What to Expect from your Project

1. What to Expect from your Project Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London Darryl R. Overby and Robert J. Dickinson

2. Imperial College London Ranking Criteria 8th ranked in world 2011-2012 60% of ranking based on research

3. Research Project Imperial is such a great place because of its research and teaching quality. • Your research project is a gateway to: • World-class laboratories, cutting edge projects • Working side-by-side with experienced researchers • Receiving one-on-one supervision by a field leader A great opportunity, but you have a responsibility! • Uphold the quality of the research • Effectively communicate your methods and results • Function as a productive member of a laboratory team

4. Structure of the Research Project • BEng: • One individual research project in 3rd year • Interim presentation to supervisor • Interim report (marked) • written dissertation (marked) • poster presentation (marked) • MEng: • One group research project in 3rd year • interim presentation to supervisor • interim report (one per student; marked) • written report (one per student or group*; marked) • group presentation (marked) • One individual research project in 4th year • interim presentation to supervisor • interim report (marked) • written report (marked) • group presentation (marked) * At discretion of supervisor Project is worth 30% of final year mark.

5. Project Selection Information Stage - project presentation (now!) - circulation of project descriptions - meeting with project supervisors Student Selection Stage - each student registers online in three projects (priority order) - writing a motivational statement to the supervisor (why you want to do this project) Supervisor Selection Stage - Student selections are sent to supervisors (primary selections) - Supervisor may accept, reject or propose alternative project Repeat Stage - Student selections are sent to supervisors (secondary/tertiary selections) - Supervisor may accept, reject or propose alternative project Once accepted, both you and the supervisor must sign the agreement and safety forms.

6. Project Selection Occurs during the first week of Autumn term (this week!) What you need to do: - familiarise yourself with the project options - decide what area of research interests you - target specific project and/or project supervisors (office hours) - contact supervisors and arrange meetings - prioritise project selection Website listing project selection and listing: http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/bioengineering/intranet/coursesadministration/projects Getting starting on the right foot is the most important part of the project!

7. UG Project Time Line Marks deducted for late submission! Term Dates 2012-2013 Autumn Term 29 September 2012 – 14 December 2012 Spring Term 5 January 2013 – 22 March 2013 Summer Term 27 April 2013 – 28 June 2013

8. Planning Report • Goal of the Planning Report: • To obtain critical feedback from your supervisor on the status of your project. • Specific Objectives of the Planning Report: • To clarify the project goals and objectives • To describe the project background and significance • To describe the project methodology • To describe any preliminary data • Components of the Planning Report • Project Specification • Review of Background Literature • Implementation Plan – including, Gantt chart • Evaluation Section – how measure success of outcome measures? • Preliminary Results • Bibliography • No more than 4 pages long and no more than 2000 words. • Submit electronically (PDF) via blackboard. • Single marked by supervisor

9. Final Report • Structure • Title page (specific format) • Abstract (approximately ½ - 1 page) • Acknowledgements • Table of Contents • Introduction (1-2 pages) • Background (approximately 5 - 10 pages) • Materials & methods/techniques (approximately 5 - 10 pages) • Results (for experimental projects: approximately 10 pages) • Discussion (approximately 5 - 10 pages) • References • 10,000 – 15,000 words, and not exceeding 20,000 words (30 – 50 pages). • Submit electronically (PDF) via blackboard. • Double-marked by supervisor and second marker • Additional formatting details are given in Dissertation Guide. Examples of past project dissertations will be provided. Ask your supervisor to see examples of good past project dissertations!

10. Plagiarism From the Dissertation Guide… Plagiarism The presentation of another person’s thoughts or words as though they were your own. • All work submitted as part of the requirements for any examination must be expressed in your own words and incorporate your own ideas and judgements • All material taken from published literature, internet, or from the work of others must acknowledge your source (figures, pictures, paraphrasing) • If in doubt about whether something is plagiarism, check with your supervisor or course coordinator. • For more information see: • Dissertation Guide • Library • College’s plagiarism policy is described in the Cheating Offences Policy and Procedures

11. Research Methods PubMedThe US Library of Medicine/NIH biomedical search engine. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Pubmed will identify published journal articles matching your search criteria. Once identify primary literature, can use citations contained within those publications.

12. Review Articles Review articles are published articles that summarise the current state of the research field. Typically written by experts, they are a perfect way to quickly become familiar with the state-of-the-art in a specific field. Once have citation details, try to download the PDF through the Library:

13. General Expectations What should I be doing now?? You should be thinking about available projects, and begin to prioritise project selection. Notebook You are expected to keep a lab notebook. This serves as a record of your day-to-day research activities. This is delivered to your supervisor at the completion of your project (along with any necessary data, code, images, etc). These serve as an important for future students who will carry on the research. Safety You are expected to complete a safety assessment before initiating project work. This includes submitting a worker registration form, a complete risk assessment for all project activities, chemical safety forms (COSHH), laser safety forms, etc. this should be done early in the project in consultation with your supervisor. You should have read and understood the Departmental Safety Booklet. Lab Hours You are expected to work during normal lab hours (8am to 6pm) on weekdays. You should discuss working hours with your supervisor. If you are conducting a large amount of work after-hours or on weekends or holidays, you need to complete a lone workers form. This is for safety reasons.

14. General Expectations Meetings You are expected to have regular meetings with your supervisor to discuss your progress. You should prepare a written list of discussion points for each meeting, and take notes so that you do not forget the outcomes. Backups You are expected to keep a backup of any electronic work, including data, images, code, written reports, etc. If data is lost because of a crash, you may not be able to complete your project and graduate. Project Dates You are expected to work on your project part-time during spring term and full-time summer. You are strongly encouraged to spend some of the Easter break on your project. Specific times expectations should be discussed with your supervisor.