CET351 2020-21 Assignment 1: Research Plan

This assignment is worth 50% of the module mark

The deadline for this work is specified on the module website

Please read all of these instructions carefully!

You are to write a detailed proposal for a research project that is relevant to your degree but is
otherwise of your own choice to demonstrate your ability to propose and plan a well justified, ethical
and scientifically rigorous research project that includes detailed plans to evaluate the research
outcomes. You are required to justify this work with reference to scientific theory and produce a viable
schedule for this proposed work.

Applied Business Computing Students… should propose research that is applicable to applied business
computing. For example:
 improving the design of computer systems in an application specific, but non-business specific,
setting (e.g. predicting stock market trends, applying business intelligence in marketing, business
intelligence to support research)
 improving the efficiency of businesses by developing new and novel computing systems (e.g.
managing climate change, novel health care systems or enhancing criminal, legal or government
systems)
 improving any aspect of software enterprise or user experienced design (e.g. adoption of
enterprise application software or testing user experience through eye tracking)
 developing novel business applications (e.g. wearable technologies, 5G applications, new medical
informatics or diagnostic systems)
 Note: a very wide definition of business applies here so this includes computing used within a
public sector setting e.g. hospitals, within the voluntary sector e.g. charities or within a social
setting e.g. online communications.

Computer Systems Engineering students… should propose research that is applicable to the design or
development of computing systems. For example:
 enhancing the design or development of databases (e.g distributed database design or text
mining and database fusion)
 enhancing the design or development mobile systems (e.g. usability issues, performance
analysis, analysing smart phone data or lifestyle and health applications)
 enhancing the development of any advanced computing technique (e.g. artificial intelligence
applied to medical diagnosis, scalable deep learning, natural language processing or machine
vision)
 enhancing any aspect of cyber security (e.g. risk assessment, anomaly detection, real time IDS,
mitigation of attacks or security architecture)
 enhancing any aspect of the software lifecycle (e.g. large scale collaborative agile development,
quality assurance for deep learning)
 Developing novel applications (e.g. Internet of Things, wearable technologies, medical implants,
smart cities)

Network Systems Engineering students… should propose any research that is applicable to the design or
development of network systems. For example:
 Improving network security (e.g. securing the Control, Data or Management Planes of
networking devices, the Internet of Things, frameworks for security visualizations, intrusion
detection methods or WAN communication)
  Improving network efficiency (e.g. tuning quality of service for real time traffic flows, traffic
engineering or routing protocols)
 Improving one aspect of cloud computing (e.g. failure management, scheduling or optimisation)
 Improving any aspect of mobile networks or telecommunications (e.g. protocol for wireless LANs
or distributed and scalable frameworks)
 Improving underpinning technologies or customer experience (e.g. Internet of Things, 5G, access
in remote locations)

Mobile and Web Technologies students… should propose any research that is applicable to the design
or development of mobile or web information systems. For example:
 enhancing the design or development mobile systems (e.g. usability issues, performance
analysis, analysing smart phone data or mobile lifestyle and health applications)
 enhancing the design or development web based systems (e.g. web-based learning
environments, web-based geographical information systems or enhancing web security)
 improving any aspect of web or mobile design or user experience (e.g. mobile game design or
behaviour profiling on mobile devices)
 Improving any aspect of underpinning technology (e.g. telecommunications, operating systems,
or wearable devices)
 Developing novel applications (e.g. medical informatics & diagnostics)

Business Intelligence and Data Analytics students… should propose any research that is applicable to
the use of Business Intelligence and Data Analytics within a business or social setting. For example:
 Improving data visualisation, user modelling or customer insights,
 Resolving current ethical issues (e.g. algorithm fairness, transparency or accountability)
 Improving any aspect of underpinning technology (e.g. databases, artificial intelligence, deep
learning or anomaly detection and prediction)
 Improving any aspect of the application of theory (e.g. enhancing business strategy, operations,
risk management or enterprise migration strategies)
 Developing novel applications (e.g. medical informatics, home energy management,
manufacturing or education).
 Note: a very wide definition of business applies here so this includes computing used within a
public sector setting e.g. hospitals, within the voluntary sector e.g. charities or within a social
setting e.g. online communications.

Information and Communication Technology students… should propose any research that is applicable
to methods or tools for IT Service Management within a business setting, including the application of
Business Intelligence or issues relating to Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics. For example:
 Improving any aspect of IT Service Management (e.g. business processes, technical service
reporting, cost estimation, impact of cloud computing, network management, data management
or out sourcing)
 Improving any aspect of the application of business intelligence theory (e.g. enhancing business
strategy, operations, risk management or enterprise migration strategies)
 enhancing any aspect of cyber security or digital forensics (e.g. risk assessment, anomaly
detection, mitigation of attacks, security architectures or frameworks for forensics
investigations)
 Developing novel business modelling applications (e.g. tourism, managing climate change,
environmental or sustainability applications, forecasting demand)
 Note: a very wide definition of business applies here so this includes computing used within a
public sector setting e.g. hospitals, within the voluntary sector e.g. charities or within a social
setting e.g. online communications.
1 Write a Project Proposal
By taking either an existing client description from the collection provided, or alternatively by creating
your own description of a client and their needs, and by considering current research literature (between
2 and 4 journal or conference papers) you are to propose a research project. In doing so you should
define:-
 a clear justification for this research. As well as discussing the client’s needs this must include a
discussion of the limitation(s) of our current computing knowledge, as evidenced in journal or
conference papers, that requires research to resolve.
 a clear scientific aim i.e. a definition of the new or improved knowledge that will come from
doing this research.
 a clear description of the practical outcome(s) for the client.
 a clear description of the proposed methodology for the practical work including a detailed
description of the method proposed for evaluating the new knowledge obtained.
 a critical justification of the proposed methodology, with reference to scientific theory, to ensure
the methods proposed are ethical and scientifically rigorous.

To do this you need to focus on using a practical problem experienced by an organisation as a vehicle not
just to develop a practical solution for that client but as a vehicle to carry out a piece of academic
research that could help the wider computing community.

This means :-
 Analysing academic literature and considering one limitation of current computing knowledge
and how new or improved knowledge can be obtained by undertaking some practical or
experimental work.
 Considering how a well planned evaluation can be conducted to assess the validity of the
research outcomes.
 Considering if the new or improved knowledge can be applied to resolve one of the client’s
needs.

When writing your proposal take care to explain and justify your choices and any major alternatives you
are discarding.

You are to document this work by writing a research proposal that must be structured in the following
set of sections:

1) Justification of the Research Proposed : - by discussing the limitations of current computing

knowledge, as evidenced in current research papers, and by discussing the client and their
needs, justify the research you are proposing and explain its potential impact on the wider
computing community.
2) The Project Aim :- specify the main aim of this project from an academic research, i.e. scientific,
perspective. This should clearly express the new or improved knowledge that will come from
undertaking this project.
3) The Project Objectives :- specify the major project milestones that need to be completed in
order to undertake this project. A numbered list is recommended for this section.
4) Practical Outcomes for the Client :- define clear and precise practical outcomes for the client
that will come from undertaking this research project.
5) The Proposed Methodology :- describe how this project would be carried out i.e. what data
would be collected, what experimental work or developmental work would be undertaken and
what analysis would be carried out when doing this project.
6) The Evaluation Plans :- Describe in detail how the knowledge outcomes of this project will be
evaluated i.e. how would the knowledge outcomes be tested to ensure the claims made are
sound.
 7) Scientific Justification:- with reference to scientific theory provide a critical justification of your
knowledge evaluation plans, as described in section 6. Identify any potential limitations with
these plans (e.g. the possibility of data error or bias) and state what steps in your experimental
design you may take to overcome these potential problems.
8) Ethical Justification:- Evaluate the proposed methodology and evaluations plans (section 5 and
6) from an ethical, legal, professional and social perspective.
9) References (in the Harvard format)

Take care to explain and justify your choices and use references where appropriate to show this research
will not just help the client but result in new or improved knowledge that will help the wider computing
community. Keep in mind that your justifications and critical evaluation are as important as the work
you propose and that you will be judged both on your ability to propose a sound research project and on
your ability to justify that this represents a sound scientific, rigorous project design.

Use the template provided below for this proposal, replacing the comments and placeholders with the
appropriate information.

The research papers you reference can be the same as those you will use for assignment 2.

The description of the client can be a) taken from one provided, b) an actual description of any other
company or business you are aware of or c) fictitious but should be clear and detailed and should be
written as if factual.

If you use an existing client description the words you take from the descriptions must be in quotes (as
with any text you take from sources), the source cited (Kendal S, year) and the following details added to
the list of references ‘Kendal S, year, Client Descriptions CET351 course materials’.

The word limit for this part of the assignment is 2000 words (not including the references, the
schedule and Gantt chart as described later) and you must put the word count on your assignment
cover sheet (see template below).

In line with University policies regarding assignment length you will be penalised according to the
following table for breaking the limitations.

Exceeds limit by up to 10% No penalty

Exceeds limit by up to 20% -5 percentage points
Exceeds limit by up to 30% -10 percentage points
Exceeds limit by up to 40% -15 percentage points
Exceeds limit by up to 50% -20 percentage points
Exceeds limit by more than 50% Mark of zero

2 Write a Project Schedule and matching Gantt chart

Having written the project proposal you are to produce a viable schedule and Gantt chart for this project
and in doing so the whole thing will become a detailed viable project plan. For this you should assume
that this project will be undertaken by one person, spending 600 hours over a period of 16 weeks
(working between 35 and 40 hours per week).
Schedule this project to start on the first Monday of the month after this assignment is due to be
submitted (i.e. if this assignment is due to be submitted on Friday the 10 th of January 2020 the schedule
should start on Monday the 3rd of February 2020).

Use the templates provided below for the schedule and Gantt chart (do not use Microsoft Project).

In order to produce a good schedule you should take the project proposal, looking in particular at the
objectives, the proposed methodology and evaluation plans, and break these down into a detailed set of
tasks with appropriate timing and resource (hours) allocation to generate a proposed schedule. Then
generate a Gantt chart to visualise the order and timing of these tasks.

Please pay attention to the following considerations:

 Each task should be clearly worded and be as specific to this project as possible. Vague wording
that could apply to many projects such as ‘design system’ should be avoided.
 Assume this project will be undertaken by one person spending a total of 600 hours over a
period of 16 weeks (working between 35 and 40 hours per week).
 Break down larger tasks into several appropriately smaller more manageable tasks (most of
these tasks should be no more than 20 hours each and none should be larger than 50 hours).
 Make sure there is a clear mapping between the project objectives and the tasks on the
schedule.
 Consider the deliverables. These should be clearly defined products that come naturally from
completing each task (e.g. a list of research papers or a set of design diagrams).
 Consider which tasks can be done in parallel and which are logically building one on the other
 Consider the need for elapsed time: - five ½ hour interviews cannot necessarily all be completed
in one afternoon as the interviewees may not all be available on one particular day.

The Project plan should occupy the last two sections of the template provided below:

10) Project Schedule (in tabular form, showing task breakdown, allocated resources, planned start
and end dates and deliverables).
11) Project Gantt Chart (showing dates for each task in a diagrammatical form and total number of
hours per week).

Assignment Submission and Marking

You need to produce a single, appropriately formatted document, using the template provided below,
that contains the complete project plan as a Microsoft Word document. To help you can use this
document by deleting everything apart from the template provided below.

The assignment will be submitted electronically via your module space in the Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE). The submission is electronic and there is no requirement for any other form of
submission. Uploading your assignment constitutes the submission. Submissions will only be marked
if they are uploaded by the deadline specified – the deadline will be specified in the VLE.

Assignments are normally marked within 4 working weeks – this does not include the three week
holidays period at Christmas or Easter.

You can view your assignment marks and feedback by returning to the assignment link after this period.

At the end of this document a detailed marking scheme is provided. Familiarising yourself with it and
using it to for guidance should help you gain maximum marks for this assignment. Excellent sample
assignments are also provided for guidance with the module materials.
Assignment Marking Scheme

Project Justification:- the quality of project justification and the assessment of its impact 10%
Project Focus: - the clarity and focus of the project (aim, objectives and deliverables) 15%
Proposed Methodology : -the methodology including the knowledge evaluation plans 15%
Scientific and Ethical Justification: - the scientific and ethical justification of the plans 10%
Referencing: - the quality of the reference list and appropriate use of citations 10%
Breakdown: - the detailed breakdown of the tasks as shown on the schedule 15%
Effort Allocation: - the appropriateness of the hours allocated to tasks on the schedule 15%
Sequencing:- the quality of the task sequencing as shown on the Gantt chart 10%

A more detailed breakdown of this marking scheme is presented at the end of this document for further
guidance.

Essential Information

1) This is an individual assignment, the work must be entirely your own. The safety of your
assessments is your responsibility. You must not permit another student access to your work.

2) Your assignment will be submitted electronically via the module space. You must therefore sort out
any module registration \ log in problems within the first three weeks of the module and upload your
assignment by the date specified. If you cannot log in and upload an assignment by the due date you
will fail this assignment. You are strongly recommended to upload a draft assignment at least 1 week
before the deadline and to keep uploading revised versions. Technical problems on the deadline day will
not be accepted as a valid excuse for non-submission.

3) The assignment should be submitted by 4pm UK time on the date specified in the VLE however to
allow for internet problems assignments will be accepted up until 23.59.

4) You are required to submit your work within the bounds of the University Infringement of Assessment
Regulations (see your Programme Guide). Plagiarism, paraphrasing and downloading large amounts of
information from external sources, will not be tolerated and will be dealt with severely.

5) You should upload a draft of your assignment via your module space early and respond to the
‘TurnItIn’ report generated. This report will indicate any non-original words in your paper including a)
correctly quoted text, b) the reference list and c) and any plagiarized text. Reports that come back rated
at less than 20% non-original text are usually fine. For this assignment you are allowed to use existing
descriptions of clients though the text must still be in quotes and sources cited. As these quotes are likely
to be longer than most other quotes it is possible the TurnItIn reports will come back with scores of up to
30% - this will be acceptable. Those that come back with a score of over 30% i.e. yellow, orange or red
usually need fixing. Plagiarised text will not be tolerated. Please note that the generation of originality
reports can take up to 24 hours.

6) Where a word limit is specified the university has implemented a standard policy and penalties on
assignments that go over the word limit. On your assignment you must provide your word count and
lying about this is an academic offence.

7) You can repeatedly submit your assignment up until the deadline and the last assignment upload at
the deadline will be marked. You will be marked online and will be able to see your marks and feedback
online at the same location – usually marks and feedback will be available after 4 working weeks (this
does not include holidays).

8) If you cannot complete this assignment for reasons that are outside of your control, e.g. serious
illness, you can apply to the Extenuating Circumstances Panel asking for a deferral but you will need to
provide appropriate evidence e.g. medical evidence covering the appropriate period. Technical problems
on the day of the assignment deadline, module registration issues and failure to back up your work will
not be accepted as valid excuses. Therefore you should a) ensure you can log into the module b) upload
a draft assignment early and keep uploading revisions as you make changes c) keep electronic copies of
your work. If you provide a good reason your local tutor can grant an extension of 72 hours but there are
restrictions on this – see module guide for more details.

9) The following learning outcomes are assessed by this assignment :-

Knowledge
An understanding of current research, scientific principles and research methodology
within an area appropriate to the students named degree. 

An understanding of legal, ethical, social and professional issues that relate

to research. 

Skills
the ability to plan and schedule a research project taking into account legal, ethical,
social and professional issues 
 Template for the Project Plan

CET351 Research - Project Plan

<Student’s Name>
<Student’s Registration Number>
<The name of the degree you are studying>
< Centre (if off campus)>

<Title of Proposed Project>

Word count <number of words>

1. Justification of the Research Proposed

Introduce the project and explain the context. What is the background to the project? What are the
problems experienced by the client, what does the client want to achieve?

What is one limitation of our current computing knowledge, citing journal and / or conference papers as
evidence?

Explain how by addressing one of the limitation in our knowledge we could help not just the client but also
the wider world.

Keep in mind that a research project is not about developing a new system, or solving one client’s
problems but should aim to extend one aspect of our knowledge.

Cite your sources and provide details of these in your reference list in the Harvard format. Ensure your
citations are in the correct format i.e. the name should be outside of the ( )’s if part of the sentence. The
format of the name should be the same format as used in the reference list.

2. The Project Aim

Based on the introduction state clearly the proposed aim of the investigation from a scientific perspective
i.e. what new computing knowledge will come from undertaking this project?

This statement should be very short and clear. One or two sentences are enough. This should not need a
long explanation.

This is a research project and thus the main aim should have a knowledge outcome. An unacceptable aim
would be to ‘develop a system for a client’ – this would be a practical outcome not an expression of
knowledge that would help the wider computing community

3. The Project Objectives

The objectives should follow a sound scientific and logical order and focus on the main steps or
milestones to be completed to execute the project from initial analysis to the writing up of results (ready for
publication). Aim for about 6-10 objectives. Each objective should have a tangible result such as a report
on the academic literature / the results of interviews with the client / the results of an evaluation of the
project.

The objectives should be as specific as possible to your project. Thus instead of ‘Perform a literature
search’ you may wish to write ‘Search for research papers on methods for web interaction for visually
impaired users’.

A numbered list is recommended for this section of your project proposal.

4. Practical Outcomes for Client

Explain briefly, but clearly, what the client will get from undertaking this project if done successfully. Note
for research to be successful it should be limited in its scope and should have a very clear focussed goal.
Therefore a computer system that solves all of the client’s problems is not a likely outcome of a research
project. The outcomes could include a working prototype but are more likely to include smaller
components, e.g. a new interface, and / or reports.

5. The Proposed Methodology

Describe the proposed methodology for this project. i.e. explain how the work will be carried out in terms
of its type (e.g. comparative study / laboratory experiments / field study etc.)

Describe the work in sufficient detail so that the reader can see how this specific project is expected to be
undertaken e.g. :-
 to develop a usable interface following the recommendations from the literature and an analysis of
similar sites
 carry out a usability study using 20 students
 develop a secure user identification component by creating and testing iterative prototypes

A general explanation of qualitative verses quantitative data collection, or other general concepts, is not
appropriate here – the description should focus on this particular project.

6. The Evaluation Plans

Sound scientific methodology requires some form of evaluation / experiment to verify the validity of the
new knowledge claimed or the benefits suggested of the proposed research. This can take different
forms such as formal proofs, lab experiments, field experiments or some other form of conclusive
evaluation.

Describe, in detail, your proposed evaluation plans.

Specify what type of evaluation is proposed, explain what you are proposing to assess and why this is a
valid evaluation given the aim of the investigation Explain in detail what experiments will be conducted,
and what resources, data or users will be required. Explain precisely what data will be collected, how this
will be collected and how the results will be analysed.

References to literature are not required here though if other researchers have used the same approach in
their evaluation you may wish to cite and discuss these here.

7. Scientific Justification

Justify the evaluation plans, described in section 6, with reference to the scientific theory to show that
these plans adhere to sound scientific principles i.e. write a short but critical reflection of these evaluation
plans to identify any potential limitations or problems (e.g. the possibility of data error or bias) and state
what steps you may take in your experimental design to overcome these potential problems.

You may wish to refer to the following list of scientific terms when writing this justification :- Basic
research, Applied research, Quantitative research, Qualitative research, Knowledge, A hypothesis,
Testability, Reproducibility, Precision, Objectivity, Validity, Reliability and Significance.
While you may refer to appropriate scientific theory here a description of this theory is not appropriate.
Instead you should focus your discussion the justification of your specific evaluation plans.

8. Ethical Justification

Briefly justify the methodology and evaluation plans, described in section 5 and 6, from an ethical, legal
and professional perspective i.e. make specific reference to the Economic and Social Research Council
(ESRC) Framework for Research Ethics, Legal acts and Codes of Conduct and Ethics to show that this
proposed project does not breach any of these guidelines.

State briefly any social implications this research may have.

9. References

List here any research papers used in this document – other sources used must also be cited and placed
in the reference list though you should keep other sources to a minimum!

Ensure this list is in the Harvard format and references to journal and conference papers are formatted as
in the module materials and thus highlight: -
All authors names, publication year, the title of the research paper (in quotes), the title of the journal
or conference (in italics), the volume and page numbers.

References should not be numbered but should be in alphabetical order using the author’s name.

Any text taken from these sources must be in quotes and the sources cited.

If journal or conference papers are obtained via the web providing the web address is not appropriate or
sufficient.

10. Schedule

Show how each of the numbered objectives are broken down into individual tasks and their expected
deliverables as well as the allocation of effort to each task (in hours) and planned start and end date using
the template provided below. A full and detailed list of tasks is expected covering the entire project.

The wording of each task should be clear, detailed and specific to your project.

The workload and timing of tasks should be appropriate.

11. Gantt Chart

Based on the schedule the Gantt chart needs to show the tasks and their timings diagrammatically using
the template provided here. This should also show the total working hours planned each week.

While Gantt charts can be produced using Microsoft Project this is designed for larger multi-person
projects scheduled in days not hours. Furthermore Microsoft Project files cannot be uploaded to TurnItIn
and so for this assignment these are not allowed. You must therefore use the template provided below.
Schedule Template
ID Task Title Effort Planned Planned Actual Actual Deliverable
(hours) Start End Date Start End Date
Date Date
Investigate Client
1 Organization   50          

 1.1  Interview Manager  2 4/2/13 8/2/13   Interview notes 

 Interview
 1.2 Department heads  20 4/2/13 15/2/13   Interview notes
 Interview Sample of
 1.3 customers  20 11/2/13 20/2/13   Interview notes
Discuss findings with List of comments /
 1.4 Manager   3 21/2/13 22/2/13   feedback
Write report on Client
 1.5 Organization    5 18/2/13 22/2/13   Written report 

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

               

     
GANTT Chart Template

Tas Effort W W W W W W W W W W W W W W
k ID Task Title (hours) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 W 10 11 12 13 14 15 W 16
Investigate Client
1 Organization   50                                
 1.1  Interview Manager  2  2                              
 Interview Department
 1.2 heads  20  10 10                             
 Interview Sample of
 1.3 customers  20    10 10                           
Discuss findings with
 1.4 Manager   3      3                          
Write report on Client
 1.5 Organization    5      5                          
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
                                     
   Total Hours Per Week   12 20  16                           
 Detailed Marking Scheme
Criterion Perfect Outstanding Excellent Very Good Good Acceptable Insufficient Very Poor Missing Total
100% 90% 75% 65% 55% 40% 30% 15% 0%
Project Justification 10pts 9pts 7.5pts 6.5pts 5.5pts 4pts 3pts 1.5pts 0pts 10
10pts A perfect An outstanding An excellent justification Very good justification Good justification of Acceptable Insufficient The justification of Missing
justification justification of project of project with reference of project with project with justification of justification of the the project is very
with reference to the to the client, their reference to the client, reference to the project either by project though poor, very unclear
client, their problems problems and an their problems and a client, their reference to the there may be or substantially
and an outstanding excellent explanation of very good explanation problems and a good Client and their some discussion of lacks detail.
explanation of the need the need for research of the need for explanation of the problems or justified the Client and
for research citing citing appropriate research citing need for research from a research their problems
appropriate research research papers that appropriate research citing appropriate perspective.
papers that assesses the assesses the potential papers. research papers.
potential impact of this impact of this research.
research.
Project Focus 15pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25pts 0pts 15
15pts A perfect aim, An outstanding and An excellent scientific A scientific aim is A scientific aim is A project aim is The project aim The aim of the Missing
objectives and focussed scientific aim is aim is specified with very specified along with specified along with specified along with and objectives are project and
practical specified with very detailed and entirely detailed objectives and detailed objectives objectives though both in need of objectives are
outcomes detailed and entirely appropriate objectives clear practical and practical either the aim is not significant inappropriate
appropriate objectives and very clearly specified outcomes though the outcomes though scientific or the revision.
and very clearly specified appropriate practical aim is a too ambitious this work needs objectives need
appropriate practical outcomes. or the objectives / some revision. significant revision.
outcomes. outcomes slightly
lacking.
Proposed 15pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.15pts 0pts 15
Methodology and Perfect An outstanding An excellent The methodology is The methodology is The methodology or The methodology The knowledge Missing
Evaluation Plans methodology methodology and methodology and very good and specific good and knowledge and knowledge evaluation plans
15pts and outstanding knowledge excellent knowledge to this project and appropriate to this evaluation plans evaluation plans are very ill-
knowledge evaluation plans are evaluation plans are knowledge evaluation project and need significant need significant conceived or very
evaluation described. described. plans are detailed and knowledge revision or revision or badly defined.
plans are appropriate. evaluation plans are clarification. clarification.
described on the whole good.
Scientific & Ethical 10pts 9pts 7.5pts 6.5pts 5.5pts 4pts 3pts 1.5pts 0pts 10
Justification A perfect An outstanding scientific An excellent scientific A very good and A good scientific and The scientific or Both the scientific The scientific and Missing
10pts scientific and and ethical justification is and ethical justification is detailed scientific and ethical justification is ethical justification and ethical ethical justification
ethical provided that leaves the provided leaving the ethical justification is provided of merits of of this specific justification of this are both very
justification is reader completely reader convinced about provided of merits of this specific project. project need project need poor.
provided convinced about the the merits of this specific this specific project. significant significant
merits of this specific project. clarification or clarification or
project. revision. revision.
Referencing 10pts 9pts 7.5pts 6.5pts 5.5pts 4pts 3pts 1.5pts 0pts 10
10pts Perfect Outstanding use is made Excellent use is made of Good use is made of 2 2 or more journal or All sources are cited Most sources are Some of your Missing or
. referencing / of 3 or 4 journal or 3 or 4 journal or or more correctly cited conference papers but the reference list cited correctly, sources are not clearly
citations and conference papers, conference papers, journal or conference are correctly cited, only includes 1 and a reference cited or text taken plagiarise
use of the perfectly cited, with a perfectly cited, with a papers and a reference and a reference list is journal or list is provided from sources, d.
academic detailed and correctly detailed and correctly list is provided with all provided though this conference paper though research while cited, is not
literature formatted reference list, formatted reference list, important details may lack a few and the references papers have not in quotes (this is
to justify this research. to justify this research. (though the formatting important details and citations may been used and plagiarised).
may need some and the formatting need some revision. some revision may
revision) to justify this may need work. be required.
research.
Task Breakdown 15pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25pts 0pts 15
15pts Perfect task A professional An excellent breakdown A very good A generally good The task breakdown The task The objectives Missing
breakdown breakdown of tasks is of tasks is provided that breakdown of tasks is breakdown of tasks is in principle breakdown is have not been
provided that is clear, is clear, complete, provided that is logical, is provided that is acceptable though it clearly inadequate broken down into
complete, deliverable deliverable oriented and largely complete and mostly specific to needs significant e.g. huge tasks smaller tasks or
oriented and specific to specific to this project. specific to this project. this project though improvement e.g. have not been fundamentally this
this project. some revision is some significant broken down. does not match
required. tasks are missing or the project.
need clarification.
Effort Allocation 15pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25.5pts 0pts 15
15pts Perfect effort The effort allocated to The effort allocated to The effort allocated to A reasonable effort An acceptable effort The effort There are Missing
allocation each task provides an each task provides an each task is very good, has been made to has been made to allocation is poor significant flaws in
outstanding match to the excellent match to the proportionate and allocate hours to allocate hours to and often does not the allocation of
requirements of the task requirements of the task appropriate on the tasks on the whole tasks but significant match the nature hours to the tasks
and the needs of the and the needs of the whole. though some could revision is needed. of the task in e.g. does not
project. project. clearly be improved. question. reflect the 600
hours specified.
Sequence & Timing 10pts 9pts 7.5pts 6.5pts 5.5pts 4pts 3pts 1.5pts 0 pts 10
of Tasks Perfect task An outstanding An excellent integrated A very good concept Effort is spread Timing of tasks is Timing of tasks is The timing of tasks Missing
10pts sequencing integrated approach that approach that exploits including parallelism, evenly over the acceptable though poor and needs is very poor and
and timing exploits parallelism parallelism where elapsed time and effort project though more significant significant puts the project
where possible and even possible and even spreading even if it thought could be improvement is improvement. success at risk
spreading of effort over spreading of effort over could be improved in given to elapsed possible.
course of project. course of project. places. time and / or
parallelism.
Total 100