Things to remember while writing a project report (Nano Version)
A project report should be written by you in your own words by giving proper references to every source of knowledge used.
Things to remember while writing a project report (Short Version) 1. The project report is a scientific document and requires the highest attention to detail. 2. Whatever the nature of your project, the effort you have put in is original and therefore a report of your work should also be an original document. 3. The entire report should be written by you in your own words. 4. You must provide suitable references to every source of information (book, the web, journal paper, Ph. D thesis etc.) utilized in your work. 5. Mention all relevant references no matter how similar or dissimilar to your work. 6. No cutting and pasting: Information from any kind of source must be described in your own words in the thesis. 7. Figures from the internet or e-resources can be used with references only if they are difficult to reproduce. Modified pictures must be referenced as “adapted from …” 8. Beware! The project evaluator can easily spot a cut and past job. 9. Do not ‘lift’ sections from a thesis! It is a crime! 10. Maintain a written record of references with a short description of salient features in your own words from day 1 of your project. This will help you write an original report free from plagiarism. 11. To write a good report it is important to be able to speak and write good English. Work on this: read books, watch movies etc.
Happy writing!
Things to remember while writing a project report
Long Version (recommended!) The report is probably the first scientific document written by you. In order to write a good report, several aspects need to be kept in mind. A project report is more than just a record of the work done by you in the last few months. It tells the reader (the most important reader being the evaluator who recommends a grade for your work) how much you have understood about your project topic and is a good indicator of the effort you have put in. The project is an initiation to research and may involve topics already published or it could be a study project or feasibility study where one compiles information from several sources. Alternatively, your work maybe something new and possibly even unpublished. Whatever the nature of your project, the effort you have put in is original
and therefore a report of your work should also be an original document. What does this mean? It simply means that the entire report should be written by you in your own words. Adequate background to the work done has to be provided in the introductory chapters of your report to ensure it is readable by any physicist. Every relevant piece of information relating to prior work done in your topic must be briefly mentioned in the report with an appropriate reference to the source. Previous work done may be found from papers published in a journal or it could be from the website of the research group or a definition obtained from sites like Wikipedia, Hyperphysics etc. No matter where you got your information from you must ensure two things (a) you describe the information obtained in your own words and (b) you always refer to the source of the information. You must adhere to the universally accepted format for referring to work in publications, books, websites etc. (examples given below). Writing in your own words implies ‘cutting and pasting is prohibited. Your project report will be evaluated by a faculty member familiar with your topic of work. He/she would be familiar with most of the references that one would use and can easily spot a ‘cut and paste’ job. If you wish to use a picture from a source, the source must be clearly mentioned in the figure legend. If you had modified the picture using image processing software, the figure legend should state, “Adapted from ….:.”.1 However it is best to avoid this and draw your own pictures (again with proper reference to relevant sources).
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Using pictures from books or from the web is permissible since the project report is a nonprofit internal document used only for education purposes. If you however wish to publish your work in a journal, prior permission from the owner of the source must be sought.
Your project topic might overlap with an ongoing or completed Ph. D. You could refer to specific results produced in a Ph. D work but cannot ‘lift’ sections from a Ph. D thesis for your report (including the ‘introduction’!). An evaluator can easily spot this. It is incorrect and unjust to leave out references. You may have got bit and pieces of information from several sources. It is important to cite each and every one of them. Don’t leave out a reference just because it is too similar to your work or similar to another reference. Remember science is the pursuit of truth and you are duty bound to give due credit to everyone who has contributed to a particular topic of research. Don’t be stingy with citations! If you repeatedly use an idea from a source in your report you must refer to it every time! Failure to comply with any of the above is referred to as plagiarism. This is a punishable offence and could severely damage your future. How do you ensure your report is free from plagiarism? When you start your project maintain a record of the publications, websites, books, theses etc you refer to. Also note what information is listed where in your own words. When you finish your work and start writing your project, close all books, publications, unhook your internet cable (yes its possible to do so!) and start writing. When you need to cite some work, use your written record. This ensures your report is original. Seek the help of your friends, a Ph. D student or your guide to check if every aspect of your report has been properly referred to. You would need some time to do this. Therefore plan your project well. The first draft of your report should be ready preferably a week before the deadline (this also is possible with some foresight!). Remember, English is the universal language of the research community. It is important to able to speak and write English correctly and boldly. If you can do this it would be very easy for you to write an original report. To develop your English, start talking in English with your friends. Start a diary and describe the day’s events (in English of course!). Read books and news papers. Watch English movies with subtitles on (not the slam bang action stuff but movies in which actors talk a lot!).
Happy writing! Format for References The references used in a report must be compiled together as a numbered list at the end of the report. The page number of this list should be mentioned in the contents. The references must be referred to by “[x]” in the running text, where ‘x’ denotes the appropriate reference number in the list. Figures reproduced or adapted from other sources must be referred in full in the figure legend (see below) and also in the main text (as [x]) if necessary. Examples: According to a study conducted by Getafix [2], the M. Sc students in the department of Physics need to participate more in discussions initiated by the teacher in class. or
It was recently reported that the M. Sc students in the department of Physics need to participate more in discussions initiated by the teacher in class [2]. Remember: Reference numbers will change every time your report undergoes modification. So it is important to keep track of reference numbers. LaTeX does this automatically if the proper style file is used. Microsoft word can do this with the help of a ‘macro’. A model LaTeX M. Sc project file can be found in our dept. webpage http://www.physics.iitm.ac.in/comp_files/dcf/useful.html At present we don’t have a macro for MS word. If one of you could contribute this it would be of great help to future students. Examples of common reference formats are given below: 1. Citing papers published in journals Format: Author(s), (year), “title”, Journal name with universally accepted abbreviation*, volume, first page of article Example (as it would appear in the list of references) 2. Getafix S C, Panoromix M, Panacea J and Justforkix R (2000) How to write a good project dissertation?, Phys. Educ., 87, 965 (Phys. Educ. stands for Journal of Physics Education) * Refer to Kevin Lindstrom, http://www.library.ubc.ca/scieng/coden.html (accessed Sep. 9, 2009) 2. Citing books Format: Author(s), “title”, edition/volume, publisher, (year) Example 3. H. Goldstein, “Classical Mechanics”, 2nd Edition, Narosa Pub. House (1989). 3. Citing articles in edited books or volumes Format: Author(s), “title”, start and end page numbers of article, “Volume title”, editor name(s), publisher, (year) Example: 4. Unhygienix, “Hostel life at IIT, Madras”, pp. 100-115, in “Ruminations of IIT Alumni vol. 3”, Vitalstatistix and Pollysylabix (eds.), Tragicomix publications (2003) 4. Citing Ph. D/M.S/M. Sc thesis/dissertation reports Format: Author, “title”, Ph.D/M.S/M.Sc/Degree thesis submitted to University Name (year) Example: 5. Richter E, “Student Slang at IIT Madras: a Linguistic Field Study”, M. A thesis submitted to the Philosophische Fakultät, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany, (2006) 5. Citing papers presented at conferences Format: Author, (year), “paper title”, start and end page numbers of article, title of conference proceedings, conference venue, conference dates, publisher Example: 6. Snape S, (1965), “Sectumsempra: a new tool for defence against the dark arts”, pp. 12-46, Proceedings of the 99th International Conference of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang, Oct. 12-25th, Bloomsburry Publishing, UK.
6. Citing references from the internet: Format: Author, “article name”, Source name, Source address, (accessed date) Example: 1. Analytix, M, "How to get good grades in the IIT system", Indian Institute of Technology. https://www.physics.iitm.ac.in/people_files/analytix.html (accessed September 01, 2009). 7. Citing figures taken from downloaded pdf files, power point files or websites (a) For figures used as such: The figure legend should include: Figure/Image courtesy: Author, “Article Name”, Source name, Source address, (accessed date) Example (figure legend):
Fig. 1 (a) Lattice with spherical basis (red sphere) with maximum possible symmetry elements (multiple mirror planes and 2-fold rotation axis). (b) The same lattice with a pineapple shaped (cluster of atoms or molecules) basis has only one two-fold rotation axis. Pineapple image courtesy: Seshadri, http://seshdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/pineapple.jpg. (accessed Sep. 9, 2009) (The figure illustrates two facts: (a) even a pineapple image if borrowed has to be properly referenced! (b) 230 space groups arise due to Bravais lattices with nonspherical basis!) (b) For figures modified using image processing software: The figure legend should include, Figure adapted from: Author, “Article Name”, Source name, Source address, (accessed date) The list of references would look like this: References 1. Analytix, M, "How to get good grades in the IIT system", Indian Institute of Technology. https://www.physics.iitm.ac.in/people_files/analytix.html (accessed September 01, 2009). 2. Getafix S C, Panoromix M, Panacea J and Justforkix R (2000) How to write a good project dissertation?, Phys. Educ., 87, 965 3. H. Goldstein, “Classical Mechanics”, 2nd Edition, Narosa Pub. House (1989). 4. Unhygienix, “Hostel life at IIT, Madras”, pp. 100-115, in “Ruminations of IIT Alumni vol. 3”, Vitalstatistix and Pollysylabix (eds.), Tragicomix publications (2003)
5. Richter E, “Student Slang at IIT Madras: a Linguistic Field Study”, M. A thesis submitted to the Philosophische Fakultät, Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany, (2006) 6. Snape S, (1965), “Sectumsempra: a new tool for defence against the dark arts”, pp. 12-46, Proceedings of the 99th International Conference of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Durmstrang, Oct. 12-25th, Bloomsburry Publishing, UK.
All this might look tedious and difficult at first. Don’t worry you will get the hang of it with little effort. Prepared by : Dr. Pattabiraman, Dept. of Physics, IIT Madras
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