Writing the Final Report for EE 499 – Senior Projects

1. Writing the Final Report for EE 499 – Senior Projects

2. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING XE 499 SENIOR PROJECT – CAPSTONE DESIGN REPORTS Prepared by Dr. Bahaddin Karagőzoğlu ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT FACULTY OF ENGINEERING KING ABDULAZIZ UNIVERSITY Rabi II 1425 ~ June 2004 http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

3. Essentials of the Report • What we did, • Why we did it, • How we did it, • What we have found (results we have obtained), • Interpretation of results: What are the results obtained mean to us, • Conclusions: How the achievements match the original objectives. • Recommendations: How we would proceed if we have started the project now? http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

4. Organizing the Project Report Typical organization of a report is composed of three main sections as: • Preliminary materials, • Body of the report, and • Reference materials http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

5. Preliminary Materials • The Title or Cover Page • The cover backbone • Approval page • Remembrance and Dedication (optional, if used) • Project Summary or Abstract • Acknowledgement (optional) • Table of Content • List of Tables and List of Figure (if available) http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

6. The cover page Right margin 2.5 cm Top margin 5 cm Title of the project: it is printed in 16-24 points font size single-spaced, bold and all CAPITAL LETTERS. Left margin 3 cm Student name: 14-18 points font size and bold Advisory committee (if available) Supervisor’s name: 14-18 points font size and bold Institutional details: 14 – 16 pts font size and bold Customer (if available) Month and year: in Hijri and Gregorian without commas in 14-16 points font size and bold Bottom margin 2.5 cm http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

7. Title • It must precisely describe the reports content • Tell clearly what we are writing about • Focus on the limited area of our work EXAMPLE: Design of a System to Locate a Free-Ranging Patientwithin the Hospital Purpose - topic - focus http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

8. EE KAU DESIGN OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR SURVEILLANCE OF DRY-EYE PROBLEM IN SCREEN ADDICTS 1425H/ 2004G The cover backbone http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

9. The approval page Top margin 2.5 cm Right margin 2 cm Statement of purpose: 14 – 16 pts, bold Left margin 3.5 cm Names and signatures of report examiners: Names left justified, 14-16 points font size and bold Bottom margin 2 cm http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

10. Remembrance and Dedication Right margin 2 cm Top margin 2.5 cm Left margin 3.5 cm Remembrance Dedication (optional, if used) Remembrance section may centralize the page if dedication is not used Bottom margin 2 cm http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

11. Abstract (Project Summary) • A brief overview of the report • It should be • Accurate: correctly reflect the purpose and content • Self-contained: stand on its own to reflect the contents of the paper • Concise and Specific : As brief as possible • Non-evaluative: report information objectively http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

12. iv Abstract (project summary) Boldface, 16 pts, centered and above the title Foreword Bold, 16 pts, centered Objective and background Spacing (1.5 lines) Summary Length: 350 words, maximum one page Methodology Overall conclusions Typeface and size: preferably Times Roman, size 12 All text must be left or full justified http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

13. v Acknowledgement (optional) • It is the place where the author expresses his appreciation to the contributors. • A professional tone must be maintained. • A similar format as in the abstract is preferred. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

14. vi Table of Content Entries must be consistent, in both style and substance, with headings as they appear in the text (wording, capitalization, style of numerals, etc.) Each entry should have tab leaders and corresponding page reference numbers must be aligned correctly List of Tables and List of Figure (if available): a similar format as in the Table of Content is used http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

15. Format of Other Preliminary Materials http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

16. Body of the Report What we did? Why we did it? • Introduction • Review of the literature (background) • Methodology • Results and discussions • Conclusions and recommendations. Introduction How we did it? Results and conclusions What are the results we obtained? What are the results obtained mean to us? How the achievements match to original objectives? How we would proceed if we have started the project now? http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

17. The Introduction • The introduction (1 or 2 pages) • Includes the purpose of the report • States the objectives • Background (3-6 pages) • Gives any necessary background information • Provides a review of pertinent literature http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

18. Introduction (1 or 2 pages) It includes a clear explanation of goals of the project, the significance of studying the problem. It should orient the reader to the topic of the report by including the following: • The problem - Explain the particular problem that is addressed in the report. • The objective - State the assignment (what our project needs to accomplish to solve the problem). • The method of the report - Describe the organization and structure of the report. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

19. Background (3-6 pages) • Discuss the context and history of this general topic and describe what has been done in the past. Include literature search results for the OVERALL problem and context rather than the options for component parts here. • Include pros and cons of the existing solutions. Also motivate need for a new solution. • Answer the question: What are the most important issues for this topic in terms of the goals of the project and the effects on society? http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

20. Write about >5 of following issues • Economic: effect of this topic on the economy in the past, possible cost of project development, cost of materials, target cost if project is marketed. • Environmental: influence on the environment in the past, possible effects for future developments • Sustainability: product life cycle, future markets • Manufacturability: material availability, use of off the shelf versus custom components, special needs for hostile environments • Ethical: uses that could cause harm to society, ethical issues that someone working on this topic might encounter • Health and safety: positive or negative impacts on the health and safety of individuals or society for past or future applications in this topic • Social: relationship of this topic to social aspects of society such as education, culture, communication, entertainment • Political: relationship of this topic to political issues. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

21. Methodology It contains • alternative approaches to reach the goal, • analysis of the problem and design of subsystems, • test and evaluation of the designed components, and • synthesis of the components to build the project. • present work plan for project phases (analysis, design, implementation and evaluation) and • cost analysis in terms of expected effort and material http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

22. Elements of Methodology Chapter • Design Requirements (3 to 6 pages) • Feasibility Discussion (2-5 pages) • Final Implementation (5-15 pages) http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

23. Design Requirements • Specifications and requirements for the project • Specify technical and non-technical characteristics. • Selection of design criterion • Alternative solutions • Explore alternative solutions. • Evaluate alternative solutions based on situation description and design constraints. • Select the proposed solution with justifications • Provide an overall architecture of the solution. • Functional decomposition of the project • Explain the major functions required by our design. • Figures and tables should be used to supplement discussion. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

24. Feasibility Discussion • Results of literature search • Provide the options and justification for overall approach (hardware, software, choices of methods). • Analysis • Describe behavior of the system, data and requirements • Options and justification for each functional part • Provide the options and justification of design approach and components or methods used in each functional part. • Be sure to cite all of the literature used in our discussion. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

25. Final Implementation • Describe the project and its functions • We might organize the implementation presentation by functional groups. • Discuss and present the calculations used in the design of the project in the relevant subsections. • Summarize repetitive calculations in tables. • Also, describe • Tools used, • The way of implementing the solution and • Solution requirements. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

26. Results • Design of experiments to evaluate the system in laboratory environment and in real life situations, • Statistical evaluation of the experimental data • Statements of results including visual materials http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

27. In the Results Section Objectively inform the reader of the data collected and the statistical treatment of them. Include all pertinent tables and/or figures to further describe data Do notinclude an evaluation or analysis of the data http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

28. Discussion • Evaluation and interpretation: • Was the hypothesis supported? • If so, how? • An interpretive discussion of the results and thoughtful evaluation of the design methodology adopted. • Discussion of the lessons learned http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

29. In the Discussion Section Discuss the results of the experiment Analyzethe data and interpret the implications of the data Compare the results of the current study to the work of the previous works Recommend what should be done next in regard to future works http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

30. Conclusions • Conclusions to be drawn from the results • Conclusions about the objectives • Implications of the overall study and results http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

31. Results and Conclusions • Performance Estimates and Results (2-5 pages) • Production Schedule (1-2 pages) • Cost Analysis (1-2 pages) • User’s Manual (1-3 pages) • Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations (2-4 pages) http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

32. Chapter and section headings Right margin 2 cm Top margin 5 cm Chapter headings should start at a new page, at 5cm below the top of the page and centered. Chapter number must be in Arabic numerals, like 1, 2, 3… and so on, followed by Chapter Title both in capital letters, and with Arial, size16 No indentation Left margin 3.5 cm Times Roman 12, 1.5 spaced. Single space in tables, appendices and footnotes 1 TAB stop Arabic numerals, like 1,2,3,4… and so on at the bottom center of each page Bottom margin 2 cm 1 http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

33. Titles and Subtitles • Use gerund ( -ing ) form, not infinitive (to+verb ) • Use brief and informative titles. • Examples: • Handling questions • Preparing for oral presentation http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

34. 2 Subsection headings Top margin 2.5 cm Right margin 2 cm Section headings may start anywhere within the text, after a triple space of the text of the previous section. Section titles contain Chapter and Section numbers separated by a dot, followed by the Section Title in small letters, the first letters of main words being capital. Section headings should be in bold, 12 point size. Left margin 3.5 cm Reference Subsection headings should be written similarly as section headings and contain Chapter number, Section number and Subsection number, separated by dots Bottom margin 2 cm http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

35. Figures Figure caption (title) Reference Technical reports only contain Figures and Tables. Refer to graphs as figures, photos as figures, small code segments as figures, etc. Figures and tables should NOT be hand sketched Figures and tables should be used to supplement the discussion http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

36. Tables Table caption Tables and figures must serve the reader and support the text. The titles must be coordinated with the List of Tables, List of Figures Figures and tables should be located in the body of the text, preferably AFTER they are introduced in the text References to Tables, Figures and Equations: while referencing a table, figure or an equation or a series of these within the text, use, for example, figure 2.1 (or Fig. 2.1 if Fig. is used instead of figure consistently throughout the text), table 3.2, equation (2.1), equations 3.5-3.7 and 3.9, etc http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

37. Equations Stand-alone equation In-line equation http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

38. Citing references • The references are cited in the body of the report by numbers inside square brackets [ ] or by the last name of the author(s) and year of publication as "… Akili (2002) utilized an infrared telemetry system …". • In the first case, the references will be listed according to their order of appearances in the text. In the second case, they are ordered alphabetically according to the surname of the first author of the work cited.. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

39. Listing of references All references should include author, title, journal or magazine title (if a journal article), publisher, page number, date http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

40. Quoting • Reasons: When writing the report, it is normal to include references and quotations from the work of others. This is for one or more of the following reasons: • To cite evidence or opinions from an authority on the subject in support of our argument • To put forward someone else’s viewpoint that we intend to argue against • To show the range of source materials we have used to support or challenge our own ideas • To acknowledge that our arguments derive from the work of others and thereby put them into their academic context • Quotations in our text can either be • Direct: that is, we use the actual words of the original writer, or • Indirect: that is we paraphrase what the original source says by putting the ideas in our own words. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

41. Punctuation of quotations For direct quotations, quotation marks are placed on both sides of the quotation : “.......................................” For indirect quotations, giving a reference number to indicate the source is sufficient. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

42. Appendices Materials that may be of interest or importance to some readers but are not sufficiently relevant to be included in the body of the report go to appendices. There may be many appendices supplementing the report. Materials most commonly put in the appendix include • Long tables that contain material not essential • Locally developed research aid as forms, questionnaires • Copies of data gathering or recording equipment used • Analysis data and other materials • Listing of computer programs, and • Lengthy quotations that may be of interest to some readers, especially if the source containing the quotation is not readily available. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

43. Organization of appendices • Students must discuss with their advisor(s) the need for appendices, carefully considering the value of the material they propose to include • Appendices must be designated with a letter (Appendix A, Appendix B, etc) each starting on a fresh page, and a title. • Each appendix must be listed in the Table of Contents. • All appendices must meet the usual margin requirements • Page numbering of the main body of text continuous with appendices http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

44. Conceptual Design Report (CDR) • It will be submitted at the end of 1st term (after EE 499 lectures) • It will be evaluated by the ABET project committee • It will carry 5/100 marks of the project work http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

45. Components of the CDR • Situation description and problem definition • Advisory committee and multidisciplinary team • Background search, literature review and standards • Problem formulation • Alternative solutions • Work plan and timing diagram covering activities in the project • Distribution of team roles and responsibilities http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

46. Elements of Chapter-1 • Situation Description • Problem Definition • Project Objectives • Project Background • Curricular Resources • Specification Development • Design Specifications & Constraints • Validation Procedure http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

47. Situation Description, Problem Definition & Project Objectives • Situation Description: Describe a real-world context for the problem being solved • Dr. Karagozoglu is running a research project to study the effect of prayer activities on the human body • Problem Definition: The problem given by the customer • a need to monitor heart rate during prayer activities • Project Objectives: The solution that I will design • to design/build a device that monitors heart rate and body motions during prayer activities http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

48. Project Background & Curricular Resources • Background: • possible past similar solutions (pros, cons) • relevant standards • all sources of information available to help in the design process (books, net, etc.) • Curricular Resources: topics, concepts, and lab experiences from the different courses the team members have taken that will be utilized in this project http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

49. Specification Development • This is an optional section for the cases when the specs are not completely specified by the customer. In this case, explain in detail the process by which you have set the desired specs. http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa

50. Design Specifications & Constraints • Engineering specifications that directly pertain to the device functionality, • realistic constraints that will limit and affect how to achieve the objectives of the project • Economical • Environmental • Ethical • Health and Safety • Social • Political • Sustainability and Manufacturability • specs and constraints must be measurable http:/bkaragoz.kau.edu.sa