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1
GUIDELINES OF
FINAL YEAR PROJECT
TPR3321/ HRD3019
Faculty of Information Science & Technology
Multimedia University
June 2011
(Version 2.3)
i
NOTICE
PLAGIARISM IS A SERIOUS OFFENCE
Copying materials from websites or any other sources for the report Final Year
Project (FYP) contents is prohibited.
You must sign the FYP report submission declaration form to confirm that your FYP
report has been completed by your own effort without any plagiarism
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
NOTICE i
LIST OF TABLES v
LIST OF FIGURES vi
LIST OF APPENDICES vii
CHAPTER
1 INTRODUCTION 8
1.1 The Final Year Project 8
1.2 Selecting a Project Title 9
1.3 Proposing a Project Title 11
2 PROJECT SCHEDULE 12
2.1 Overview 12
2.2 FYP Phase 1 (Trimester I) 12
2.2.1 Important Events for FYP Phase 1 13
2.3 FYP Phase 2 (Trimester II) 13
2.3.1 Important Events for FYP Phase 2 14
2.4 FYP Timeline 14
3 GRADING AND ASSESSMENT 15
3.1 Grade Distribution 15
3.2 Assessment 18
4 REPORT CONTENT AND SUBMISSION 19
4.1 Warning Notice 19
4.2 Content of FYP Report 19
4.2.1 Cover 19
4.2.2 Title Page 19
4.2.3 Copyright Page 20
4.2.4 Declaration Page 20
4.2.5 Acknowledgement 20
4.2.6 Table of Contents 20
iii
4.2.7 Abstract 20
4.2.8 List of Tables 20
4.2.9 List of Figures 21
4.2.10 List of Abbreviations/ Acronyms/ Notation
/Symbols (if applicable) 21
4.2.11 List of Appendices 21
4.2.12 Main Content (Body of the Report) 21
4.2.13 References 23
4.2.14 Appendices 23
4.3 Main Content of Interim/ Final Report 23
4.3.1 Chapter 1: Introduction (Interim/ Final Report) 23
4.3.2 Chapter 2: Background and Literature Search
(Interim/ Final Report) 23
4.3.3 Chapter 3: Methodology (Interim/ Final Report) 24
4.3.4 Chapter 4: Implementation Plan / Design
(Interim/ Final Report) 24
4.3.5 Chapter 5: The Solution (Final Report only) 24
4.3.6 Chapter 6: The Implementation Process/Results
(Final Report only) 24
4.3.7 Chapter 7: Testing / Evaluation of findings
(Final Report only) 25
4.3.8 Chapter 8: Conclusions (Interim/ Final Report) 25
4.4 Submission of Interim Report (FYP Phase 1) 25
4.5 Submission of Final Report for Evaluation (FYP Phase 2) 26
4.6 Submission of Final Report after Approval (FYP Phase 2) 26
4.7 Penalties and Failures 27
4.7.1 Late Submission 27
4.7.2 Plagiarism 27
4.7.3 Absence for Presentation 27
5 REPORT PREPARATION 28
5.1 Report Specification 28
5.1.1 Text 28
5.1.2 Language 28
iv
5.1.3 Paper 28
5.1.4 Printing 28
5.1.5 Binding Type 29
5.1.6 Soft Cover 29
5.1.7 Hard Cover 29
5.1.8 Spine 29
5.1.9 Length of Report 29
5.1.10 CD/ DVD Label and Envelope 30
5.2 Content Layout and Text Formatting 30
5.2.1 Page Margins 30
5.2.2 Page Numbers 30
5.2.3 Typesetting 30
5.2.4 Chapter Numbering 31
5.2.5 Spacing 31
5.2.6 Paragraph 31
5.2.7 Numbers 32
5.2.8 Equation 32
5.2.9 Table 33
5.2.10 Figures 33
5.2.11 Reference 34
5.2.12 Appendices 35
5.3 Documentation Template and Layout Example 36
6 AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES 37
6.1 Awards/ Competition 37
6.2 Exhibition/ Expo 37
6.3 Proceedings Conference 38
7 PITFALLS AND PROBLEMS 39
7.1 Problems 39
APPENDICES 41
v
LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1: Grade Distribution for FYP Phase 1 and 2 15
Table 3.2: Evaluation Components for FYP Phase 2 16
Table 3.3: Evaluation Components for FYP Phase 2 16
vi
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 5.1: Example of Chapter Numbering 31
Figure 5.2: Example of Equation in Text 32
Figure 5.3: Example of Table in Text 33
Figure 5.4: Example of Figure in Text 34
Figure 5.5: Example of Reference 35
vii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix A: FYP Meeting Log 42
Appendix B: Checklist for FYP Interim Submission 43
Appendix C: Checklist for FYP Final Report Submission 44
Appendix D: Layout for the Cover of the Interim/ Final
Report/ Hard-Cover 45
Appendix E: Layout of Spine of the Final Report (Hard
Cover only) 46
Appendix F: Layout of Title Page of the Interim/ Final
Report 47
Appendix G: Layout of Copyright Page of the Interim/ Final
Report 48
Appendix H: Layout of Declaration Page of the Final Report 49
Appendix I: Sample of Interim/ Final Report for evaluation 50
Appendix J: Sample of Hard Cover Final Report (Front) 51
Appendix K: Layout of CD/ DVD envelope 52
8
CHAPTER 1
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 The Final Year Project
The two-trimester Final Year Project (FYP) (TPR3321/ HRD3019) is one of
the most important parts of the undergraduate studies. With heavy credit hours, the
FYP subject will be one of the most essential and most time-consuming, taking up
many hours over two-trimesters. Why is this activity so important that it is worth
spending all this time, and why is it a required part of the FIST undergraduate
program? The answer is that information science and technology are both a
theoretical and an empirical, hands-on discipline, and there are many skills that
simply cannot be taught in the classroom. They can only be learned through
practical experience, such as, working on a large project that exposes you to some of
these important ideas, such as:
Interacting with users. With most classroom projects students are given a
problem and told to solve it. In the real world, however, problem statements
are not given out in a finished form. Students must develop the problem
statement through meetings and discussions with potential users of their
software.
Developing specification and design documents. In Software Engineering
or Software Analysis and Design subjects, students learned formal methods
for representing specification and design documents. However, an assignment
or project developed in class is usually too small to demonstrate their real
benefits. That is not the case with the final year project. It involves the
development of a large, complex software package that requires the effective
use of software development tools. Without these formal design and
implementation methods, the scale of the project will quickly overwhelm the
student.
9
Implementing project. There are two types of project classified by the
faculty;
Application based project:
Must include but not limited to development of new or improvement of
existing system, framework design, implementation, coding, development
techniques and methods, working prototype and usability studies from
test data or survey.
Research based project:
Must include but not limited to proof of concept and novelty, either new
algorithms or enhancement of ideas supported by information technology
related data or laboratory data or lab simulation or lab prototype, model or
publication.
Improving writing and oral presentation skills. Two fundamentally
important parts of the project are the student’s written documents and the
oral presentations. At the end of FYP Phase 1, the student will deliver an
Interim Report and demonstrate the prototype or research work. At the end of
FYP Phase 2, the student will produce a Final Report and present his/ her
work.
There is much more to a final year project than simply “writing lots of code”
or “experimenting with data” or “writing lots of text”. Instead, it is a chance to put
into practice all the concepts that, until now, have only been studied formally. By
the end of the project students will have developed a set of practical skills that will
serve them well throughout their professional career.
1.2 Selecting a Project Title
The first step, the student has to pick a project title that he/she would enjoy working
on. The projects offered may vary substantially in breadth, depth and degree of
difficulty. The most important thing is to shortlist a set of projects that are right for
you. Some students are better suited to well-defined and relatively safe projects that
10
provide scope for demonstrating proficiency with a low risk of failure. Other students
are better advised to tackle harder, riskier projects that require a high degree of
original input and/or technical problem solving. If you are looking to achieve high
marks in the project and, particularly, if you are hoping to win one of the illustrious
projects prizes, or achieve "Distinguished Project" status, you should choose your
shortlist with particular care.
A list of project titles will be released on the FYP website at least one month
prior to the first of FYP Phase 1. During this period, students can approach the
supervisors to obtain more detail information about the title listed. The potential
supervisors will be happy to offer advice on the suitability of a project, given your
individual background, strengths and ambitions. Once the supervisor agrees to
supervise the student, the student shall request the supervisor to sign the FYP
Requisition form and submit the form to faculty office.
It is important to balance ambition and realism when making a choice. Start
thinking about possible topics and titles well before the course begins. Consider
ideas that sound interesting because of a desire to know more about a subject, a
desire to learn how to use a particular software package, or a goal of working
professionally in this area after graduation. Perhaps you would like to investigate a
research idea presented in one of your classes. Whatever the reason, the project topic
should be something that you choose rather than something assigned to you. It is
much more enjoyable to put in time on a project if it is yours rather than someone
else’s. Start by reading technical books, journal papers, professional articles, or
interesting web pages. Talk with faculty and other professionals - perhaps people
you are working with for industrial training. Your goal is to have a well-defined
problem statement ready for review as early as possible.
11
1.3 Proposing a Project Title
Student may propose a project title with the following conditions:
Company-link project. There must be a mentor from the company to
supervise the project. The company supervisor must agree with MMU
copyright term (stated in the student thesis).
Project to be participated in competition. The project must be related to the
theme of the competition.
Potential project. The project may create or bring significant improvement to
individual, organisation or society.
Note that, student must find a potential faculty supervisor to supervise his/ her
proposed title. Student must obtain approval for his /her project proposal from the
faculty before the beginning of FYP Phase I.
12
CHAPTER 2
2 PROJECT SCHEDULE
2.1 Overview
The project schedule described in this chapter is only valid for long-long
trimesters or two long trimesters, otherwise, the project will be considered as special
case FYP that carried out in short-long or long-short trimesters. For special case FYP,
student has to follow the FYP Timeline provided by the faculty and not the project
schedule described in this chapter.
2.2 FYP Phase 1 (Trimester I)
FYP Phase 1 is concerned with developing the problem specification and
design. The progress on these activities will be monitored through regular weekly
meetings with your supervisor. The requirement for FYP Phase 1 registration is
student must completed at least 60 credits hours (excluding art & humanity
subjects).
By the second week of the trimester students must have a short, written
description of the project. Then, for the next 11 weeks, a complete and precise
problem statement needs to be developed, followed by the formal design of an
experimental system that solves this problem. In addition, students must also prepare
an implementation plan that will guide their activities in FYP Phase 2, and build a
working prototype that demonstrates the functionality of the students proposed
research/ software.
At the end of Week 11, students are required to produce two “deliverables.”
The first is the Interim Report (Week 11) describing what you have done. This
includes literature search, methodology, interviews, market surveys, statistical
analysis as well as the completed specifications and design. Following are the
important events highlighted for FYP Phase 1.
13
2.2.1 Important Events for FYP Phase 1
Before Week 1
Student view the list of FYP titles and information.
Student select the FYP titles and approach respective supervisor.
Student register the FYP subject in ICEMS.
Week 1
Supervisor assign student to project.
Student submit the FYP title requisition form to faculty office.
Student attend FYP briefing.
Week 1 - 11
Student carry out FYP activities e.g. literature review, planning,
analysis and design, interim report and etc.
Student meet the supervisor at least once a week. A meeting log must
be completed by each student for each meeting.
Week 12
Student submit the Interim Report and students must make sure that
their report follows the formatting requirements (e.g. layout, font size,
references, etc).
Student arrange the presentation time slot with supervisor.
Weeks 13 - 14
Project presentation and demonstration of the prototype or research
work.
2.3 FYP Phase 2 (Trimester II)
FYP Phase 2 is concerned with experiment or system implementation as well
as the research contribution of the project. Students’ tasks are to take the
specification and design work done during the previous trimester and construct a
finished, working system that meets all specifications. Students will again meet
weekly with their supervisor to describe the project activities and detail its progress.
Students have 11 weeks to complete the implementation. In Week 12, the student is
required to submit the Final Report and give a presentation and demonstration on
14
Week 13 and 14 of the completed system or result to the supervisor and moderators.
Following are the important events highlighted for FYP Phase 2.
2.3.1 Important Events for FYP Phase 2
Week 1
Student re-register the FYP subject.
Week 1 - 11
Student carry out FYP activities e.g. core results/ findings of the
project, coding, testing, implementation, final report and etc.
Student meet the supervisor at least once a week. A meeting log must
be completed by each student for each meeting.
Week 12
Student submit the Final Report (for evaluation) and make sure your
report follows the formatting requirements (e.g. layout, font size,
references, etc).
Student arrange the presentation time slot with supervisor.
Week 13 - 14
Project presentation and demonstration of the prototype or research
works.
Week 15 - 16
Submit the permanent-bound hard cover Final Report.
2.4 FYP Timeline
The FYP Timeline shows the important activities that will be carried out in
FYP Phases 1 and 2. The student must aware of the important activities highlighted
in the timeline. The FYP Timeline is provided separately in the faculty FYP website.
15
CHAPTER 3
3 GRADING AND ASSESSMENT
3.1 Grade Distribution
Each student will receive a single grade for the two-trimester, Final Year
Project (TPR3321/ HRD3019) course. Student’s activities in FYP Phase 1 will count
30% and FYP Phase 2 will count 70%. The following chart describes the marks and
final percentage distribution for FYP Phase 1 and 2:
Table 3.1: Grade Distribution for FYP Phase 1 and 2
FYP Phase 1 FYP Phase 2
Components Marks Components Marks
General Effort 20 General Effort 20
Interim Report 30 Final Report 30
Project Design 30 Project
Implementation/
Research
Contribution
50
Presentation 20 Presentation 20
Total Marks 100 120
Final Percentage
(Grade points)
30% 70%
At the end of FYP Phase 2 (Trimester II), the FYP Phase 1 and 2 marks will
be evaluated into a single grade point, and the grade point will be used in the
calculation of GPA/ CGPA. In other words, the results of FYP will only be released
by ICEMS after completion of FYP Phase 2. The descriptions for each evaluation
component are described in the following tables.
16
Table 3.2: Evaluation Components for FYP Phase 1
Components Descriptions
General Effort Project management skills
o time management skills – punctuality
o professionalism
Attitude and contribution to the project work
o contribution to project
o pro-active attitude
Project
Implementation
Amount and quality of implementation
o amount of work is suitable for FYP, quality of work is
suitable for FYP
Objectives met
o the outcome(s) of the project matches the original
proposed objective(s)
Evidence of original contribution
o there is a clear evidence of a novel and substantial
contributions. This include proof of concepts of novel
application, new or enhanced algorithms
Project verification/ testing
o the algorithms/ codes are tested and verified
Overall technical quality of the project
o point is based on the overall impression of the project
Report Complete expansion of interim report to Final report
o background, objectives, problem statements, literature
review and detailed project description must be
completed and expanded in the final version
Critical evaluation of previous work/own work
o show understanding of previous work and the ability
to be critical about previous works in the related field
o show understanding of the strengths and weaknesses
of the approach adopted in comparison with and
contrast to previous work
Overall quality of the report
o based on the overall impression of the project
o accuracy of language and format (spelling, grammar,
references (APA), etc).
Presentation Clarity of presentation
o background, objective(s), approach(es), experiment(s)
and outcome(s) are clearly presented
Question handling
o ability to demonstrate a good understanding of the
project in answering the questions posed
Table 3.3: Evaluation Components for FYP Phase 2
Components Descriptions
General Effort Project management skills
o Time management skills – punctuality
o Professionalism
17
Attitude and contribution to the project work
o contribution to project
o pro-active attitude
Project Design
Objectives & Problem statement
o clarity of objective and problem statement
Justification of the approach taken
o approach is well-justified and is logically connected to
the problem statement
Amount and Quality of implementation
o amount of work is suitable for FYP, quality of work is
suitable for FYP
Objectives met
o the outcome(s) of the project matches the originally
proposed objective(s)
Evidence of original contributions
o there is a clear evidence of novel and substantial
contributions
Project verification/testing
o the algorithms/codes are tested and verified
Overall technical quality of the project
o point is based on the overall impression of the project
Report Background & Literature review
o comprehensiveness and extensiveness of background
and literature review
Project descriptions
o methodology and materials are clearly described
o analysis and design are clearly described
Complete expansion of interim report to Final report
o background, objectives, problem statements, literature
review and detailed project description must be
completed and expanded in the final version
Critical evaluation of previous work/own work
o show understanding of previous work and the ability
to be critical about previous works in the related field
o show understanding of the strengths and weaknesses
of the approach adopted in comparison with and in
contrast to previous work
Overall quality of the report
o based on the overall impression of the project
o accuracy of language and format (spelling, grammar,
references (APA), etc).
Presentation Clarity of presentation
o background, objective(s), approach(es), experiment(s)
and outcome(s) are clearly presented
Question handling
o ability to demonstrate a good understanding of the
project in answering the questions posed
18
3.2 Assessment
The supervisor and moderator will assess the student FYP based on his/ her
performance at four levels as described below:
Excellent The student’s performance is well beyond expectation
Good The student’s performance is above expectation at his/her level
Adequate The student’s performance is acceptable and expected at his/her
level
Inadequate The student’s performance is below expectation
In order to be graded as excellent for an application based project, the student
will has to develop an impressive/ novel application with fully functional
components, various unique features, excellent coding style and file structures, adopt
proper software development techniques and methods, accompanied with excellent
documentation and most importantly the project has to be demonstrable to the public
and suitable to for participation in competitions and exhibitions. Students who
obtained a distinction grade for his/ her project must participate in an exhibition or
competition if requested by the supervisor or faculty.
For an excellent research based project, the student has to show their quality
of research work at the highest level of undergraduate studies by providing an in-
depth literature review, developed novel algorithms, new breakthrough, enhancement
of ideas or framework that is supported by excellent experimental results using
benchmark and standard database, strong proof of concept through surveys, statistics
or laboratory prototype and has the potential to generate at least one local/
international conference/ journal publication.
19
CHAPTER 4
4 REPORT CONTENT AND SUBMISSION
4.1 Warning Notice
TAKE NOTICE that the unauthorized copying, reproducing, sharing and / or
downloading of any copyrighted material or an attempt to do so whether by use of
the University’s facilities or outside networks / facilities whether in hard copy or soft
copy format, shall constitute an infringement under the Copyright Act 1987 and shall
be a strict liability offence.
4.2 Content of FYP Report
This section describes the general content structure of the undergraduate FYP
report. It covers information on the arrangement of the report, content and chapters.
The FYP report will be rejected if the report is not presented in the form required in
this guide.
4.2.1 Cover
The cover of the report must contain (in order) the title of the FYP, student’s
full name, session, name of faculty, Multimedia University and the month and year
of submission. For the hard cover of the Final Report, all letters must be printed in
boldface (gold) capital letters. The minimum size for the letter is 5mm in height.
Refer to example in Appendix D. The hard copy cover must be in dark blue as shown
in Appendix J.
4.2.2 Title Page
The cover of the report must contain (in order) title of the FYP, student’s full
name, session, statement of fulfilment, name of faculty, Multimedia University and
the month and year of submission date. Refer Appendix F.
20
4.2.3 Copyright Page
Student MUST follow and complete the copyright page according to the
content and format shown in Appendix G.
4.2.4 Declaration Page
Students MUST declare with signatures stating the report has been done by
them and no plagiarism has been included. Please refer to Appendix H.
4.2.5 Acknowledgement
Student may acknowledge the assistance of various individuals or
organisations in successful completion of the FYP. The content of this section shall
not exceed one page.
4.2.6 Table of Contents
This page should contain a list of chapters, sub-titles and referred page
number of the report.
4.2.7 Abstract
In one or two pages, certainly not more than two, summarize the main
features of the project, what problem it is solving and how the student proposes to
solve it. This brief overview should give a snapshot of the overall structure of the
FYP.
4.2.8 List of Tables
This page must list all the tables described in the project report together with
the table numbers, labels and page numbers.
21
4.2.9 List of Figures
This page must list all the figures described in the project report together with
the figure numbers, labels and page numbers.
4.2.10 List of Abbreviations/ Acronyms/ Notation /Symbols (if applicable)
All abbreviations, acronyms, notation and symbols described in the project
report should be listed on this page according to alphabetical order, together with
their definitions or names.
4.2.11 List of Appendices
This page must list all the appendices in the project report together with the
appendix number, labels and page numbers.
4.2.12 Main Content (Body of the Report)
The main content of the report should be divided into appropriate chapters.
Each chapter must begin on a new page. The title of each chapter must be provided
and related to the main content. A chapter must contain sections with appropriate
sub-titles and numbers. The body of the report must be written in paragraphs that
describe information relevant to the title or sub-title. There must be continuity flow
between two paragraphs and long paragraphs should be avoided.
Student should adopt the appropriate body of the Interim Report in FYP
Phase 1 and body of the Final Report in FYP Phase 2. Following are suggested main
contents for each report.
22
Body of Interim Report (FYP Phase 1)
o Chapter 1: Introduction – objectives, scopes
o Chapter 2: Literature Review
o Chapter 3: Methodology
o Chapter 4: Proposed Solution - Implementation Plan/Design
o Chapter 5: Conclusion
Body of Final Report (FYP Phase 2)
o Chapter 1: Introduction – objectives, scopes
o Chapter 2: Literature Review
o Chapter 3: Methodology
o Chapter 4: Implementation Plan/ Design
o Chapter 5: Solution
o Chapter 6: The Implementation Process/Results
o Chapter 7: Testing / Evaluation of findings
o Chapter 8: Conclusions
There should be continuity link between the Interim Report and the Final
Report. The content described in Interim Report such as objectives, methodology,
plan and design must be met, carried out and reported in Final Report. Otherwise, the
student has to report the changes of plan and provide appropriate support and
justification in the Final Report. The detail description for each chapter is described
in Section 4.3.
In a formal report, the use of first person reference such as “I”, “us”, “me”,
“myself” and etc. in the main content should be avoided. In situation where self-
reference is required, the self- reference could be made as “this study”, “this project”,
“this research” or “the author”. Student must adopt an appropriate English writing
level. Student must pay attention to correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence
structure and continuity.
23
4.2.13 References
All references of papers, journals, websites, tools, material, books, software
and reference materials that the student has referred to within the report must be
listed alphabetically and chronologically in this section following American
Psychological Association (APA) style. Student must cite the references at the
appropriate places in the content of the report where required.
4.2.14 Appendices
Appendices are additional materials to the body of the report. The items in
appendices include charts, graphics, display, essential program codes, screen shots,
table, diagram and other items that may be too lengthy and inconvenient to be
included in the body of the report. For example, the survey questionnaires and data
sheets may be included as appendices. All the appendices must be listed in the List of
Appendices page.
4.3 Main Content of Interim/ Final Report
Brief information about the body of the report is described in section 4.2.12.
The following sections provide detail descriptions of the main content of Interim/
Final Report.
4.3.1 Chapter 1: Introduction (Interim/ Final Report)
How did the problem originally present itself to you in the first place, and
how did it evolve over the course of the project. Give a detailed summary of the
problem as well as a review of the literature or the market survey.
4.3.2 Chapter 2: Background and Literature Search (Interim/ Final Report)
Describe what you have discovered in your literature review. Does this
problem exist anywhere else? Who is working on it? How have others solved it?
24
Give references to some of the main articles/books/Web pages discussing this
problem.
4.3.3 Chapter 3: Methodology (Interim/ Final Report)
Describe how the project work will be implemented. What methodology will
be used? What tools and technique(s) will be employed? Describe the tools and
techniques in detail and justify why you choose it? For all the tools and techniques
used, give proper citation and references.
4.3.4 Chapter 4: Implementation Plan / Design (Interim/ Final Report)
Outline in detail your approach to solving the problem using system
development diagrams, flowcharts and schematic diagrams. Lay out the project
implementation plan for the next semester. Discuss the project’s target and milestone
dates. If you will be implementing your project in discrete stages, describe them and
discuss how far you think you will be able to get.
4.3.5 Chapter 5: The Solution (Final Report only)
Describe the solution in detail. Student may include the appendices for
essential computer codes, data sheet or other technical materials, but some summary
or overview diagrams of the solution should be placed in the body of the report. This
will help the reader get a sense for the overall structure of the solution.
4.3.6 Chapter 6: The Implementation Process/Results (Final Report only)
Describe the process you went through to complete the project and compare
what actually happened with the goals you were trying to achieve. Highlight any
major variations from your original plans. Discuss the behaviour of the finished
program, and show some of its functionality.
25
4.3.7 Chapter 7: Testing / Evaluation of findings (Final Report only)
For the implemented systems and software, tests should be conducted and
their results should also clearly be stated.
4.3.8 Chapter 8: Conclusions (Interim/ Final Report)
What has been accomplished for each research objective (Students should
clearly state the conclusion for each project objective) what are the major things that
you learned from this project? What work still needs to be done on the system and
how can it be improved and/or enhanced? Do you have any future plans for this
software package?
4.4 Submission of Interim Report (FYP Phase 1)
Student has to submit the following items on Week 12 in FYP Phase 1 to the
faculty office.
1. TWO (2) comb-bound soft cover Interim Reports (Light Blue
colour (Refer Appendix I)).
2. TWO (2) CD or DVD that contain the softcopy of project report,
documents, codes, installation files, required software, references, etc.
The CD or DVD MUST be properly attached to last page of the report.
(Refer Appendix K)
3. At least SIX (6) ORIGINAL FYP Meeting Log sheets (Appendix A)
attached (do not bind) with the reports. The FYP Meeting Log sheets
must be signed and stamped by supervisor.
4. The checklist for FYP interim report submission (Appendix B).
26
4.5 Submission of Final Report for Evaluation (FYP Phase 2)
Student has to submit the following items on Week 12 in FYP Phase 2 to the
faculty office for evaluation.
1. TWO (2) comb-bound soft cover Final Reports for evaluation
(Light Blue colour (Refer Appendix I)).
2. TWO (2) CD or DVD that contain the softcopy of project report,
documents, codes, installation files, required software, references, etc.
The CD or DVD MUST be attached to last page of the report. (Refer
Appendix K)
3. At least SIX (6) FYP Meeting Log sheets (Appendix A) attached (do
not bind) with the reports. The FYP Meeting Log sheets must be
signed and stamped by supervisor.
4. The checklist for FYP final report submission (Appendix C).
4.6 Submission of Final Report after Approval (FYP Phase 2)
After the FYP Phase 2 presentation, student is required to consult and seek
for approval from supervisor to submit the following items within 2 weeks to the
faculty office.
1. ONE (1) permanent-bound hard cover Final Reports (Dark Blue
colour (Refer Appendix J)).
2. ONE (1) CD or DVD that contain the softcopy of project report,
documents, codes, installation files, required software, references, etc.
The CD or DVD MUST be attached to last page of the report. (Refer
Appendix K)
3. The checklist for FYP final report submission (Appendix C).
27
4.7 Penalties and Failures
4.7.1 Late Submission
FIVE mark (5%) will be automatically deducted from the student project for
late submission (each day) of interim/ final/ hardcover report. Therefore, students
have to ensure that they submit their FYP report on time. Student who does not
submit the report for more than 5 days (including non-working days) after the
submission due date may result in automatic failures.
4.7.2 Plagiarism
Student who is caught to have plagiarized will be STRICTLY penalized and
may result in automatic failures.
4.7.3 Absence for Presentation
Student who does not present for presentation (without valid reason) may
result in automatic failures.
28
CHAPTER 5
5 REPORT PREPARATION
5.1 Report Specification
The following describes the report specification.
5.1.1 Text
Use computer type written using word processor software.
5.1.2 Language
Use British (United Kingdom) English. Avoid the use of such as “I”, “us”,
“me”, “myself” and etc. in the main content of the report, except the conclusion
chapter. Use “this study”, “this project”, “this research” or “the author” in situation
where self-reference is required. Student must adopt appropriate English writing
level. Student must pay attention to use correct spelling, grammar, punctuation,
sentence structure, continuity and etc.
5.1.3 Paper
Use only high-quality A4 80-gram paper, dimensions 210 mm x 297 mm.
This paper should be white in colour, acid free and “non-erasable”.
5.1.4 Printing
Print using high-quality laser or ink-jet printer. Use colour printing mode for
figures, diagrams etc. if applicable. Text and figures must be legible and clear. All
typing, print, illustrations, etc. should be on one side of the paper only.
29
5.1.5 Binding Type
Comb bind (Soft cover)
o Interim Report
o Final Report for evaluation
Permanent bind (Hard cover)
o Final Report after approval
5.1.6 Soft Cover
Refer to Appendix D for items required on cover and refer to Appendix I for
sample. The soft cover can be obtained from faculty office.
5.1.7 Hard Cover
Refer to Appendix D for items required on cover and Refer Appendix J for
sample. All letters must be printed in boldface (gold) capital letter. The minimum
size for the letter is 5mm in height.
5.1.8 Spine
Refer to Appendix E for items required on spine. All letters must be printed
in boldface (gold) capital letters. The minimum size for the letter is 5 mm in height.
Direction of lettering must run from the top of spine.
5.1.9 Length of Report
The minimum number of words for Interim Report is FIVE thousand (5000)
words and Final Report is TEN thousand (10000) words. Note that, the words count
is applicable for main content (body) of the report only.
30
5.1.10 CD/ DVD Label and Envelope
The CD/ DVD envelope should be properly made and attached to the last
page of the report. Refer to Appendix K.
5.2 Content Layout and Text Formatting
The following describes the content layout and text formatting of the report.
5.2.1 Page Margins
The minimum-sized page margins are as follows:
Left 40 mm
Right 25 mm
Top 25 mm
Bottom 25 mm
5.2.2 Page Numbers
Page numbers should be centred and placed in the footer 15 mm from the
edge of the bottom of the page. Use typeface Times New Roman and the font size is
12 pt. Every page except the title page must be numbered. Title page is “I” but is not
numbered. Preliminary pages are to be numbered in upper case Roman numerals (I,
II, III, IV and etc). The text pages are to be numbered in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3 and
etc.) and all pages must be numbered consecutively and continuously, irrespective of
volumes.
5.2.3 Typesetting
Typeface: Times New Roman for all text in report
Text: Regular, font size 12 pt
Chapter Title: Uppercase, bold, centred, font size 14 pt
Sub-title (all levels): Title Case, bold, align left, font size 12 pt
31
5.2.4 Chapter Numbering
Chapters and sections must be numbered and titled. Each sub-title must be
follow by at least one paragraph that describes the section and content. Note that
student should avoid sections more than level four.
Example:
CHAPTER 3
MAIN TITLE
3.1 Sub-title (2nd
Level)
This section describes…
3.1.1 Sub-sub-title (3rd
Level)
The following describes…
3.1.1.1 Sub-sub-sub-title (4th
Level)
The detail of …
Figure 5.1: Example of Chapter Numbering
5.2.5 Spacing
Line spacing is one and a half (1.5) spacing. Use double (2.0) lines spacing
for the next paragraph.
5.2.6 Paragraph
The last paragraph of any page should comprise at least two lines of text. Any
heading appearing near the bottom of a page should be followed by at least two lines
of text. If this is not possible, the heading and the line should be continued in the next
page. If the last paragraph of a page has to be continued on the next page, there must
be at least two lines of the text appearing on the next page. Each paragraph should be
indented one tab (1.27 cm or 0.5 inch) from the left margin. General alignment for
texts in paragraph should be “Justified”.
32
5.2.7 Numbers
Avoid beginning a sentence with a number or symbol. Numbers have to be
used with appropriate units (e.g. 30%, 55 ml, 3 cm, 5 km, 10 kg, RM 30,000, 35 °C
and etc.). Otherwise, the number has to be spelled out in words (e.g. three sections,
five categories, three tools, thirty lines etc.). Use appropriate mathematic operators
(e.g. multiplication should be “×” and not “x”)
5.2.8 Equation
Equations represented in symbols or variables must be italic (e.g. k, M, y, P,,
etc.) and centred. The equation must be referred to by number in brackets with
respect to the chapter. The symbols or variables in equations must be described
clearly in text. There should be one and a half (1.5) lines spacing before and after the
equation.
Example:
The following is the fourth equation appears in Chapter 5:
Albert Einstein proposed mass–energy equivalence equation as follows:
E = mc2 (5.4)
where E is energy, m is mass, and c is the speed of light in a vacuum.
….
they can be computed using the cosine law defined as,
2 2 2
arccos2
a b c
ab
(5.5)
where a and b denote the two sides next to the angle α, and c is the side opposite to
α.
Figure 5.2: Example of Equation in Text
33
5.2.9 Table
Tables in text must be centred, numbered with respect to the chapter and
captioned. The caption should be positioned at the top-center of the table. The
caption should be bold and title case and single spacing. A table should be placed
after it has been referred to for the first time in the text. There should be one and a
half (1.5) lines spacing before and after the table. Tables which are presented in
landscape format should be bound with the top of the table to the spine.
Example:
The following is the third table described in text of Chapter 3:
… Table 3.3 show the performance comparison of the …
Table 3.3: Biometrics Performance Comparison.
Biometrics Accuracy (%)
Hand Geometry 76.5%
Finger Print 95.2%
Figure 5.3: Example of Table in Text
5.2.10 Figures
Items that can be represented as figures include but are not limited to
diagrams, pictures, charts, programming codes, pseudo codes, graphs etc. All figures
in text must be centred, numbered to respect with the chapter and captioned. The
caption should be positioned at the bottom-center of the figure and single spacing.
The caption should be bold and title case. A figure should be placed after it has been
referred to the first time in the text. There should be one and a half (1.5) lines spacing
before and after the figure. Figures which are presented in landscape format should
be bound with the top of the table to the spine.
34
Example:
The following is the fifth figure described in text of Chapter 7:
Figure 7.5 illustrates the sample image acquired by using the online and offline
methods respectively.
(a)
(b)
Figure 7.5: Palm Print Image Acquired using (a) Offline System, and (b) Online
System.
Figure 5.4: Example of Figure in Text
5.2.11 Reference
Any material taken from another source must be identified, and a brief
reference to its source included in the text. Thus, every reference quoted or cited in
the thesis must be included in the list of references accordingly using American
Psychological Association (APA) style. References should be ordered alphabetically
and followed by chronological order for same author. Typeface to be used is Times
New Roman and the font size is 10 pt with one and a half (1.5) lines spacing. Use
double (2.0) lines spacing between entries. The second line of a reference must be
indented 12.7 mm.
Example:
Citation in text:
According to Adams and Zukofsky (1999a), they are adopting… The survey also
found that … (Adams and Zukofsky, 1999b).
...
…
Reference:
35
…
Adams, J.A. & Zukofsky, S.P. (1999a). I saved my patient with the APA.
Adams, J.A. & Zukofsky, S.P. (1999b). New Style with APA.
American Journal of Public Health, 72, 801-843. Retrieved August 13, 2001,from Health and
Wellness Resource Center database.52
Burgess, Q. (1998). Mastering the APA in 600 easy lessons (Rev. ed.).
Byrd, P. (1999, July/August). Bed-side manner with the APA. Hospital Etiquette, 53. Retrieved
August 19, 2001, from Academic Search Premier database.
Kinko, P., McConnell, C., Stone, S., Forehand, S., Blondeau, K., Leybold, J. (2001). We fought the
APA and the APA won. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 276, 1279-1285.
…
Figure 5.5: Example of Reference
Note that, student shall to refer the “CitationInReferenceList.doc” and
“CitationStyleForReferenceInText.doc” document for more information and
examples about references and citations. The two documents can be downloaded
from the FIST-FYP website (http://fist2.mmu.edu.my/?page=32).
5.2.12 Appendices
The pages should be numbered continuously with the rest of the text. For
computer type written appendices, the typeface to be used is Times New Roman and
the font size is 10 pt and one and a half (1.5) lines spacing.
36
5.3 Documentation Template and Layout Example
Students are encouraged to follow the “FypDocumentationTemplate.doc”
provided in the FIST-FYP website. Students may also refer to the some layout
examples in the appendices listed below:
Appendix D: Layout for the Cover of the Interim/ Final Report/ Hard-cover
Appendix E: Layout of Spine of the Final Report (Hard-cover only)
Appendix F: Layout of Title Page of the Interim/ Final Report
Appendix G: Layout of Copyright page of the Interim/ Final Report
Appendix H: Layout of Declaration page of the Interim/ Final Report
37
CHAPTER 6
6 AWARDS, EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES
6.1 Awards/ Competition
There are many awards offered as a motivation for your FYP effort. This also
really looks good in your resume and it will help increasing the chance of getting a
good job, not to mention that some of the awards are worth quite a sum of money as
well.
The faculty promotes participation in competitions co-organized by the
faculty and industrial partners or other external bodies. Some of the awards/
competitions that may be available for student to participate in are as follows:
IBM Best IT Project Award: For best FYP that utilizes IBM technologies
and tools.
Shell Technology Innovation Award: Five best FIST FYP projects shall be
selected for competition with FYP projects from each faculty.
MSC Asia Pacific ICT Award (APICTA): FYP projects can be nominated
by the students themselves for participation in the Best of Tertiary
Student Project (Software/Hardware or Creative Multimedia) Category, the
winner shall represent Malaysia for Asia-Pacific Finals. Visit
www.mscapicta.com.my for details.
Microsoft Imagine Cup Award: Imagine Cup is your chance to innovate,
show the world what you've got, and win some serious prizes. Visit
www.imagincup.com/ for details.
6.2 Exhibition/ Expo
A student who develops an impressive and demonstrable project or prototype
may be requested by supervisor, faculty or university to participate in local or
international exhibition/ expo to introduce their products to people. This will provide
38
exposure for the student who would like to be an entrepreneur and meet potential
investors or customers who may buy or invest into their project. Some exhibitions
may provide certificates, medals and awards and the projects may be evaluated by
judges from industry. The duration of the exhibition/ expo is about 1 to 3 days. Some
of the exhibitions/ expos which may be available for student to participate are as
follow:
Invention Innovative & Technology Exhibition (ITEX): The leading
exhibition in Asia that showcases new inventions, technologies and products.
Judging will be conducted and medals and certificates will be awarded to
winners. Visit www.itex.com.my for more details.
Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE): An exhibition that showcases
technologies and products. Judging will be conducted and medals and
certificates will be awarded to winners. Visit www.mte.org.my for more
details.
MMU Open Projects Exhibition: Display and present projects to the public
and visitors. Certificates will be provided to participants.
6.3 Proceedings Conference
Students who have good research work are encouraged to submit research
papers to a well-known (listed in ISI-indexed or MMU conference list) local/
international conference. The student should discuss this with the supervisor to
obtain advice and recommendation before submitting his/ her research paper to any
conference. The supervisor may guide and provide some knowledge related to
research publication to the student. Student is advised to do an in-depth literature
review to grasp the techniques on how to write a research paper. There are plenty of
sources to download research papers for readings and references, some of the well-
known online research libraries are IEEExplore, ACM, Science Direct etc.
39
CHAPTER 7
7 PITFALLS AND PROBLEMS
7.1 Problems
The final year project will be a demanding but exciting learning experience.
However, it is not without problems which, if not identified and addressed, could
seriously affect the final result and ultimately reduce your grade. In this section we
mention some of these problems and how to avoid them.
The “Overachiever” Problem. A common problem is selecting a topic that
is far too ambitious for the allotted time. Remember that you have only 11
weeks to finish the coding, debugging, experimenting, collecting data and
testing. Be careful not to select a topic that is unrealistically large. This can
lead to frustration as well as errors caused by “cutting corners” and hurrying
through the implementation. Discuss with your advisor the scale of what you
are planning. If he or she thinks it may be too large, consider implementing
the project in stages, each complete in itself. When FYP Phase 1 is working
move on to FYP Phase 2. If you do not finish FYP Phase 2, however, you still
will have a functioning system.
The “Do It Tomorrow” Problem. 11 weeks sounds like a long time, but it
goes by quickly. You need an implementation schedule that allocates
reasonable amounts of work throughout the entire semester. Then you must
stick to that schedule. Don’t be tempted to postpone work on the project
because Week 11 seems so far off. All that happens is that during the final
few weeks you rush madly to get something working, and software
implemented in a rush rarely works correctly!
The “Poop Out At the End” Problem. You have worked hard for 11 weeks
to complete this project. You have spent many late nights and chased down
hundreds of bugs, but it is now working, so are you done? Absolutely not!
40
The project grade is not based only on the programs you develop but also on
your written reports and oral presentations. Don’t produce a poorly written
paper or give a poorly organized presentation. That will negate much of your
good work. Put in the time needed to prepare both a well written, high-quality
final report and a well organized, polished presentation. Good work on these
last steps will insure that you receive a grade that fairly represents the work
you have done.
41
APPENDICES
Refer to next page.
42
Appendix A: FYP Meeting Log
Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FIST)
Final Year Project Meeting Log
MEETING DATE: MEETING NO.:
PROJECT ID:
PROJECT TITLE :
SESSION : SUPERVISOR :
STUDENT ID & Name: CO- SUPERVISOR :
1. WORK DONE [Please write the details of the work done after the last meeting.]
2. WORK TO BE DONE
3. PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
4. COMMENTS
NOTES:
1. Items 1 – 3 are to be completed by the students before coming for the meeting. Item 4 is to be
completed by the supervisor.
2. For FYP Phase 1, total six log sheets are to be submitted (every other week*).
3. For FYP Phase 2, total six log sheets are to be submitted (every other week**).
4. Log sheets are compulsory assessment criteria for FYP. Student who fails to meet the requirements of
log sheets will not be allowed to submit FYP report.
*: week 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 of the first trimester (week 12: report submission, weeks
13 & 14: presentation)
**: week 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 or 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11 of the second trimester (week 12: report submission,
weeks 13 & 14: presentation)
Supervisor’s Signature &
Stamp
Co-Supervisor’s Signature
& Stamp (if any)
Student’s Signature
43
Appendix B: Checklist for FYP Interim Submission
Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FIST)
Checklist for Interim Report Submission
STUDENT’S DETAILS Project Code FIST
Name
ID No
Title of Thesis
Supervisor Name
REPORT ARRANGEMENT √ Comments 1. Cover of The Interim Report
2. Title Page of the Interim Report
3 Copyright page of I Interim Report
4. Declaration Page of Interim report
5. Acknowledgement
6. Table of Contents
7. Abstract
8. List of Tables
9. List of Figures
10. List of Symbols
11. List of Appendices
12. Chapter 1: Introduction – objectives,
scope
13. Chapter 2: Literature Review
14. Chapter 3: Methodology
15. Chapter 4: Proposed Solution-
- Implementation Plan/Design
16. Chapter 5: Conclusion
17. References – APA style
18. Appendices
19. CD/ DVD and envelope as shown in Appendix K
20. Attachment : FYP Meeting Logs (all) 1 set
FORMAT OF REPORT √ Comments 1. Page Numbering
2. Font and Type Face
3. Font Cover
4. Tables and Figures
5. Comb Bind
6. Colour of the Front Cover
7. Number of words > 5000 (Main content only)
Checked by
________________________
Student’s Signature & Date
44
Appendix C: Checklist for FYP Final Report Submission
Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FIST)
Checklist for Final Report Submission
STUDENT’S DETAILS Project Code FIST
Name
ID No
Title of Thesis
Supervisor Name
REPORT ARRANGEMENT √ Comments 1. Cover of The Final Report
2. Title Page of the Final Report
3 Copyright page of I Final Report
4. Declaration Page of Final report
5. Acknowledgement
6. Table of Contents
7. Abstract
8. List of Tables
9. List of Figures
10. List of Symbols
11. List of Appendices
12. Chapter 1: Introduction – objectives, scope
13. Chapter 2: Literature Review
14. Chapter 3: Methodology
15. Chapter 4: Implementation Plan/Design
16. Chapter 5: Solution
17. Chapter 6: The Implementation Process/Results
18. Chapter 7: Testing / Evaluation of findings
19. Chapter 8: Conclusions
20. References – APA style
21. Appendices
22. CD/ DVD and envelope as shown in Appendix K
23. Attachment: FYP Meeting Logs (all) - 1 set
FORMAT OF REPORT √ Comments 1. Page Numbering
2. Font and Type Face
3. Font Cover
4. Tables and Figures
5. Spine Format
6. Comb Bind (For evaluation)
7. Permanent Bind (After approval)
8. Colour of the Front Cover
9. Number of words > 10000 (Main content only)
Checked by
________________________
Student’s Signature & Date
45
Appendix D: Layout for the Cover of the Interim/ Final Report/ Hard-Cover
SECURE PROJECT
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
NURUL NADIA AHMAD
SESSION 2009/2010
FACULTY OF INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2010
Title of Final Year Project
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 20
Name of Candidate
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 16
Faculty, Name of University and
Month & Year of the project
submission date (MUST follow the
submission date) Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
50 mm from the top of the page
45 mm from the left margin
45 mm from the right margin
Session
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
50 mm from the bottom of the page
46
Appendix E: Layout of Spine of the Final Report (Hard Cover only)
NU
RU
L N
AD
IA A
HM
AD
S
EC
UR
E P
RO
JEC
T
MA
NA
GE
ME
NT
SY
ST
EM
TE
MS
WIT
H K
ER
SE
SS
ION
2009
/20
10
20 mm from the top of the spine
20 mm from the bottom of the spine
Title of final year project
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 14
Name of Candidate
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 14
47
Appendix F: Layout of Title Page of the Interim/ Final Report
SECURE PROJECT
MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
BY
NURUL NADIA AHMAD
SESSION 2009/2010
THE PROJECT REPORT IS PREPARED FOR
FACULTY OF INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT
FOR
BACHELOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
B.I.T. (HONS) SECURITY TECHNOLOGY
FACULTY OF INFORMATION SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
MULTIMEDIA UNIVERSITY
APRIL 2010
Title of project
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font Size: 20
Name of candidate
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font Size: 16
Degree and Faculty Enrolled
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
Name of University
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 16
Month & Year of Project
submission date (MUST follow
the submission date) Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
50 mm from the top of the page
45 mm from the left margin
45 mm from the right margin
50 mm from the bottom of the page
48
Appendix G: Layout of Copyright Page of the Interim/ Final Report
The copyright of this thesis belongs to the author under the
terms of the Copyright Act 1987 as qualified by Regulation 4(1) of
the Multimedia University Intellectual Property Regulations. Due
acknowledgement shall always be made of the use of any material
contained in, or derived from, this thesis.
© Name of candidate, Year of Thesis submission
All rights reserved
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
To be placed middle of the page
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 14
First line indent: 1 cm from the left margin
Alignment: Text to be placed middle of the page
49
Appendix H: Layout of Declaration Page of the Final Report
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that the work have been done by myself and no portion of the work
contained in this thesis has been submitted in support of any application for any other
degree or qualification of this or any other university or institute of learning.
____________________
Name of candidate
Faculty of Information Science & Technology
Multimedia University
Date: DD: MM: YYYY
Typeface: Times New Roman
Font size: 12
50
Appendix I: Sample of Soft Cover Interim/ Final Report for evaluation
51
Appendix J: Sample of Hard Cover Final Report (Front)
52
Appendix K: Layout of CD/ DVD envelope
The CD/ DVD envelope (White colour) MUST be attached to the center of the last
page of the report.
11 cm
13 cm
13 cm
3 cm
{Project Title}
{Name}
{Session}
Faculty of Information Science & Technology
Multimedia University
CD/ DVD
Labels
