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School of Social Sciences Business Management Group Final Year Project Handbook Author: Mike Hart (with amendments by Eric Bodger) Session: 2004-2005 Contents Contents 2 Overview 5 1. What is the Final Year Project? 5 2. Why is it important? 5 3. What subject may I choose? 5 4. How do I get started? 6 5. What happens when I first meet my allocated tutor? 6 6. How do I plan out what I intend to do? 6 7. How much tutorial support may I expect to receive? 7 8. Literature review 7 9. Researching and gathering material for your Project 8 10. Managing your Project 9 Phases of your project planning 9 Managing your time 10 Progressive focusing 10 11. Interim Report – the mid-year review 11 12. Methodology 11 13. Consult the website regularly! 11 Collecting Primary Data 12 1. Questionnaires 12 2. Interviews 13 Practicalities of recording the data: 13 How is data to be analysed? 13 Ethics Considerations 13 3. Approaching Organisations 13 4. Analysing Primary Data 14 Quantitative data 14 Hypothesis tests 14 Use of Graphics 14 Analysis of open-ended questions 14 Qualitative data 15 Documents 15 Case Studies 16 Writing Up 1 17 Grammatical Points 17 Spelling 17 Stylistic Conventions 18 Writing Up 2 19 Plagiarism 19 Definition 19 What is legitimate? 19 What is not legitimate? 19 How to avoid plagiarism 19 Consequences of plagiarism 19 Non-Sexist and Non-Racist Language 19 Good Presentation and Illustration 20 Document Layout 20 Word-processing notes 21 Appendices 22 Indexes 22 Contents 23 Methods of Working 23 Principles of Referencing Style (Harvard) 24 List of References 24 Books 24 Articles/Chapters in Books 24 Reports 24 Periodicals 25 Newspapers 25 Conference papers 25 Quotations 25 Multiple references 25 Accuracy! 26 Completed List of References 26 Importance of proof reading 26 Why proof-read a document? 26 How is one to proof-read? 26 Cross-referencing 27 Appendices 28 Timing 28 Hand-in date 28 Dates for the 2004-05 academic year 29 Formalities 29 Abs