboard by the deadline stipulated in the module schedule area of the Blackboard course for the dissertation. You are cautioned that you can only access the TurnitinUK submission facility for the dissertation once you have submitted your research ethics approval confirmation. Only dissertations that have acquired the University’s mandatory research ethics approval will be summatively assessed.

Health and Safety

Although not directly related to research ethics, it is also essential that you discuss health and safety issues associated with your research project with your supervisor before commencing your research project. Northumbria University has published resources to manage risks to health and safety that are designed to assist students, staff, visitors, and contractors ensuring risks associated with University activities are adequately controlled, minimised, or removed. You must speak with your research supervisor about the steps you will take to manage the risks associated with health and safety while undertaking your research project. Detailed information can be found from Northumbria University’s

Health and Safety
webpage.

Participant Informed Consent

Where information is to be gathered from persons participating in your research (through interviews, questionnaires, or other means of observation), the prospective participants must be provided with sufficient information to enable them to make an informed decision as to whether they wish to participate. Guidance on producing an information sheet is contained in Northumbria University’s and the Faculty of Engineering and Environment’s Ethics and Governance procedures (please see above).

research participant informed consent form

must be completed by each taking part in your research project. Participants are asked to confirm they have been briefed about your research project and its purpose and consent to their involvement in the research.

Research participant informed consent also considers issues of anonymity and confidentiality and allows for the participant to indicate specific requirements for anonymity or confidentiality, including any proposed use of audio/videotaped interviews and observations.

If you intend to obtain information from others during your data collection phase, you must gain their consent using the stipulated research participant informed consent form. Your supervisor must ensure you comply with this requirement and approve the information provided to participants in advance of you issuing the form. You must place completed research participant informed consent forms in your research evidence file (please see the section entitled Research Evidence for further information).

In the case of interviews conducted by telephone, rather than face-to-face, the following are indicated as the alternative procedures for gaining consent:

· You can set up the telephone interview and send the research participant informed consent form in advance by post – telephone interviews are only to be carried out once the forms are received and signed by the participant;

· You can set up the telephone interview in advance by email with the research participant informed consent form attached. The consent should be returned and printed out. Telephone interviews must only to be carried out once the completed forms are received back from the participants by email;

· The taping option. You should telephone the proposed participant and ask for their permission to record and obtain consent verbally. Once the digital audio recorder is switched on, you and the interviewee should go through the issues raised in the research participant informed consent form and record the answers. This will then create either an audio digital media file, which you will need to be submitted in written form within your research evidence file; or

· A transcribed report of the telephone interview should be sent to the participant for approval with an accompanying letter, which should include the following statement: If no response to this request for consent to use the transcribed information from the telephone interview is received within one month of the date of this letter, consent is deemed to have been provided.

When you plan to use a questionnaire survey to collect primary data, the questionnaire must be accompanied by a letter containing the information sheet (or email as appropriate) explaining the purpose of your research and include, at the end of the questionnaire, the following standard statement: I understand the purpose of this research and agree to participate. Return of the questionnaire with this statement implies the respondent has given consent.

All survey methods and instruments must be approved by your supervisor before you commence data collection.

Research Data

All data of a personal or confidential nature must be stored securely, and at the end of your research project, should be destroyed in line with Northumbria University’s ethics and governance policies and procedures. Full guidance on data protection (following the

Data Protection Act

) and secure storage of research data is also available via this webpage. As a minimum, personal and confidential data should only be obtained if it is required for your research and should not be used for any other purpose. It should be locked away when not in use and any computer facilities used should be password protected. You should discuss these requirements for secure data storage and disposal with your supervisor. Personal and confidential data should not be stored on HDDs, USB drives nor cloud storage services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. You should use your Northumbria University U-drive facility for the safe and secure storage of all documentation associated with the completion of your research project.

Ethical Issues and Adverse Events

You must inform your supervisor of any ethical issues or adverse events which arise while you execute your research. Your supervisor will notify the module tutor accordingly, who in turn will liaise with the Department Research Ethics Lead for consideration by the Faculty Research Ethics Director.

Research Paper

Requirements of the Research Paper Structure, Presentation, and

Format

Overview

Critical appraisal and detailed analysis are essential aspects of academic writing and, as a result, are crucial to the preparation of a research paper. The literature referred to, and the primary or secondary data collected, are collectively known as raw data. This raw data must be carefully and intricately woven together by adopting a focused, intelligent and evaluative narrative/analytical discourse when writing your literature. Analytical means asking appropriate questions; not taking anything for granted; being aware of potential bias in data sources, and drilling down to get beneath the surface of the important issues to uncover critical facts.

The first stage of any analysis is a critical review of the literature surrounding the topic. The review needs to be organized under a logical structure of sections with appropriate sub-headings which make full use of primary and secondary bibliographic references using the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system (or the referencing methodology stipulated by the journal publisher). The literature review should be organized around key themes; significant sources of information; important theoretical and methodological issues and the study’s primary research goals. When using secondary data, e.g., information that is already published, you are required to present it appropriately and efficiently and, if needs be, handle it in either a quantitative/qualitative/mixed method manner. You should be asking: “What do these data tell me about the topic and how do they relate to other forms of assembled evidence?”

Should you choose to collect primary data, e.g., information that has not previously been published and is therefore original to the study, you should outline the methods used in the research methodology section of your research paper, including any problems you encountered during the process of data gathering and handling. The data should be efficiently presented using simple descriptive statistics. i.e., mean values, ranks, etc.; inferential statistics, i.e., correlations; or qualitative data analysis techniques in the discussion of the results section. You should try to uncover the full extent of what the data are saying or alluding to by comparing different parts of the data and using quantitative/qualitative analysis (where appropriate). You should not form definitive conclusions based on weak or incomplete data. You are required to inform your reader(s) of what the data means as far as your study’s goals are concerned.

In the conclusion section, you should bring together the literature, secondary and primary data evidence and compare what has been discovered initially with existing knowledge. Again, you should be asking questions, e.g., where, when, why, before making conclusions relating to the hypothesis/research question(s), and the research goals specified in the introductory section of our research paper. You should also undertake a critically reflexive appraisal of your study, including the research goals, theoretical underpinning, methodology, data gathering and handling, etc.

It is recommended you use a spell-checker on each draft research paper. There are, however, some words that commonly slip through a spell-checker’s net, e.g., ‘their’ or ‘there’, ‘principle’ or ‘principal’, ‘it’s’ or ‘its’, ‘practice’ or ‘practise’, ‘effect’ or ‘affect’, ‘where’ or ‘were’. There are many more. Grammar-checkers can also be useful, but you should not be used as a substitute for careful proof-reading. You should take advantage of the academic writing support and guidance resources that are available to you from Student Support and Wellbeing. You should note supervisors are not required to proof-read draft research papers to correct poor spelling, grammar, punctuation, or structure. You supervisor is only required to provide guidance on the planned structure of your research paper and research process.

Writing Style

Your level of writing must be appropriate to the stipulated educational attainment level and the subject ethos of your chosen programme of study. Specifically, you should give acute attention to correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and clarity of style. It is your responsibility to edit your draft research paper for any typing errors (typos), uncover and correct all spelling errors. Supervisors are not responsible for proof-reading and correcting errors of this nature. You are reminded that word-processing spell-check programs do not reveal all categories of a spelling error.

Usually, depending on your methodological stance, there should be no first person pronoun references (singular first-person pronouns are ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘mine’, and ‘we’; and first-person plural pronouns are ‘our’, ‘ours’, ‘we’, and ‘us’) or second person pronoun references (‘you’, ‘your’, and ‘yours’) in your research paper. If self-reference is required, reference may be made to the ‘author’ or the ‘researcher’. It is normal practice to write research papers in the third person (singular third person pronouns are ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘his’, ‘hers’, ‘him’, and ‘her’; and third person plural pronouns are ‘they’, ‘them’, and ‘their’).

If you have trouble expressing yourself in suitable academic English or experience problems associated with spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc., or in presenting figures, charts and tables, as mentioned above, you may wish to approach Student Support and Wellbeing for one-to-one advice or for acquiring self-help learning materials.

Referencing Style

Your research paper must be written in an academically acceptable format in which all bibliographic citations in the textual matter and sources listed in the references and bibliography must be fully referenced using either the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system or the referencing methodology stipulated by the publisher of the journal to which you are aiming to ‘theoretically’ submit your paper. The

Cite Them Right Online

tool will help you to reference just about any category of a source and understand how to avoid plagiarism when writing your research paper. You may be asked to enter your Northumbria University online credentials to access the tool.

Expected Size of Submission

Your research paper must not exceed 10,000-words. This limit is an absolute maximum permissible word count for your research paper. Research papers exceeding this word limit will be penalised under the

Northumbria University Word Limits Policy

. The actual word count is to be declared on the Declaration Form (please see section entitled Submission for further information). Summarising and compressing the data in a research paper is one of the critical skills you are expected to acquire and demonstrate as part of the research process. The word count does not include the preliminary/front matter and references/back matter but includes all other material presented in the textual matter, including headings/sub-headings, in-text citations, and quotations, figures and tables, etc. An abstract must also be included, which should be a précis of the main elements of the research, of no more than 200-words (or the word limit stipulated by the journal publisher), and include a separate but brief list of keywords. The words contained in the abstract and keywords are not included in the word count for your research paper.

Approved Journals

You are required to write a research paper as if you were going to submit it to one of the ‘approved’ journal listed below associated with your programme of study. You cannot choose your publication. You are not required to submit your research paper for potential publication, but you are required to comply with the guidance notes for submission stipulated by the relevant publisher of the journal.

· MSc Construction Project Management and BIM –

Construction Management and Economics

· MSc Engineering Management –

Journal of Management in Engineering

· MSc Mechanical Engineering –

Journal of Mechanical Design

The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology

Polymer

· MSc Project Management –

Project Management Journal

· MSc Renewable and Sustainable Energy Technologies –

Environmental Science and Technology

Confidential Material

Following the recommendations outlined in the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety, your dissertation should not contain confidential material, as it will be made available as an electronic resource for future students and the programme external examiners. In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to include such information, providing prior approval has been obtained from the participants of your research project and the Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering Ethics Lead via the module tutor.

Research Paper

Requirements of the Research Paper Structure, Presentation, and

Overview

Critical appraisal and detailed analysis are important aspects of academic writing and, as a result, are crucial to the preparation of a dissertation. The literature referred to, and the primary or secondary data collected, are collectively known as raw data. This raw data must be carefully and intricately woven together by adopting a focused, intelligent and evaluative narrative/analytical discourse when writing your literature review chapter(s). Analytical means asking appropriate questions; not taking anything for granted; being aware of potential bias in data sources, and drilling down to get beneath the surface of the top-level issues to uncover critical facts.

The first stage of any analysis is a critical review of the literature surrounding the topic. This needs to be organized under a logical structure of chapters with appropriate sub-headings which make full use of primary and secondary bibliographic references using the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system. The literature review should be organized around key themes; significant sources of information; important theoretical and methodological issues and the study’s primary research goals. When using secondary data, e.g., information that is already published, you are required to present it appropriately and effectively and, if needs be, handle it in either a quantitative/qualitative/mixed method manner. You should be asking: “What do these data tell me about the topic and how do they relate to other forms of assembled evidence?”

Should you choose to collect primary data, e.g., information that has not previously been published and is therefore original to the study, you should outline the methods used in the research methodology chapter of your dissertation, including any problems you encountered during the process of data gathering and handling. The data should be presented efficiently using simple descriptive statistics. i.e., mean values, ranks, etc.; inferential statistics, i.e., correlations; or qualitative data analysis techniques in the results chapter. You should try to uncover the full extent of what the data are saying or alluding to by comparing different sections of the data and using quantitative/qualitative analysis (where appropriate). You should not form emphatic conclusions based on weak or incomplete data. You are required to inform your reader(s) of what the data means as far as your study’s goals are concerned.

In the concluding chapter, you should bring together the literature, secondary and primary data evidence and compare what has been originally discovered with existing knowledge. Again, you should be asking questions, e.g., where, when, why, before making conclusions relating to the hypothesis/research question(s), and the research goals specified in the first chapter of our dissertation. You should also undertake a critically reflexive appraisal of your study, including the research goals, theoretical underpinning, methodology, data gathering and handling, etc.

It is recommended you use a spell-checker on each draft chapter. There are, however, some words that commonly slip through a spell-checker’s net, e.g., ‘their’ or ‘there’, ‘principle’ or ‘principal’, ‘it’s’ or ‘its’, ‘practice’ or ‘practise’, ‘effect’ or ‘affect’, ‘where’ or ‘were’. There are many more. Grammar-checkers can also be useful, but you should not be used as a substitute for careful proof-reading. You should take advantage of the academic writing support and guidance resources that are available to you from Student Support and Wellbeing. You should note supervisors are not required to proof-read draft chapters to correct poor spelling, grammar, punctuation, or structure. You supervisor is only required to provide guidance on the planned structure of your dissertation and research process.

Writing Style

Your level of writing must be appropriate to the stipulated educational attainment level and the subject ethos of your chosen programme of study. Specifically, you should give acute attention to correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and clarity of style. It is your responsibility to edit your draft dissertation for any typing errors (typos), uncover and correct all spelling errors. Supervisors are not responsible for proof-reading and correcting errors of this nature. You are reminded that word-processing spell-check programs do not discover all categories of the spelling error.

Normally, depending on your methodological stance, there should be no first person pronoun references (singular first-person pronouns are ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘my’, ‘mine’, and ‘we’; and first-person plural pronouns are ‘our’, ‘ours’, ‘we’, and ‘us’) or second person pronoun references (‘you’, ‘your’, and ‘yours’) in your dissertation. If self-reference is required, reference may be made to the ‘author’ or the ‘researcher’. It is normal practice to write dissertations in the third person (singular third person pronouns are ‘he’, ‘she’, ‘it’, ‘his’, ‘hers’, ‘him’, and ‘her’; and third person plural pronouns are ‘they’, ‘them’, and ‘their’).

You should also note you can choose to write your dissertation using active- or passive-voice verbs. In other words, instead of placing the agent before the verb in a sentence (active-voice), you can place the agent after the verb (passive-voice). There are no recommendations or restrictions; however, academic authors tend to write using the passive-voice (but this is not a strict requirement of this writing style).

Referencing Style

Your dissertation must be written in an academically acceptable format in which all bibliographic citations in the textual matter and sources listed in the references and bibliography must be fully referenced using the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system. The

Cite Them Right Online
tool will help you to reference just about any category of a source and understand how to avoid plagiarism when writing your dissertation. You may be asked to enter your Northumbria University online credentials to access the tool.

Expected Size of Submission

Your dissertation must not exceed 10,000-words. This is an absolute maximum permissible word count for your dissertation. Dissertations exceeding this word limit will be penalised under the

Northumbria University Word Limits Policy
. The actual word count is to be declared on the Declaration Form (please see section entitled Submission for further information). Summarising and compressing the information in a dissertation is one of the essential skills you are expected to acquire and demonstrate as part of the research process. The word count does not include the preliminary/front matter and references/back matter but includes all other material presented in the textual matter, including headings/sub-headings, in-text citations and quotations, figures and tables, etc.

An abstract must also be included, which should be a précis of the main elements of the dissertation, of no more than 200-words,and include a separate but brief list of keywords. The words included in the abstract and keywords are not included in the word count for your dissertation. Your dissertation will normally include between four and seven chapters, the format of which should be as outlined below. It must be stressed, however, that the number of chapters and the exact format of your dissertation will depend upon the focus of your investigation and the methodological approach you have adopted. The advice given in these pages may therefore not necessarily apply to your dissertation. You should check with your supervisor and the module tutor if you are unsure about any aspect of the process of structuring and writing-up your research project.

Preliminary or Front Matter

The logical order to which most preliminaries or front matter should be structured is outlined as follows:

· Front Cover: This is the page that should be placed at the very front of your dissertation. There is a template that must be Included in the digital binding of your dissertation. You must ensure you fully comply with the requirement to include the front cover and use the template provided (please see section entitled Submission for further information).

· Title Page: This is a page displaying the final title of your dissertation; your Northumbria University student identity number (your dissertation must be submitted anonymously); the University and Faculty names; and month and year of submission (please see the section entitled Submission further information).

· Acknowledgements: If included, the acknowledgements section should be short and limited to those individuals/organizations that have assisted with the process of completing the dissertation and have indicated they are happy for their name and company name to be displayed in your dissertation. Requests for anonymity should be remembered when compiling this section.

· Table of Contents: A full and detailed list of your dissertation chapter titles, including headings and sub-headings, and appendices.

· List of Illustrations: A full list of your illustrations, i.e., figures/diagrams, referenced to page numbers.

· List of Tables: A full list of your tables or charts referenced to page numbers.

· Preface: You should explain the motivation for your study, the background of your research project, the scope of your research and the purpose of your dissertation.

· List of Abbreviations: A list of abbreviations is desirable only if you have devised new abbreviations instead of using commonly accepted ones in your subject area.

· Glossary: A dissertation that contains many foreign words or technical terms and phrases likely to be unfamiliar to the reader should include a list of these (alphabetically organized), followed by your translation or definitions.

· Abstract: This is a summary of your entire research, maximum of 200-words in length, including a short list of keywords.

Textual Matter

The logical order to which most textual matter – subject to variations imposed by the topic researched – should follow:

· Introductory Chapter: This is usually labelled Chapter 1. It introduces the reader to and defines the area being investigated. It will include the nature/scope of your research, i.e., rationale; the research goals, i.e., aim(s), objectives, hypothesis or key question; the parameters to the study, i.e., what is and what is not being studied; the outline research method, i.e., method to be used to address the research goals; the limitations to the study; and the dissertation structure overview, i.e., briefly guides/informs the reader about what is to be presented in the dissertation. This chapter should not contain a review of the literature.

· Literature Review Chapter(s): Depending upon the chosen format of your work, the literature review may be compiled in a single chapter or several chapters. Either way, the literature review should insightfully, critically evaluate previously published work, from a theoretically- and evidence-based perspective. The chapter(s) should be very carefully structured and present, in a descriptive and evaluative manner, previously published material, i.e., critical theories and concepts, organized into main issues. You must be careful about what information you present in your literature review chapter(s); you should only include published material that is directly related to your study and accurately referenced using the Northumbria University version of the Harvard referencing system. The primary aim of the literature review chapter(s) is to provide a concise and lucid account of the current state of knowledge surrounding the topic you have chosen to investigate.

· Research Methodology and Method: This is usually one chapter reviewing how you intend to address the epistemology, ontology, research design strategy and research method from which your identified problem is to be investigated. This chapter must also include an evaluation of the instruments/tools that will be used during your study and the evaluative approaches to the structuring and analysis of data. It is also good practice to remind the reader of the scope of your research, the research goals, and the justification for selecting the rationale of your study. You should spend some time describing the characteristics of your research sample and issues associated with validity/reliability and rigour/trustworthiness. Keywords to remember for this chapter are explanation, evaluation and justification.

· Results and Data Analysis: This is probably the most important chapter of your dissertation. You must schedule enough time to carefully structure and write this chapter. Too often students leave this chapter to the last minute and present their findings in a most inappropriate and ill-conceived manner. You must express your conclusions very clearly using texts, figures, tables, charts and graphs. The chapter should include an overview of your study’s findings, a descriptive analysis of the results, and an examination of the correlations/associations/patterns in your observed data. You should recognise the importance of using essential software packages to structure and interrogate your data, such as QSR NVivo and IBM SPSS. Where a specific chapter is devoted to the examination of case study material, it may be appropriate for this chapter to follow the earlier descriptive chapter which examined the research findings (as explained immediately above). A case study analysis chapter will enable research findings to be tested in a specific situation. It may, nevertheless, be appropriate to highlight issues associated with several case examples throughout both chapters, which consider the main research findings. Although some interpretation will have already been presented in the results chapter, it is also necessary for you to discuss the findings more critically. In the discussion of the results, you should analyse your conclusions of what is already known in the literature that you have presented and critically evaluated in your literature review chapter(s). If you are doing qualitative empirical or a work-based research project, you may choose to combine your findings with your discussion in one integrated section. Organization of your material should be discussed with your supervisor at an early stage. The results should be presented and critically evaluated in the light of any threats to reliability/validity or rigour/trustworthiness inherent in the research design. The most relevant issues to be considered will vary between research projects, but you should evaluate how rigorously you could execute the proposed research design and methods of data collection, any deviations from the original plan, and your success in recruiting or gathering the intended sample. You should also present a reflexive analysis of your position or role in the research and analyse the impact of your views or beliefs regarding the interpretation of data. In a work-based project, you must critically discuss the influence of your research in your professional practice placement context within which your experience and study were located.

· Conclusion: This chapter is the end-product of your research journey where all the facts and arguments of your investigation and academic reflections are intricately woven together. You must not introduce new material in this chapter. It should be very carefully structured and written to link the theoretical strands of your dissertation together, and it must appraise the appropriateness of your research goals and chosen research methodology/method/analysis. You should also make justified recommendations concerning future avenues of potential research, bearing in mind your research strategy, i.e., positivistic, post-positivistic or interpretivistic if using a social scientific approach, or any relevant professional or statutory standards (British, EU, or international) for experimental/laboratory approaches that fall under the natural scientific research strategy. Your conclusions should be clear, unambiguous, but also balanced and reasonable about the work you have completed. The value and impact of your research to your focus of investigation or discipline should be made explicit. You should also make recommendations for potential future research and professional practice development. As a general guide, the results, data analysis and conclusion chapters should account for around one-third of your dissertation word count. However, this recommendation is dependent upon the subject you have studied and the methods you have employed for gathering and analysing data. It is recommended you seek advice from your supervisor on this matter.

References or Back Matter

The logical order to which most reference matter – subject to variations imposed by the topic researched – should follow:

· Appendices: An appendix is a useful resource for depositing material that is supportive of the textual matter but not suitable for inclusion within it. Examples might be detailed questionnaire results, complex statistics, legal documents, transcripts from interviews, and basic facts concerning case studies. Although the word limit is confined to words contained in the chapters in the textual matter, an appendix should not be used to hide/deposit additional words. Appendices are labelled alphabetically, although if there is little such material and it is of a similar nature, it may all be included in one appendix. Appendices are referenced in the text in parentheses (Appendix A) not (see Appendix A).

· References: This is a reference list of all items consulted/cited during the writing of your dissertation. You should group references in alphabetical order of author surname using the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system.

· Bibliography: This is an ordered and structured list of all published and unpublished material consulted during the preparation of your dissertation. The bibliography must exclude the material listed in the references. You should group references in alphabetical order of author surname using the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system.

Confidential Material
Following the recommendations outlined in the section entitled Ethics, Governance, and Health and Safety, your dissertation should not contain confidential material, as it will be made available as an electronic resource for future students and the programme external examiners. In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible to include such information, providing prior approval has been obtained from the participants of your research project and the Department of Mechanical and Construction Engineering Ethics Lead via the module tutor.
Format

A very high level of presentation is expected. These guidance notes, which are extracted from BS4821: 1990 Presentation of Theses and Dissertations – which, unfortunately, has been withdrawn from publication – should be followed. Although your dissertation will be submitted electronically, you must comply with the following formatting requirements. This is because the module tutor may need to print and bind a hard-copy of your dissertation for potential submission for consideration of an award by a professional body, such as the APM or CIOB. If you have any doubts, you should speak with the module tutor.

· Conventions: It is essential that the presentation of your dissertation is consistent. The use of italic, script, colour, and fancy typefaces should not be used merely for decorative effect. Displayed, block quotations should not be set in italic format, nor should capital letters be used for long passages.

· Colour: The use of colour in the text must be avoided. Colour may only be used for illustrations but should be used sparingly.

· Format: The text and, wherever possible, all material contained in the dissertation, including illustrations, should be produced on A4-sized paper. If in exceptional circumstances, another format is required for the occasional chart or diagram, it should be presented on paper that can be folded to fit within the dissertation. If an illustration is too large for such treatment, it should either be bound so that part of it is concealed when the volume is closed, although that will make it less convenient to consult, or it should be folded and stored in a pocket attached to the inside back cover of the dissertation. If in doubt, please check with the module tutor.

· Paper: Coloured paper should not be used to separate the chapters of the dissertation, and your dissertation should be typed on a white page background.

· Production of Text: Text should be produced entirely on rectos, i.e., the right-hand page of an open book. The dissertation should be divided into appropriate units, such as chapters, sections and sub-sections. There should be some visual indication of the beginning of a chapter. Every chapter should begin on a new page.

· Margins: To allow for binding and ease of reading, the margin on the binding edge of the page, i.e., the left-hand side of recto, should be not less than 40 mm. Other margins should be not less than 25 mm. Running headings and page numbers should be within the recommended margins. The margins around all illustrations and off-prints should be no smaller than those of text if they are bound into the dissertation.

· Binding: The dissertation should be produced with the Title Page Template placed at the front of your dissertation (please see section entitled Submission for further information). The title of your dissertation should, if necessary, be given in abbreviated form on the front cover. However, it is strongly recommended that you keep your title brief. Titles or words in non-Roman characters should be converted to the Roman alphabet. Arabic numerals are acceptable, but other symbols in non-Roman characters, e.g., symbols, should not be used in the cover title. If you submit your dissertation in a format that does not satisfy the presentation requirements outlined in this handbook, your submission will be considered unsatisfactory and will not be examined until re-presented following the stipulated submission requirements (please see the section entitled Submission for further information).

· Font and Character Size: The size of the characters used in the textual matter, including displayed matter, should not be less than 2 mm for capitals and 1.5 mm for x-height (height of lower-case x). You must use 12-point Times New Roman font for the main text and no smaller than 9-point Times New Roman for illustrations. If more minor characters are used in footnotes, etc., care should be taken to avoid severe loss of legibility when copies are made. You must not reduce font size below 9-point.

· Word Spacing and Division: Full justification of text should be avoided: left justification is recommended. Text should be set with even spacing between words because the unequal spacing between words tends to impede comfortable reading. You should, therefore, set paragraphs to left-hand justification. Word division (hyphenation) at the end of lines should be avoided.

· Line Spacing: There should be enough spaces between lines to allow ease of horizontal scanning. You are therefore required to use one-and-a-half line spacing rather than double line spacing. In closer spacing, e.g., footnotes, the spaces between lines at any point should be not less than the space between the words. Lines that contain mathematical formulae, diacritical marks or strings of capitals letters may need additional space.

· Paragraphs: Paragraphs should be set in one of the following ways: flush left with an additional line space between paragraphs, e.g., in one-and-a-half line spacing, three line spaces between paragraphs; or indented 5 mm to 10 mm with no additional space between paragraphs; opening paragraphs and those that follow headings are not to be indented.

· Displayed Text: Quoted matter that is displayed, usually more than 30 words, should be indented 5 mm to 10 mm on the left- and right-hand side in block format. Text should be the same size as the main text. Lines should be single line spacing. Displayed quotations do not need quotations marks or to be typed using italic typeface.

· Tables and Figures: Each table and figure should have a number and title which should appear beneath the table or picture. The number should precede the title. The title should briefly describe the content of the table or figure, e.g., Table 4.1 Influence of Interest Rates on Construction, or summarise it, e.g., Figure 4.2 Reduction in Construction Output. Tables and figures are numbered sequentially within chapters and should include a numerical reference to the chapter in which they are positioned. For example, the second table listing employment statistics within Chapter 3 would be labelled: Table 3.2 Employment Statistics.

· Headings and Levels: Headings should be used to indicate the hierarchical structure of the text. There should typically be no more than four levels, where the chapter heading is the first level. Each level should be distinguished from the others by position or typography or both. The location and typographical dominance of headings should reflect its status in the hierarchy and should be consistent throughout the dissertation.

· Pagination: Page numbers should be visibly clear of the text, preferably in the top right-hand corner of each recto. The pages of the dissertation should be numbered in a single sequence beginning with the title page, which should be counted but not numbered, and including pages that carry tables, illustrations, appendices etc. The use of blank pages to divide the dissertation into sections must not be used. The preliminary or front matter pages should be numbered using lower-case Roman numerals, e.g., i, ii, iii, iv, etc.; whereas the textual matter and references or back matter pages should be numbered using Arabic numbers, e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.

Submission

Submission Mechanism, Requirements, and Feedback Procedure

Overview

You will be summatively assessed by one item of coursework, which will be your dissertation or research paper. Your submission will be graded as a percentage and will take into consideration your research e-journal entries. You will submit your dissertation or research paper using TurnitinUK, from which you will also receive your unconfirmed, internally moderated mark and feedback.

Your Submission Deadline

The date and time you are required to submit your dissertation or research paper for summative assessment are stipulated in the Module Schedule area of the Blackboard

Your Submission Mechanism and Requirements

All students and this includes Northumbria University distance learning students and MSc Project Management (Northumbria University/ie.CESI) dual award students, must submit their dissertation or research paper for summative assessment to TurnitinUK in the Module Assessment area of the Blackboard course for the research project module.

You should note the only mechanism for submission of your dissertation or research paper is TurnitinUK in the Module Assessment area of the Blackboard course. If you attempt to submit your dissertation or research paper to the Student Progress Team, module tutor, or your supervisor, it will not be marked.

Your dissertation or research paper must be submitted anonymously: your name must not appear anywhere in your work. You must include the title of your programme of study, your Northumbria University student number, and the month and year of submission on the Title Page of your dissertation or research paper.

The following list outlines the submission requirements for the research project module:

· You are required to submit an electronic copy (in PDF format) your research ethics approval confirmation e-mail message to the online submission facility in the Module Assessment area of the Blackboard course for the research project module. You are cautioned that your first submission attempt is deemed final; this means you will not be permitted a second submission attempt should you submit an incorrect electronic file during your first submission attempt. It is a mandatory requirement of the University that you gain research ethics approval – without the evidence to confirm you have received research ethics approval, your dissertation will not be summatively assessed.

· You are required to submit an electronic copy (in Microsoft Office Word format) of your dissertation or research paper to the TurnitinUK submission facility in the Module Assessment area of the Blackboard course for the research project module. You are cautioned that your first submission attempt using TurnitinUK is deemed final; this means you will not be permitted a second submission attempt should you submit the incorrect electronic file during your first submission attempt.

· You are not permitted a revision opportunity to submit a draft copy of your dissertation or research paper to TurnitinUK for plagiarism detection checking before submission. You will, however, be able to see the TurnitinUK originality report for your dissertation or research paper once it has been graded.

· You must format and present your work with the Title Page placed immediately after the Front Cover at the front of your dissertation or research paper, followed by the Declaration Form. These are outlined and can be accessed from the bullet points immediately below.

· Front Cover: This is the page that should be placed at the very front of your dissertation. The template that must be included in the digital binding of your dissertation can be found

here

· Title Page: Including other items, the Title Page displays the full and final title of your dissertation or research project, the title of your programme of study, your Northumbria University student number, and the month and year of submission. You can download the Title Page Template
here
. You will need to keep the final title of your dissertation or research paper as brief as possible: this is because the maximum permissible number of characters, including spaces, is 200. Titles or words in non-Roman characters should be converted to the Roman alphabet. Arabic numerals are acceptable, but other symbols in non-Roman characters, e.g., symbols, must not be used in your title.

· Declaration Form: You can download the Dissertation Declaration Form
here
.

TurnitinUK

TurnitinUK is an Internet-based plagiarism detection tool, which is widely implemented at Northumbria University and in UK universities and schools/colleges. It searches the current and archived Internet, subscription services, and work submitted by other students to identify any similarities between text.

TurnitinUK produces an originality report which illustrates the similarities of your work to other text-based documents held within its database.
TurnitinUK can be used in two different ways, or a combination of both: to deter plagiarism, rather than to detect it; and to detect plagiarism. When used in deterring mode, you are provided with a revision TurnitinUK submission facility. This will include being given access to view the originality report for your work.

As a final stage post-graduate student completing your capstone project, it is acknowledged you are informed of the requirements of correct academic practice and referencing methodology. This is because you have recently completed a post-graduate research methods course which included tuition on how to reference correctly using the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system and an opportunity to explore TurnitinUK and to see the originality report for your work.

This was an example of formative (or learning) assessment designed to prepare you to avoid plagiarism and to help you develop good referencing practice while preparing work for summative (or final) assessment. Based on this recent experience, the research project does not provide you with a revision TurnitinUK submission facility; accordingly, in this instance, TurnitinUK is only used to detect plagiarism and not deter it.

The originality report that is produced when you submit your dissertation for summative assessment will be reviewed by the module tutor and examiners of your work. This will allow them to compare the similarities and differences between your dissertation and work held within the TurnitinUK database. If you think you need further instruction with the preparation of your dissertation and correct use of the Cite Them Right version of the Harvard referencing system, please review the online learning materials that have been developed by the University Library. These can be accessed from the Research Skills area of the Blackboard course.

Deadline for Returning Your Mark and Feedback

You will normally receive your unconfirmed, internally moderated mark (as a percentage) and feedback for your dissertation or research project by end-of-day 20 working days after submission. This grading period does not include weekends, Winter Break, Spring Break, Bank Holidays, etc.

Mechanism for Returning Your Mark and Feedback

You will receive your unconfirmed, internally moderated mark, and feedback for your dissertation or research paper via the TurnitinUK submission facility within the Module Assessment area of the Blackboard course for the research project module.

Your unconfirmed and internally moderated mark will be displayed as a percentage, and your feedback will be presented using a combination of the Quick Mark, Rubric, and Comments electronic marking and assessment tools in Turnitin-UK.

You should note your internally moderated mark will remain unconfirmed until the research project module has been externally moderated by the External Examiners before the Programme Assessment Board (PAB). This means your internally moderated mark may change, either upwards or downwards, or remain unchanged. Your externally moderated mark will be confirmed at the PAB.

Your confirmed and externally moderated mark as a result of the PAB will be released to you by your Programme Support Coordinator using Northumbria University’s Student Portal. If necessary, once you have received your confirmed, internally and externally moderated mark, you can make an appointment with your tutor to receive appropriate guidance and support.

Assessment

Assessment and Moderation Processes, Module Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Criteria

Assessment Process

The module tutor will co-ordinate the summative assessment of your dissertation or research paper. The process includes the internal assessment and moderation of your dissertation or research paper and the external moderation of the research project module by the External Examiners. The process involves several stages and complies with Northumbria University’s Policy for the Internal and External Moderation of Assessed Work.

Moderation is a vital element of the summative assessment process of the research project module and is undertaken to ensure the assessment outcome is fair and reliable. Northumbria University’s moderation principles have been designed to comply with Chapters B6 and B7 of the

Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Quality Code

The outcome of any stage of the marks moderation process is an agreed set of marks to proceed to the next step of moderation or the relevant Programme Assessment Board (PAB). ‘Agreed’ in this context refers to the agreement that marking has been carried out to the appropriate standards, which have been applied consistently and equitably across the range of marks about the criteria set for the assessment task. In this particular case, the requirements set for the assessment task, i.e., the dissertation or research paper, are the module learning outcomes.

Stage 1: Research Supervisor’s Report

During the first stage of the assessment and moderation process, your research supervisor will write and submit an anonymised report of your dissertation or research paper using a template. Your Stage 1: Research Supervisor’s Report will not include your supervisor’s name nor your name: it will only include your Northumbria University student number and the title of your programme of study. The Stage 1 Report is written from the perspective of a supervisor (not as an assessor or internal moderator). It will include a summary of any guidance and recommendations given to you during supervision which has influenced the focus, scope, methodology, method, and data analysis of your research project, and the subsequent conclusions and recommendations drawn. Your supervisor will also include a rationale explaining how your dissertation or research paper demonstrates an ability to address the module learning outcomes. Your supervisor’s report will conclude with an indication of the master’s degree classification he/she anticipates your dissertation or research project will potentially achieve following summative assessment. If you are a dual award student, your supervisor at each institution will contribute to writing a joint anonymised report as outlined above.

Stage 2: Internal Assessment Report

Your anonymised dissertation or research paper will be internally assessed by a member of academic or research staff (delegated by the module tutor) who has not been involved in the development or supervision of your research project. The independent internal assessment process will not include access to your Stage 1: Research Supervisor’s Report, i.e., the Stage 1: Research Supervisor’s Report will be concealed during the Stage: 2 Internal Assessment Report process. Furthermore, the independent internal assessor will not be permitted to communicate with your supervisor (should the identity of your supervisor be known to the independent internal assessor or vice versa). The independent internal assessor will use the Quick Mark, Rubric Score Card, and Comments electronic marking and assessment (EMA) tools in Turnitin-UK to grade your dissertation or research project in line with its demonstrated ability to satisfy the module learning outcomes. Your dissertation or research paper will be graded using a two-point percentage scale, i.e., 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.

Stage 3: Internal Moderation Report

Once Stage 1: Research Supervisor’s Report and Stage 2: Internal Assessment Report is completed, your dissertation or research paper will be internally moderated. The Stage 3: Internal Moderation Report process is mainly concerned with reliability, meaning that, ‘as far as possible, markers acting independently of each other, but using the same assessment criteria, would reach the same judgement on a piece of work’ (QAA, 2012). It also ensures the assessment process has been carried out with rigour, integrity, and fairness.

The independent internal moderator will be granted access to your Stage 1 Research Supervisor’s Report and Stage 2: Internal Assessment Report, which means they will undertake an open/check-marking process. The independent internal moderator will be delegated by the module tutor from a panel of academic or research staff who have not been involved in Stage 2: Internal Assessment Report process. Two independent internal moderators will be delegated to review all dissertations or research papers and associated assessment-related documentation within a defined subject area, i.e., Project Management or Mechanical Engineering. The relevant independent internal moderator will use a template to document the internal moderation of your dissertation or research project in line with its demonstrated ability to satisfy the module learning outcomes. Your dissertation or research paper will be graded using a two-point percentage scale, i.e., 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. Your independent internal moderator will write your Stage 3: Internal Moderation Report using a template.

Stage 4: Internal Cross-Moderation Report

This is the penultimate stage in the assessment and moderation process. Once the Stage 3: Internal Moderation Report process is completed, a sample will be internally moderated by the module tutor or a delegate drawn from a panel of academic or research staff who have not been involved in Stage 2: Internal Assessment Report process, but who may have been involved in Stage 3: Internal Moderation Report process.

The principle behind the Stage 4: Internal Cross-Moderation Report process is that all assessed work will be open/check-marked, where the independent internal cross-moderator is informed of the independent internal moderator’s marks and determines whether the marks awarded appropriately reflect the standard of work and that the assessment criteria have been consistently applied. The module tutor will select a standard sample of dissertations or research papers for internal cross-moderation based on the square root of the number of students taking the research project module in each subject area, i.e., Project Management and Mechanical Engineering, with a minimum sample size of six for the research project module. The module tutor will complete the internal cross-moderation process for dissertations or research projects submitted by students at Amsterdam and London Campuses to ensure equivalency of proposed marks when compared with equivalent work submitted by students at Newcastle Campus.

The independent internal cross-moderator will complete Northumbria University’s Moderation Template, which will detail reasons for any adjustment of marks that have occurred due to the Stage 4: Internal Cross Moderation Report process. The Moderation Template will be sent to the module tutor for presentation to the External Examiner during the final stage in the assessment and moderation process, i.e., Stage 5: External Moderation Template, and to be archived in the module box for future periodic QAA institutional audits.

Stage 5: External Moderation Report

The Stage 5: External Moderation Report and dissertations or research papers that result following the Stage 4: Internal Cross-Moderation Report process will be made available to the External Examiner by the module tutor before the PAB. External Examiners are not asked to examine more than a standard sample of dissertations or research projects, but they will be asked to confirm in the External Examiner’s report that the process of internal moderation was evidenced.

Module Learning Outcomes (MLO)

On completion of the research project, you are expected to achieve the following module learning outcomes, which are listed in the

module specification

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

· MLO1: Propose a clear and logical research design, data collection and analysis strategy which is appropriate to the research context, variables and attributes of your intended data; and

· MLO2: Evaluate different methodological approaches and data collection and analysis techniques.

Intellectual/Professional Skills and Abilities

· MLO3: Define, refine and operationalise a researchable topic that is succinctly focused and critically justified regarding its theoretical framework and research methodology and accurately reflects the philosophy of your programme of study;

· MLO4: Conduct a targeted literature search of library and web-based materials (including institutional data and advanced scholarly articles) and critically appraise and analyse your findings;

· MLO5: Integrate and modify ideas, concepts and theoretical models that you have selectively extracted from academic literature;

· MLO6: Critically evaluate and test the applicability of theoretical models to your researchable topic;

· MLO7: Design a detailed programme of research, data collection and analysis that integrates research goals, data requirements and standardised methods of collection and analysis, and takes into consideration theoretical and methodological constraints and limitations;

· MLO8: Identify carefully considered gaps in your completed research and propose appropriate and relevant possibilities for further research; and

· MLO9: Write an original dissertation, which does not exceed the stipulated word limit, in an academically acceptable format, which is theoretically and methodologically linked, paying particular attention to the integration of the literature review, the focused choice of methodology explained in comparative terms, the critical evaluation of your data, and the clear and concise presentation of new results.

PERSONAL VALUE ATTRIBUTES

· MLO10: Design and execute a detailed programme of research, data collection, and analysis that takes into consideration the professional, research ethics, and governance characteristics of a Northumbria University postgraduate student.

The module learning outcomes will be the assessment criteria for the research project. You will be assessed, following submission of your dissertation or research project, in terms of your ability to satisfy the module learning outcomes in accordance with the Quality Assurance Agency’s (QAA)

UK Quality Code for Higher Education, Part A: Setting and Maintaining Academic Standards, The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies (October, 2014)

Assessment Criteria

Your ability to satisfy each learning outcome will be graded according to the following generic assessment criteria for level 7 (master’s degree awards):

1. Distinction (86-100%): The work assessed is exemplary and provides clear evidence of a complete grasp of the knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to the level of the qualification. There is also unequivocal evidence showing that all the module learning outcomes and responsibilities relevant to that level are fully satisfied. At this level, it is expected that the work will be exemplary in all the module learning outcomes. The work will demonstrate a particularly compelling evaluation, originality, and elegance of argument, interpretation or discourse.

2. Distinction (76-85%): The work assessed is excellent and demonstrates comprehensive knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to the level of the qualification. There is also excellent evidence showing that all the module learning outcomes and responsibilities relevant to that level are fully satisfied. At this level, it is expected that the work will be excellent in the majority of the module learning outcomes by demonstrating particularly compelling evaluation and elegance of argument, interpretation or discourse, and some evidence of originality.

3. Distinction (70-75%): The work assessed is of a high standard, and there is evidence of comprehensive knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to the level of the qualification. The evidence is present demonstrating that all the module learning outcomes and criteria relevant to that level are satisfied. At this level, it is expected that the standard of the work will be high in the majority of the module learning outcomes or by demonstrating particularly compelling evaluation and elegance of argument, interpretation or discourse.

4. Commendation (60-69%): Directly relevant to the requirements of the assessment. A substantial knowledge of the suitable material, showing a clear grasp of themes, questions, and issues therein. Comprehensive analysis, clear, and orderly presentation. Well supported, a focused argument which is clear and logically structured. Contains distinctive or independent thinking, and begins to formulate a separate position concerning theory and practice. Well written, with standard spelling and grammar, in a readable style with the acceptable format. Critical appraisal of the up-to-date and appropriate literature. Recognition of different perspectives. Good use of a wide range of sophisticated source material.

5. Pass (50-59%): Some attempt to address the requirements of the assessment: may drift away from this in less focused sections or passages. Adequate knowledge of a fair range of relevant material, with intermittent evidence of an appreciation of its significance. Significant analytical treatment which has a definite purpose. Coherent and logically structured, using an appropriate mode of argument and theoretical model(s). May contain some distinctive or independent thinking; may begin to formulate a separate position about theory and practice. Competently written, with only minor lapses from standard grammar, with the acceptable format. Uses a good variety of literature which includes recent texts and appropriate documentation, including a substantive amount beyond library texts. Competent use of source material.

6. Fail (40-49%): Some correlation with the requirements of the assessment, but there are instances of irrelevance. Basic understanding of the subject but addressing a limited range of material. Some analytical treatment, but may be prone to the descriptive, or to the narrative, which lacks clear analytical purpose. Some attempt to construct a coherent argument, but may suffer a loss of focus and consistency, with issues at stake stated only vaguely, or theoretical model(s) couched in simplistic terms. Sound work which expresses a coherent position just in broad terms and in uncritical conformity to one or more standard views of the topic. A simple, basic style but with significant deficiencies in expression or format that may pose obstacles for the reader. Evidence of use of appropriate literature which goes beyond that referred to by the supervisor or module tutor. Frequently only uses a single source to support a point.

7. Fail (35-39%): Relevance to the requirements of the assessment may be very intermittent and may be reduced to its vaguest and least challenging terms. A limited understanding of a narrow range of material. Mostly descriptive or narrative, with little evidence of analysis. A primary argument is evident, but mainly supported by assertion and there may be a lack of clarity and coherence. Some evidence of a view was starting to be formed but mostly derivative. Numerous deficiencies in expression and presentation; the student may achieve clarity (if at all) only by using a simplistic or repetitious style. Barely adequate use of literature. Over-reliance on material provided by the supervisor or module tutor.

8. Fail (30-34%): The work assessed provides insufficient evidence of the knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to the level of the qualification. The evidence presented shows that some of the module learning outcomes and criteria relevant to that level are almost satisfied. The work will be weak in some of the indicators.

9. Fail (15-29%): The work assessed is unacceptable and provides little evidence of the knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to the level of the qualification. The evidence shows that few of the module learning outcomes and criteria relevant to that level are satisfied. The work will be weak in several of the indicators.

10. Fail (0-14%): The work assessed is unacceptable and provides almost no evidence of the knowledge, understanding, and skills appropriate to the level of the qualification. The evidence fails to show that any of the module learning outcomes and criteria relevant to that level are satisfied. The work will be weak in the majority or all of the indicators.

See table below …..

Criteria

Distinction
(86-100%)

Distinction
(76-5%)

Distinction
(70-75%)

Commendation
(60-69%)

Pass
(50-59%)

Fail
(40-49%)

Fail
(35-39%)

Fail
(30-34%)

Fail
(15-29%)

Fail
(0-14%)

MLO1

MLO2

MLO3

MLO4

MLO5

MLO6

MLO7

MLO8

MLO9

MLO10

Viva Voce Examination

A viva voce examination (oral examination) will not normally form part of the summative assessment process for your dissertation or research paper. However, if your supervisor, internal assessors and moderators, or the module tutor consider it necessary, where clarification of the content and authenticity of your dissertation or research paper is required, a viva voce examination will be arranged. Your Programme Support Coordinator will liaise with you about the arrangement for your viva voce examination.

During your viva voce examination, a panel, which will consist of your supervisor and independent assessors/moderators, will ask you a series of questions about your research project. The panel may request access to your research evidence file (please see the section entitled Research e-Journal and Evidence for further information). If you are a distance learning student, you will be invited to attend a viva voce examination conducted using Blackboard Collaborate, which is Northumbria University’s preferred medium for hosting virtual meetings.

Your unconfirmed and internally moderated mark cannot be released to you or presented to the PAB for confirmation, until such time that you present yourself for your viva voce examination.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions and Module Tutor Responses

1. Am I allowed to exceed the stipulated word limit by 10%? No. To ensure a level playing field is maintained, the absolute maximum word limit is stipulated in the relevant section of the handbook. You will be penalised if you go over this word limit.

2. Are my references included in the word limit? Yes, but only the in-text references to citations and paraphrased thoughts. The references at the end of your dissertation are excluded from the word count.

3. If I included a table in my dissertation, does it carry a maximum word limit of 200-words? No. All of the words contained in the table will be included in your word count. You should review the relevant section of the handbook.

4. If I am submitting my dissertation electronically, why do I need to present it in the format outlined in the section entitled, Dissertation? If your dissertation is of sufficient merit, the module tutor will present your dissertation for the potential consideration of an award at the national level. To do this, the module tutor will need to print out a copy of your dissertation. Your dissertation, therefore, needs to be formatted in accordance with the guidelines outlined in the handbook.

5. What is the submission deadline and when will I receive my feedback? You should look at the section entitled Submission in the handbook and the Module Schedule on Blackboard.

6. Can I have some extra time because my supervisor was absent from the University while attending a conference or taking annual leave? No. Your supervisor is required to set the dates and times of supervision tutorials/active learning sets around their availability. You cannot expect your supervisor to be available on-demand.

7. Why won’t my supervisor proof-read my dissertation? Your supervisor is not required to proof-read and correct your academic English language grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc. Your supervisor provides guidance to you about the research process. If you need this level of support with your academic English, you should make an appointment with a specialist in Student Support and Wellbeing.

8. I do not want to have supervision as part of a tutorial group. It does not suit my style of learning. I want to have one-to-one supervision like my undergraduate studies. You do not have the authority to request individualised supervision, which is common at an undergraduate level. At postgraduate level, the expectation is that you will take responsibility for your own learning and research project under the supervisory care of a research supervisor. Your supervision group tutorial with peers will be reflective in nature and encourage you to share your experiences and challenges with your supervisor and peers. Your supervisor and peers will, therefore, support you to make the most appropriate decision about the challenge you are facing and the steps you need to take to move forward with your research project.

9. Can I change the subject of my research project after starting the module? If you want to change the subject of your research project, you should, first of all, discuss your thoughts with your supervisor to make sure they are happy with your proposal. You should also remember that you will not be given additional time to complete and submit your dissertation if you choose to change your topic. You will also need to ensure your new topic/subject is constructively aligned with the ethos of your master’s programme – if it is not, you run the potential risk of being awarded a lower mark or failing the module. You will also need to re-apply for research ethics approval using the University’s ethics online tool.

10. Can I have some extra time because I was feeling unwell for a few days? You need to submit an application from the Student Portal for the authorised late submission of coursework. The Student Progress Team will consider your application, provided it is accompanied by third-party supporting evidence. Neither the module tutor nor your supervisor can approve a request for additional time.

Additional Information

Policies and Regulations

Referral Attempt

The Referral Attempt opportunity will normally take place after the end-of-level Programme Assessment Board (PAB). If you pass the module following a Referral Attempt, you will be awarded the Module Pass Mark for Level 7 modules, i.e., 50%. When you are granted a Referral Attempt of the module, you will be required to complete and submit a new attempt, i.e., a re-working, of the assessment tasks outlined in this Module Handbook, i.e., a re-working of your Dissertation to address the weaknesses outlined in your feedback following your First Attempt submission. The date and time of submission for your Referral Attempt will be the next submission opportunity available to you after confirmation of your result following the end-of-level Programme Assessment Board (PAB). The Referral Attempt submission opportunity for relevant Programme Assessment Boards will be illustrated in the Module Schedule area of the Blackboard course.

Academic Integrity Statement

You must adhere to Northumbria University’s regulations on academic conduct. Formal inquiry proceedings will be instigated if there is any suspicion of plagiarism or any other form of misconduct in your work. Refer to the Northumbria University’s

Assessment Regulations for Taught Awards

(ARTA) if you are unclear as to the meaning of these terms.

Failure to Submit

Northumbria University requires all students to submit assessed coursework by the deadline stated in the module assessment specification and module handbook. Where coursework is submitted without approval after the published hand-in deadline, penalties will be applied as defined in the Northumbria University’s

Policy on the Late Submission of Work

Academic Misconduct Policy

You are directed to read Northumbria University’s

Academic Misconduct Policy
.

Academic Registry Policy Home Page

You are directed to read the information presented on Northumbria University’s

Academic Registry Policy Home Page
.

Anonymous Marking

Northumbria University’s assessment policy requires that work is marked anonymously. Please ensure you submit your dissertation or research project in line with this policy and do not include your name anywhere in your work (please see section entitled Assessment for further information).

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