Writing Final

Year Project
Proposal &
Report (A guide for undergraduates )

BY

Olayinka Gafar Okeola, PhD, M.ASCE

Short Preface:
Academic writing is unique. There are norms, styles and formats that is synonymous with it all over the world regardless of the
language use. This guide written in 2012 specifically to assist students to get through the craft of proposal and project writing
with ease. More than 23000 views recorded on scribd.com. This first revision included timeline and budget components and is
available on scribd.com and olayinkaokeola.com. Contact Information: +234-703-230-7770 (sms only)
[email protected]; [email protected]
 Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report
A guide for undergraduates

BY
Olayinka Gafar Okeola, PhD
Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering
Faculty of Engineering and Technology
University of Ilorin

1. WRITING PROJECT PROPOSAL

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Academic skills are essentially a “discourse”. Concise Oxford Dictionary defines discourse as “Written or
spoken communication or debate” or “A formal written or spoken discussion of a topic”. Academic
writings of all academic skills is unique. There are norms, styles and formats that is synonymous with it
all over the world regardless of the language use be it English, French, or Arabic. All academic discourses
are Writing-based whether Long Essay, Term Paper, Final Year Project Proposal/Report, Master/PhD
Theses, Inaugural Lectures and others such as faculty in series or endowed Lectures. It is the norm and
style require for final year project proposal and report writings that this guide addresses to assist
students to get through this important craft with less hassle and substantially hitch free.

The importance of the final year project can be seen in the heavy credit units allotted. It is in the final
year project that students move away from threshold of classroom and laboratory training to real life
field experience. In this instance all the previous four years courses undertaken are put in to application
to solve a specific engineering problem more or less like a professional in practice. At the end of the
project work, students would have acquired, developed and consolidated different skills and tools of
solving practical real life problem. These include (discipline specific) data gathering, field works,
questionnaires drafting & administration, monographs, application software packages (such as
Solidwork, AutoCAD, Orion, CivilCAD, Pipenet, Goggle Earth etc and of course general usage of Microsoft
Words, Excel, and Power point.

1.2 PROJECT PROPOSAL

It is strongly recommended that students should discuss in earnest with one or two lecturers specializing
in their area of interest in any particular engineering disciplines. At the end of the 400Level, each
student should have an idea of the area of specialization would want to do the project. This can be
enhanced by studying past project works in the department, library and Google search. In addition, it
can also be through identifying engineering problems in the students’ hometown or elsewhere to
improve the infrastructure or social-economics of the particular community. Any idea conceptualize is
tentative and should work upon by the student under the guidance of supervisor.

1.3 OBJECTIVES AND ADVANTAGES OF PROJECT PROPOSAL

The final year project proposal is no longer a trivialize exercise in today academic irrespective of
whether a student is interested in higher degree or not. As a prospective postgraduates it serves a
preparatory ground for MSc and PhD degree’s programme. It also serves the same purpose for future
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practitioners in engineering fields. Proposal and expression of interest writings are synonymous with the
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practice while bidding for contract or consultancy. Therefore this is a necessary and crucial skill that its

Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
acquisition become available at the final year. It is imperatives students take it serious. The following are
the objectives to be accomplished for the students.

1. to articulate a project topic that addresses a specific engineering problem in theoretical or

practical formulation.
2. to identify the required data and information needed and how to obtain them
3. to state the methods of data analysis and the expected results. Is the method statistical
empirical, modelling, or the use a particular software ?
4. to discuss relevancy of results to the problem, the suggestive improvement and further work.

The major advantage of project proposal writing are both the creativity and novelty enhancement for
the student. Other advantages are:

1. Project proposal is a blue-print that guides on what to do and how to do them.

2. It allows to focusing on the work and ensure completion within the specified timeline.
3. The long term benefit is in the acquisition of the craft of proposal writing for future career in
academia or industry.
4. Developing a proposal allows for progress monitoring and assessment for the student and
supervisor.

1.4 STRUCTURE OF THE PROJECT PROPOSAL

The final year project proposal comprises the listed elements which are subsequently discussed:
1. Title
2. Introduction
3. Aim and Objectives
4. Literature Review
5. Methodology/Material/Tools
6. Expected Results
7. Time Frame (schedule)
8. Budget
9. References

1.4.1 Title
This should contain simple and short description of the proposed work and must not be ambiguous. This
title albeit tentative at the beginning may be modified until a final title is agreed in consultation with the
student supervisor. Title should not be more than 17 words. The following are examples of project titles
from various engineering discipline:

1. Power supply with auto switching

2. Failure Analysis of Intermediate Plate in Mack Truck's Twin Disc Clutch Assembly
3. Design and Construction of Helium Balloon Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System
4. An appraisal of construction industry and sanctity of contract
5. Determination of yam tuber resistance to mechanical damage
6. Flow frequency analysis for selected gauging stations along rivers Niger and Benue
7. Design of wireless weather monitoring system
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8. Design of maize thresher

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9. Flow frequency analysis for selected gauging stations along river Niger and Benue

Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
 10. Design and evaluation of high volume fly ash concrete for rigid pavement overlays
11. Experimental studies on air entrained ferro-cement panels with high volume fly ash and
compatibility of its connections

1.4.2 Introduction
This gives general background information and knowledge on the topic and subsequently narrow down
to proposed specific title.
1.4.3 Aim and Objectives
The aim of the project must be clearly stated. This is the project goal statement; and should adequately
explain or capture its essence. There may also be specific objectives to accomplish the aim (main
objective) of the project.

1.4.4 Literature Review

This section discusses past works with relevancy to the project topic along with cited references. It
should be general and then narrow down to student own specific-topic. Discussion of theory should be
significantly minimized.

1.4.5 Methodology
This is a description of the methods or technique to be adopted in the study. This does not include the
theoretical background of the method but the appropriateness of the methods is stated.

1.4.6 Expected Results

This section attempts to answer questions such as: What results or findings are expected, and the
contribution to the stated objectives? What are the implications to the study? How does it aid
recommendations and conclusion?

1.4.7 Timeframe and Budget

The two subjects are crucial components in any proposal writings (academic or industry). They are
cornerstone for project monitoring and evaluation in real time. In real world there is no project or task
that will be ongoing perpetually without an end or at no cost. Both time and cost are the key factors
that determine fate of a project. Final year projects are executed during the last session of the academic
programme. As such the project timeframe must be contained within that sessional academic calendar.

There is need for brainstorm and identify key tasks involves in the work as shown in Table 1 for example.
The duration is attached to individual task and the summation gives the project timeline and graphically
represented with Gantt Chat (Figures 1 and 2). Microsoft Project package was used in figure 1. It can be
done with Excel (figure 2) or simple table so far it conveys the information clearly. The budget spelt out
the resources that would be required to execute the project and it is discipline-specific. It covers
resources for example consumables (chemicals), field work, Literature, documentation etc.

1.4.7 References
This is the listing of all literatures that were cited inside the proposal write-ups.
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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
Table 1: Project Work Breakdowns

Table 2: Poject Cost Breakdown

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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
Figure 1 (Gantt chat done with Microsoft Project)

Figure 2 (Gantt chat done with Microsoft Excel)

Duration 2018 2019

Tasks September November December January February
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
1 Preliminary study on project topic
2 Information gathering
3 ...
4 ...
5
6
.
.
.
5. INSTRUCTIONS ON PROPOSAL DOCUMENTATION
A student can easily give impression of herself from presentation of work. Therefore it is imperative that
draft proposal thoroughly read and make use of Ms Word tools such as spelt and grammar checks
before proceeding to printing. The following guides are to ensure a good documentation of the
proposal:

1 Provide a separate cover page and information illustrated Figure 3.

2. Essay should be typed using Times Romans, Arial or Calibri font size 12 on A4-paper with 2cm
margins on all sides.
3. Within the text, the headings should be in uppercase while capitalized the first letter for the
subheadings.
4. Essay should not exceed 2000 words using 1.15 line spacing.

This is not the rule. Students are to comply with their supervisor or departments’ instruction on the
documentation

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Figure 1: Cover Page

Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
2. WRITING FULL PROJECT REPORT

2.1. Structure
The structure of report is typically made up of three main divisions: (1) preliminary, (2) body and (3)
supplementary (Table 3). Each of the section contains a different kind of content as shown in Table 4.
The project text should be organized and presented in logical manner with headings and subheadings
listed in the Table of Contents as shown in Box 1. A separate page is required for listing of tables, figures,
notation and appendix in the report as illustrated in Tables 5, 6, and 7 respectively. They all form part of
the preliminaries in a project report preceding Chapter 1.

Table 3: Divisions and sections of a report*

Broad Divisions Individual Sections

Preliminary material 1. Title of Report

2. Table of contents
3. Abstract

Body of Report 1. Introduction

2. Literature Review (sometimes included in the introduction)
3. Methodology
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
7. Recommendations (sometimes included in the conclusion)

Supplementary material 1. References or Bibliography

2. Appendices

Table 4: Content of individual section*

1. Title of Report Concise heading indicating what the report is about

2. Table of contents List of major sections and headings with page numbers
3. Abstract Concise summary of main findings
4. Introduction Why and what you researched
5. Literature Review Other relevant research in this area
6. (Sometimes included in the introduction)
7. Methodology What you did and how you did it
8. Results What you found
9. Discussion Summary of results/findings
10. Recommendations What needs to be done as a result of your findings
11. (Sometimes included in the conclusion)
12. References and Bibliography All references used in your report or referred to for
background information
13. Appendices Any additional material which will add to your report

*Learning Guides (2008) Writing Centre. The University of Adelaide, Australia.

www.adelaide.edu.au/writing centre/
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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
 Box 1. Extract from a Project table of contents

Table of contents
Content Page
Cover page i
Title page ii
Certification iii
Approval page iv
Dedication v
Acknowledgement vi
Abstract vii
Table of contents ix
Figures xiv
Tables xvi
Notations xvii
Appendix xix

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 General Introduction 1

1.2 Problem Identification 5
1.3 Justification of the Study 6
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study 7
1.5 Scope of the Study 7
1.6 Description of Study Area 8

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 General Review 14

2.2 Theoretical Background of the Analytical Tools 32
2.2.1 Statistical approach 32

. . .
. . .
. . .
CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY
. . .
. . .
. . .
CHAPTER FOUR RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
. . .
. . .
. . .
CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Conclusion 142
5.2 Recommendations 143
References 145
Appendix A 152
. . .
9

. . .
Page

. . .
Appendix F 209

Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
Table 5: List of Tables format

LIST OF TABLES
Table Description Page
3.1 Watershed parameter for river Oyun 17
3.2 Synthetic unit hydrograph parameter for 10hrs storm duration 19
3.3 Storm hydrograph ordinate for Oyun watershed 25
3.4 Coordinates of the design hydrograph 27
3.5 Forces due to self-weight and resisting moment 32
3.6 Design parameter for the concrete weir from the analysis 37
3.7 Bill of engineering measurement and evaluation 38

Table 6: List of Figures format

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Description Page

1.1 Existing weir discharging water to the downstream side 6
1.2 Existing weir showing the water reservoir at the upstream side 6
3.1 Satellite map showing the location of the existing weir 16
3.2 A plot of 50-yr, 24-hr storm hydrograph 26
3.3 Hydrograph curve showing a plot of discharge againt time 28
3.4 Concrete weir section and pressure diagram 29
3.5 Concrete weir section divided into three sections 30
3.6 Uplift pressure diagram when there is water on the
downstream side 34
3.7 Uplift pressure diagram in the body of the concrete weir 35

Table 7: Notations format

NOTATIONS

Angle made by axial force to the vertical at the downstream

Storage coefficient

Storm duration
10

Overturning stability
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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
2.2 Chapter 1: Introduction
This chapter begins the introduction that gives general background information and knowledge on the
project topic, discusses the previous work and finally gives insight into the motivation and justification
to embark on the study. The aim of the project must be clearly stated. This is fundamentally the project
goal statement; and should adequately explain or capture its essence. The scope of the work is a self-
imposed limitation in which the study will not transcend. This is necessary because of dynamic nature of
most studies. It simply implies doing your very best that is meaningfully conclusive and then leaves the
rest suggestively for further studies. Some engineering study focuses on a physical domain in term of
geographical entity. It is therefore imperative to discuss the description of the study area. The
introductory chapter 1 normally encapsulates the titles listed under it (Box 1).

2.3. Chapter 2: Literature Review

This section discusses past works that are relevant to the current project topic and should be
appropriatly cited. It should be general and then narrow down to student own specific-topic. A literature
review is not a summary and it is not a list. Citing the studies that have been done and obtained results
without evaluation is nothing than a book report. The literature review should be exhaustive in the full
project report (chapter 2: Box 1). It may also contain theoretical background of the study.

2.4. Chapter 3: Methodology

This is a systematic description of the methods adopted to do the work and the justification for its
adoption. It is also acceptable to have “materials and methods” in lieu of methodology. It is important to
note that it is not a step by step chronology of the process or a set of instructions. Rather the section
should include the description of field work, experimentation, equipment, sampling, data collection,
design and administration of questionnaire, statistical analysis, and computer programme are discussed
fully in Chapter 3 (Box 1).

2.5. Chapter 4: Results and Discussion

The section presents the results from the study by highlighting the significant interest. The crux of the
report is in its analysis and interpretation. In the discussion is interpretation of the findings from the
obtainedesults. However, results should be in past tense and presented with no ambiguity.

2.6. Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation

The conclusion actually round up the project report by summarizing the salient findings in line with the
objectives earlier stated in chapter 1 and also to give direction for future work. Practical inferences and
deductions are drawn

2.7. Tables, Figures, and Equations

Tables, Figures and Equations should appear in numerical order, describe in the body of the text and
position close to where they are first mentioned. Tables and figures are meant to introduce new
information and should not duplicate text itself. The standard format of table is devoid of vertical and
horizontal lines illustrated in Table 8. Tables should be self-explanatory without reference to the text. All
equations should be written with Equation editor available in Microsoft Word.
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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
Table 8 Water Availability by Continents

Continent Area Population Available Potential Water Availability

1994 Resources
106 km2 (Million) km3 /year 103 /m3 /yr/ km2 m3 /yr/capita

Europe 10.46 685 2,900 277 4,230

North
America 24.3 453 7,890 324 17,400

Africa 30.1 708 4,050 134 5,720

Asia 43.5 3445 13,510 311 3,920

South
America 17.9 315 12,030 672 38,200

Australia
& Oceania 8.95 28.7 2400 269 83,700

World 135 5,633 42,780 316 7,600

2.8 Abstract
A good abstract is concise, readable, and quantitative. This is usually done at the end of study by virtue
of its purpose. Abstract is the summary of the study objectives, findings, implications, conclusion and
recommendation drawn. An abstract should be complete without specific reference to the main project
report, figures or tables. The third person is used and the text written in past tense.

2.9 References
All the in-text citations must be collated and listed in acceptable format under the references list. All
references cited within text must be listed under references. There are various format of listing
references. Reference listing is very important in any scholarly report. What to note are:

1. If the source is a textbooks, Peer-reviewed Journals, Conference Proceedings, Final Year Projects,
MSc/PhD theses, Public Lectures, Public Symposiums, Workshops etc.
2. Then note the date, the source, the publisher’s name & place, Journal name, open access publication
and accessed date.

Most science and engineering disciplines adopt the conventions’ of the American Psychological
Association (APA) for in-text citation and general references listing styles. This style uses in-line
acknowledgement of sources without footnotes and endnotes common in arts and Humanities.
References are very important and therefore carelessness that may cause unintentional plagiarism must
be avoided. Hence keep track of all sources of literature information while the manuscript is ongoing.
On listing style, consider illustration in Box 3. Study this and identify the salient differences. This paper
12

published by IWA is listed using different styles to give you insights into the need for consistency
emphasis.
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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
Citations in-text
In the text, a reference identified by means of an author‘s name should be followed by the date of the
reference in parentheses. Use surname of author and year of publication: Gafar (2002) or (Gafar, 2002).

When there are more than two authors, only the first author‘s name should be mentioned, followed by
“et al” : Okeola, et al., (2008)

Two or more years in parentheses following an author's name are cited in ascending order of the year.
For example: Adedeji (1999, 2002).

Different references cited together should be in date order, for example: (Smith, 1989; Thomas and
John, 1992; Nwosu, 1999).

Box 2: Reference listing format

Journal name: Water Science and Technology: Water Supply

Paper title: Measuring Willingness to Pay for Improved Urban Water Supply in Offa City, Kwara State. Nigeria.
Authors: B.F. Sule and O.G. Okeola
Year of Publication: 2010; Volume 10; Number 2; and Pages it appeared: 933- 941
Format Styles for above same paper:

B.F. Sule and O.G. Okeola Measuring willingness to pay for improved urban water supply in Offa city,
Kwara State. Nigeria. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply. 2010; (10)2, 933-941.

Sule, B. F. and Okeola, O. G. 2010 Measuring willingness to pay for improved urban water supply in Offa city,
Kwara State. Nigeria. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply. 10(2), 933-941.

B.F. Sule and O.G. Okeola (2010) “Measuring Willingness to Pay for Improved Urban Water Supply in Offa City,
Kwara State. Nigeria”. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply. (10)2, 933-941.

Sule, B.F. and Okeola, O. G. 2010 “ Measuring Willingness to Pay for Improved Urban Water Supply in Offa City,
Kwara State. Nigeria”. Water Science and Technology: Water Supply 10, No. 2: 933-941.

Listed below are related examples and take cognizance of sources type and date:

Alais, C. and Linden, G. (1999) Food Biochemistry. Aspen Publishers Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA.

Adebosin, H.O.O. (1986) Siting of reservoirs in river Oyun basin. Final Year Project. Department of Civil
Engineering. University of Ilorin. Ilorin. Nigeria.

Adeyemi, S.O. (1987) Water policies for the future. Convocation lecture. University of Maiduguri,
Maiduguri, Nigeria.
13

Adeyemi, S.O. (1988) Nation’s quest for water. 31st Inaugural lecture. University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria.
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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
FAO (2000) Applications of contingent valuation methods in developing countries. Economic and Social
Paper 146. http://www.fao.org (Accessed July 6, 2005).

Godwin, A. (2005) FG plans N19 bn water project for Lagos. The Punch, Tuesday, July 19, 2005, Pg 19.

National Population Commission (2007). Federal Republic of Nigeria official gazette. Vol 94, No 24

Gordon, D. (2001) Incorporating environmental costs into an economic analysis of water supply
planning: A case study of Israel. Master of Resources Management thesis. Simon Fraser University,
Israel.

Patankar, U.R. (2003) An approach for sustainable water resources in Maharashtra. Proceedings of 29th
WEDC International Conference. Abuja. Nigeria. Pg. 339-342

Sule, B.F., Adeyemi S.O., Agboola, D. and Catchy, C.C. (1999) Water supply in Kwara State: Problems and
prospects. Proceedings National Engineering Conference, Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ilorin, Nigeria.
Pp 258-269

Karamouz,M., Szidarovszky, F., and Zahraie, B. (2003). Water Resources Systems Analysis. Lewis
Publishers. USA. (This is example of multi-author work)

HR Walliingford (2003) Handbook for the Assessment of Catchment Water Demand and Use. HR
Walliingford, Howbery Park, Walliingford, Oxon, UK. (This is an example of multi-author work)

WHO/UNICEF (2000). Joint Monitoring Programme on Water Supply and Sanitation (JMP) Global water
supply and sanitation assessment 2000 report.
http: www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/Globalssessment/Global5-5.htm(This is an example of
report)

Okeola, O.G. (2009). “Occupational Health and Safety Management in Building Construction”. Paper
delivered at Workshop organized by Kwara State Universal Basic Education Board (KWSUBEB) Ilorin.
Held at NOCBUL Hotel, Ilorin, Kwara State. 21st-22nd April, 2009. (This is an example of Technical
paper)

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Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
2.9 Project Cover Pages

The project report documentation is inform of bounded paper back or hardcover. The next pages are
first and second covers respectively as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5.

DESIGN OF AN OVERFLOW CONCRETE WEIR DESIGN OF AN OVERFLOW CONCRETE WEIR

FOR UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN SUGARCANE FOR UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN SUGARCANE
RESEARCH FIELDS RESEARCH FIELDS

BY

ADEBAYO, LUKMAN (08/30GB092)

Department Of Civil Engineering
BY
University Of Ilorin
Ilorin, Nigeria

ADEBAYO, LUKMAN
(08/30GB092)

A Project Report Submitted to the Department of

Civil Engineering, University of Ilorin, in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award
of Bachelor of Engineering Degree in
Civil Engineering

JULY, 2012 JULY, 2012

Figure 4: First cover Figure 5: second cover

3. BEWARE OF ‘MORTAL SIN’ IN THE PROPOSAL AND REPORT WRITTINGS

The usage of literature material is important in final year project report because it gives credence to
broad reading and in-depth knowledge. It also shows ability to source, navigate, collate and use
information. However all sources must be credited otherwise it may be tantamount to plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a serious form of academic dishonesty which has been described as academic suicide and in
15

British academia; it is a ‘mortal sin’ (Putre & Rugg, 2005). Therefore what is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is the
use of another person’s ideas, words or material either directly or indirectly without crediting the
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original author. It also includes cutting whole or part of someone work and pasting it in your own work.

Writing Final Year Project Proposal & Report Olayinka Okeola (2018)
It is important for student to be very mindful of this to avoid unintentionally committing academic
suicide. A student in whose project plagiarism is uncovered automatically failed. It may also attract
other punitive measures that are specific to individual University. The rules are very simple and clear to
comply with and these include:
1. Any usage of ideas, words or material of any sort from a specific source, it must be attributed to
the source. Even paraphrasing requires explicit attribution.
2. If a usage of someone else’s words verbatim, then it must be in quotation marks and attribute to
that person.

Academic Writing Useful Sites

www.criticalthinking.org (Provides excellent resources to aid critical thinking)
www.edu.salford.ac.uk/academic-learning-skills/report-writing/
www.plainenglish.co.uk/reportsguide.pdf

Bibliographic software packages

Endnotes: www.niles.com
Reference manager: www.risnc.com

REFERENCES
IWA Publishing –Water Science and Technology Journal –Instruction for authors
(www.iwaponline.com/wst/i2a.htm (accessed on 28/8/200)

Petre, M. and Rugg, G. (2010) The Unwritten Rules of PhD Research. Open University Press. McGraw-Hill
Education. The McGraw-Hill Companies. UK.

Learning Guides (2008) Writing Centre. The University of Adelaide, Australia.

www.adelaide.edu.au/writing centre/

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