FYP Handbook

Faculty of Business and Information
Science (FoBIS)
Group Final Year Project Handbook

Student Guide
Revised by 4.12.2014
Foreword
Final year students of the following programme must refer this handbook to complete
their project paper.
BA (Hons) in Accounting
BA (Hons) in Accounting & Finance
BBA (Hons) Islamic Banking & Finance
BA (Hons) in Finance & Economics
BA (Hons) in Business Administration
BA (Hons) in Logistic Management
BA (Hons) in Marketing
BBA (Hons) Islamic Banking & Finance
BA (Hons) Supply Chain Operations Management
BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science
BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science and Finance
BSc (Hons) Finance & Investment
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 General notes on the group Final Year Project (FYP)

1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Purpose of the group final year project 1
1.3 What is the time and effort a project requires? 2
1.4 What is a project? 2
1.5 What topic areas can be chosen? 2
1.6 Group Final Year Project (FYP) guidelines 3
1.7 Student enquiries prior to submission of project topic and outline 4
1.8 Assessment teams 4
1.9 Problems with supervisors 4
1.10 Plagiarism 5
Chapter 2 Project proposal

2.1 The deadline 6
2.2 Definition of terms 6
2.3 Consequences of not submitting a project specification by the deadline 6
2.4 Selecting from a list of titles 7
2.5 Self-developed titles 7
2.6 Structure of the project proposal 8
2.7 Summarized procedure for submitting a project proposal 8
Chapter 3 Project management and project meetings

3.1 Overview 9
3.2 Project plan 9
3.3 Organization and time management 9
3.4 Project meetings 10
3.5 Planning for meetings with the supervisor 12
3.6 Progress report form 12
3.7 How to fill in the progress report form 12
Chapter 4 The interim report
4.1 Is the interim report marked? 14
4.2 What do we look for in an interim report? 14
Chapter 5 The literature review

5.1 Purpose of a literature review 16
5.2 Doing the literature review 16
5.3 Journal articles 17
5.4 When does the literature review begin? 17
5.5 What significance points should be made in the literature review? 18
5.6 Useful tips in searching the literature 18
Chapter 6 The final report

6.1 The report 20
6.2 Report drafts 20
6.3 Report structure 21
6.4 Formatting the report 25
Chapter 7 Assessment 28
APPENDICES
1 Project outline form 30
2 Project progress report form 32
3 Group final year project A & B assessment form 34
4 Project cover 38
5 Spine of project paper 39
6 Title page 40
7 CD cover 41
8 List of tables 42
9 List of figures 43
10 Referencing 44
Group Final Year Project Handbook Revised by 4.12.2014
Chapter 1 General notes on the group Final Year Project (FYP)
1.1 Introduction
This document is meant for both supervisors and students and seeks to provide a general
overview of the group final year project process. The document was not claim to be
completely comprehensive and if there are particular project issues that are not covered in
this document, students should seek advice from their supervisors.
Background
1. Starting January 2012, all FYPs are done on a group basis except for candidates
enrolling in old program (HYBB, HYBZ etc., hereafter referred to as the “old
programme”.)
2. Starting January 2012, candidates enrolled in the old program have the option to
either carry out FYP (A) on a group or individual basis.
The ability to work in a group has been identified as a core competency especially in regard
to a student’s employability and soft skills development. Working as a team member will
expose students to teamwork, coordination, management, leadership, as part of their learning
process and development.
1.2 The purpose of the group final year project
It is common that an Honours degree student must undertake a major piece of independent
work as the most important part of the final year studies. By completing a project, students
can:
 work in a group with minimum supervision
 experience teamwork, coordination and management
 apply material previously studied
 further knowledge is needed and how to obtain it
 handle advanced literature, primarily from research papers
 criticise or develop the work of others
 conceive original ideas
 select and use appropriate tools, software, hardware and other resources
 plan in advance and complete a piece of work, in a timely manner
 express ideas cogently in written form
 explain orally the work that has been done and answer questions on it, and
 point to possible future developments in the area.
This may all seem an enormously demanding task and it is. Experience, however, shows that
good students show high levels of competence in most of the areas listed. Students with lower
levels of ability will still show competence in some of the areas listed.
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1.3 What is the time and effort a project requires?
The project covers two semesters of the final year at UCSI. The project involves a weekly
meeting with the project supervisor assigned to each student, in addition to the hours that the
students are expected to put into research and carrying out the tasks related to the project
selected. However, students should be careful to make sure that the project does not take up
so much time that other studies suffer.
Students should note that when a final year project title/topic area has been chosen, they
should begin thinking about what it entails. They should start background reading and it may
take some time for the library to the order books or journals. It is important that students
become organised from the outset. Make notes on ideas and books that the student want to
read. Set up an index of references to articles that have been read. If the project involves
learning new information or skills, now is the time to get started.
1.4 What is a project?
The project is an opportunity for extended studies. Students are expected to carry out a
business project or business research, which can be described as a systematic and organised
effort to investigate a specific problem encountered in the work setting that needs a solution.
It comprises a series of steps designed and executed, with the goal of finding answers to the
issues that are of concern to the manager in the work environment. This means that the first
step in research is to know where the problem areas exist in the organisation, and to identify
as clearly and specifically as possible the problems that need to be studied and resolved. Once
the problem that needs attention is clearly defined, then steps can be taken to gather
information, analyse the data, and determine the factors that are associated with the problem
and solve it by taking the necessary corrective measures.
Students are, therefore, expected to undertake a business project by carrying out an organised,
systematic, data-based, critical, objective, scientific inquiry or investigation into a specific
problem, to find answers or solutions to it. In essence, research provides the needed
information that guides managers to make informed decisions to successfully deal with
problems. The information provided could be the result of a careful analysis of data gathered
firsthand or of data that are already available (in the company, industry, archives, etc). Data
can be quantitative (as generally gathered through structured questions) or qualitative (as
generated from the broad answers to specific questions in interviews, or from responses to
open-ended questions in a questionnaire, or through observation, or from already available
information gathered from various sources).
1.5 What topic areas can be chosen?
Students may choose any topic area as long as it is relevant to their course of study. The
project must reflect the kind of award that the student is studying, i.e., if a student is studying
marketing, then the project should be in the area of marketing.
Topics from the following areas may be selected:

 Marketing
 Accounting
 Finance
 Human resource management
 General business (case studies and business plans)
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Students should seek the advice of their lecturers in preparing to submit a research topic, if
they face any doubts. Subsequent changing of research area/topic may waste time.
1.6 Group Final Year Project (FYP) student guidelines
Steps in registering of Group FYP (A) and FYP (B)
1. Identify group members.

2. Register individually on the online course selection system during the course
selection period. During online course selection, students are required to state in
the remark column the group member’s name, student identity number and
program code.
3. Upon obtaining approval via online course selection:
i. Students are required to register group members with the FYP
Coordinator of respective department. If group member course
selection is rejected, the student must search for new group member.
ii. The students should do group registration during FYP briefing in the
registered semester to confirm the members of different groups.
iii. Group members who register with a FYP Coordinator but whose
names are not registered or approved via online course selection
system shall be rejected.
iv. A final list of group members shall be published by the FYP
coordinator within 2 weeks after the course selection period.
v. The FYP Coordinator shall assign 1 (one) main supervisor and 1 (one)
co-supervisor per group.
General guidelines from group final year project
1. TWO (2) students are to form a group without exception.

2. Students are required to choose their own group member.
3. Both members are:
b. from same program for example
i. HYBB student is not allowed to group with BCBBA student.
ii. HYBZ student is not allowed to group with BCBAF student.
iii. BCBBA student is not allowed to group with BCBAC student.
c. Completed at least 80% of syllabus including BB204 Business Research
Methods.
4. Upon registering the group, students shall work with his/her group member until
completion of both FYP (A) and FYP (B).
5. Fail/ Repeat subject
i. The group that fails FYP (B) shall repeat FYP (B) with the same group
member.
ii. The group that fails FYP (A) shall repeat FYP (A), however, the group
may choose to dissolve the existing group to form a new group.
6. Only one (1) group project shall be submitted.
7. Number of words per group project is minimum of 10,000 words.
8. Other requirements remain the same as per existing guidelines.
Project Updates effective from Jan 2011
HYBB students, if “fail” …

 Project (A), they can repeat Project (A) again
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 Project (B), they will repeat from Project (A) again
BCBBA students, if “fail” …

 Project (A), they can repeat Project (A) again
 Project (B), they can repeat Project (B) again but cap at 50 (for 1st fail)
 Project (B) 2nd time, they must repeat Project (A), no cap imposed
Students are required to complete FYP within two consecutive semesters. This means that
students must register for FYP (B) and after passing FYP (A).
Note: Students need to submit their work in week 14 even in short semester.
1.7 Student enquiries prior to submission of project topic and outline
Students are actively encouraged to begin background research and planning for their final
year project during the semester immediately preceding the semester in which they are to
embark on the Final Year Project module. Students may seek advice and help from staff
members who can be approached under the following circumstances:
1. The member of staff has suggested a title on the project list which the student is
interested in.
2. A member of the staff’s expertise is an area that the student is thinking of doing the
project in and he/she needs guidance on suitable projects related to the area of
interest.
3. The student requires some general advice on how to approach a final year project.
There are three conditions for FYP (A) approval including (1) Reject: Student cannot
continue with the title (the student has to prepare a new title before meeting the supervisor),
(2) Conditional approval: The student may continue with minor changes, (3) Approved: The
student may continue with no changes. The student needs to meet the assigned supervisor to
start his/her project after the announcement of supervisor list.
1.8 Assessment teams
Each student will be allocated a primary supervisor who will be a member of staff deemed
competent in the topic area selected by the student. The main supervisor will be responsible
for conducting the progress meetings with students and grade the group final year project
according to the assessment criteria for this module. A second supervisor will be assigned to
moderate the graded group final year project and be available should the student wish to seek
a second opinion.
1.9 Problems with supervisors
The choice of the allocated supervisor is final and students do not have the option of
changing the supervisor unless there are very exceptional circumstances.
If there are any issues concerning supervision during the group final year project phase, the
student should attempt to resolve these with the supervisor first and then approach the FYP
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coordinator. The FYP coordinator will require see the record of project meetings; hence it is
vital that students get accustomed to having these completed at each meeting.
1.10 Plagiarism
You are required to follow policies governing plagiarism as per stated in UCSI student
handbook 2014 page 66 to 69. You must attach your FYP (A) and FYP (B) for Turnitin
originality checking and if the project report content is detected above 25% similarity exclude
references list and questionnaire you will be graded fail. You may obtain the Turnitin class
ID and enrollment password via the LMS news announcement or during the FYP briefing to
undergo the originality checking. Any project work submitted without the Turnitin report will
be rejected for submission.
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Chapter 2 Project proposal
2.1 The deadline
The first stage of the final year project process is the development of a project proposal. This
should begin at the start of the semester for which the students are enrolled in the FYP (A)
module. The deadline for the submission of the proposal will be announced at the initial
briefing session for FYP students, usually on Week 14. Submission on the deadline, included
(1) Research proposal, (2) Interim report and (3) Progress reports. Students are required to
submit TWO copies of research proposal to their respective supervisor. The main supervisor
will pass a copy of research proposal to the second marker. Students should bear in mind that
one of the criteria which is used to mark the final year project is the students’ ability to
comply with deadlines; hence, it is important to comply with this deadline.
2.2 Definition of terms
The Project Outline (Appendix 1) is a form in which the student states the selected area of
study (i.e., Marketing, Accounting, Finance, HRM, General Business, etc) and presents a
tentative topic, along with evidence of some preliminary literature review in the topic area.
This document is used by the FYP Coordinator to assign a suitable supervisor for the student
in line with the area of study selected.
The Project Proposal is the entire document which describes the research problem, objectives,
and the methodology of the research. The format is found in Section 2.6. This document,
after being approved by the supervisor concerned, will be used to guide the student in making
progress in the actual research.
2.3 Consequences of not submitting a project outline and proposal by the deadline
Delay in the submission of Project Outline may mean late allocation of supervisor for the
student, hence leaving the student less time to seek help in preparing for the submission of
the project Proposal. The onus is on students to submit the Project Proposal by the deadline
specified. Members of staff do not have to go out of their way to ensure that students have
produced these.
When a student’s grade is allocated at the end of the group final year project period, the fact
that a proposal was delivered late will be discussed in detail and may influence that grade.
After all, the supervisor monitors the way a student has managed the group final year project
process; failing to comply with deadlines displays poor project management skills.
The importance of having this document submitted on time should not be underestimated.
One of the biggest mistakes that students make each year in terms of project management is
to underestimate the importance of having a good project proposal submitted ON TIME.
Failure to do so always causes students to find that they are playing ‘catch-up’ for a large part
of the project phase!
There are two ways in which students can get the initial idea for the project topic: students
can either select a title by consulting with a member of the staff, or develop their own title.
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2.4 Selecting from a list of titles
Members of staff may give an indication of their own research interests, when consulted by
students; this information is used to point students who wish to develop their own proposals
to the appropriate ‘specialist’ member of staff.
If a student is interested in the research area from members of staff, they can then proceed to
submit a project outline and make a request from the FYP Coordinator that the topic
originated from a particular member of staff in order that the staff may be assigned as the
main supervisor, where possible. However, students should not expect that they will be
granted the supervisor requested, as the allocation of supervisors is subject to the availability
of the staff members.
Please note the following points:
1. The title originator (member of staff) is not responsible for producing a good proposal
for the student; this is the sole responsibility of the students, and the title originator
will only provide feedback.
2. The list of ‘staff developed titles’ are only ideas, they are not complete proposals and
students selecting one of these titles must do the necessary research and development
work required to produce a valid project specification.
3. There will be more than one student vying for the same title and in order to avoid
disappointment, it is advisable to select a title early and let the originator know,
because if the title has already been taken the title originator can inform students
accordingly.
2.5 Self-developed titles
Students have option of specifying their own projects subject to approval. They should
identify a member of staff that has a specialist interest in the topic area and then communicate
their idea to that member of staff. In this case, as with the selection of a ‘staff developed
title’, the student needs to submit a project proposal.
Students have no automatic right to specify their own proposals and we reserve the right to
insist that staff specified projects must be chosen. We will only consider student specified
projects if:
1. We can identify a member of staff with sufficient expertise in the chosen topic to act
as supervisor.
2. The project specification is valid and complies with the requirements set out in this
document.
3. The project specification has been submitted by the deadline date
If the ‘self developed’ proposal does not conform to the above, then the student must select
from a ‘staff proposed’ topic and develop that into a full project specification.
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2.6 Structure of the project proposal

This is a formal declaration and indication of what the student will be studying.
The following points are indicators of a good proposal:
Realistic. A proposal should be realistic in terms of its aims, objectives and deliverables. It
should be realistic in terms of the resources that would be required to fulfill those aims and
objectives. Resources include physical resources but also sufficient background material. The
proposal should also be realistic in terms of what is required of the student, for instance, a
proposal may not be realistic if a student is weak in statistical analysis, yet the proposal
suggests that a good deal of quantitative analysis will be required.
Volume. The amount of work that is required to fulfill the aims and objectives should not be
too much or too little.
Relevance to Award. The project should be relevant to the award. Students studying a
marketing award should complete a project in that subject area, in the same way, students
studying for a Finance award should conduct a project in that area.
Project plan
This is discussed in more detail in the next section entitled ‘project management and project
meetings’.
List of references
This should list papers and books cited in the Proposal and Project/Report; it should conform
to the Harvard style or the APA style.
2.7 Summarized procedure for submitting a project proposal
The following is a short summary of what is involved in getting this all important document
submitted:
1. Students select title – that could be self selected or selected from the list at the end of
this document.
2. Students begin developing a project outline; this may involve liaising with the
member of staff that originated that title.
3. When the project outline has been produced, it is submitted to the FYP Coordinator
through the Administrator at the School by the given deadline.
4. The FYP Coordinator publishes a list of students and supervisors; this is the official
list of supervisors for the students.
5. The students meet with the respective supervisors to arrange a regular 30 minutes
weekly consultation time and to discuss the preparation of the project proposal.
6. The completed project proposal is submitted to the supervisor by the given deadline,
who will grade and give feedback on the proposal within two weeks; students may be
required to make changes to the proposal. The approved project proposal will be
retained and submitted to the FYP Coordinator for filing.
7. Students proceed to begin on the project work.
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Chapter 3 Project management and project meetings
3.1 Overview
Time and work management are crucial factors to the success of a group final year project.
Good planning initially is the first essential step towards success. Monitoring progress and
keeping to the plan is the second step. Remember that there are other deadlines to achieve
whilst engaged on the project. It is important as it can affect the time that is available at
different parts of the year - the project is not performed in isolation!
3.2 Project plan
One of the criteria used when marking group final year project is the way that the students
managed the project. The first stage in any project is to plan the project. This involves
initially identifying the major tasks that will need to be accomplished in order to fulfil the
requirements. This takes the form of a project plan.
This could be a Gantt chart giving an indication of how the project will proceed. The project
plan should be realistic and should make provision for the holiday periods as well as the
exam period.
Students should try and provide a generic breakdown of tasks and include these in the project
plan. Some of the tasks that it might include are as follows:
- literature review
- design of the project (including methodology)
- distribution of questionnaires or other forms of data collection
- expected period of response and analysis of data
- preparation of chapters within the project
- preparation of the draft
- editing
Note that the above is by no means comprehensive and there are many other tasks that might
be included; at the same time, the above is not exclusive in that all the above MUST be
included in the project plan.
The project plan should be discussed in the first meeting and modified if it is deemed
unrealistic. At this stage, the project plan is only an indication of how the student perceives
the completion of the project, like the discussion of the project; at this stage, it is not binding
and is not marked.
3.3 Organization and time management
Organising the work, in the time available, is probably the hardest part of all. Many things
have to be taken into consideration. As project is not taking place in isolation, many factors
need to be taken into account, such as:
 Other work (assignments) and deadlines.
 Holiday periods.
 Accessibility and reliability of equipment required to perform parts of the project.
 Other people, contributing information that is needed for the project, who will not
have the same sense of urgency that the student has.
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3.4 Project meetings
Once the project proposal has been approved by the supervisor, students should arrange a
meeting with the supervisor in order to get the project underway.
Students are advised to meet with their first supervisor every week for the first few weeks of
semester one, i.e., during FYP(A), and for the last few weeks leading up to the submission of
the final report, i.e., during FYP(B). At all other times meetings should take place typically
once every two weeks or at whatever period agreed by the students and supervisor. These
meetings will typically last around 30-60 minutes.
The purpose of the meetings is to ensure that good progress is being made on the projects and
that the appropriate background research is being undertaken. They can also be used to
discuss difficulties, consider draft reports and for students to obtain advice. The discussions
of each meeting are formally recorded in the ‘progress report form’ (see Appendix 2).
It is considered to be essential that students attend these meetings regularly to ensure that
they remain on target and do not get into difficulties with their projects. Attendance at these
meetings will be taken into consideration when the final project mark is allocated.
The onus is on students to organise project meetings and not on the supervisor.
Each student is required to arrange a regular meeting time of 30 minutes per week with
the main supervisor.
Students should understand that members of staff cannot be guaranteed to be in their

office at every hour of the day; staff may be lecturing, in meetings, on placement visits
and on annual leave; hence students should not turn up unannounced and expect the
supervisor to be there.
If students have struggled throughout the project and it is seen that they maintained
little contact with the supervisor, this could reflect badly on the student’s final grade.
Although most meetings will take place with the first supervisor, it may be necessary for the
student to see the second supervisor for a second opinion.
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Flow chart of group final year project (A) process
Flow chart of group final year project (B) process
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3.5 Planning for meetings with the supervisor
The project meetings are the essential part of the project supervision, and students should
plan to get the most out of them. The supervisor will not necessarily freely offer advice about
what students should be doing. He or she will, however, respond with many suggestions to
ideas and questions that come from the students. So the strategy is clear.
Students should show throughout the project period that they have been well prepared for the
meetings (as they would be expected to do in industry). At each meeting students should be
prepared to:-
- set out the agenda for the meeting
- give a brief summary of what has happened since the last meeting.
- review research carried out and literature reviewed during this period
- clearly identify any difficulties with which students needs help
- prepare suitable questions about what the next steps might be if students is unsure
- get the progress form signed off by the supervisor
3.6 Progress report form
This form is to be completed at each meeting, and acts as a record of the meeting and it
serving a number of purposes:
- is a record for students advising them of the objectives that they should be fulfilling
between this meeting and the next meeting
- advises students of the concerns that the supervisor may have at that point
- useful in determining the students project management skills at the end of the project
period when allocating a grade to the project
- can be used in case of dispute over the final grade
A blank form is included in the appendices; students should make copies of this and take a
form to each meeting. A copy of these forms should be included in the appendices of the
project.
The onus is on students to ensure that the Progress Report Form is filled at each
meeting, signed and submitted to the supervisor. A copy of it should be kept by the
students.
3.7 How to fill in the progress report form
Work done since last meeting: this indicates the work that was completed since the last
meeting and in particular should relate to the section on the previous progress meeting form
entitled ‘work during next period’. Students should show that they had tried to address the
points made at the last meeting and that they had tried to complete the work that was agreed
for this period. It can also include any additional work that students did during the period.
This section has to be filled in by students prior to the meeting
Problems encountered/ suggested solutions: Students gives an indication of any problems

encountered and students should also suggest solutions prior to the meeting, these proposed
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solutions can then form a point of discussion at the meeting itself. This section has to be filled
in by students prior to the meeting
People met/contacts established: this is an indication of any interviews conducted or any

contacts that students have identified as being important. This section has to be filled in by
students prior to the meeting
Work during next period: this should be filled in by students during the meeting and should
be a combination of:
- the work that students says that they will complete in the next period
- The work that students’ supervisor has advised that students should complete.
This will be used to fill in the ‘work done since last meeting’ section of the progress form for
the next meeting.
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Chapter 4 The interim report
Towards the end of semester one, i.e., for FYP (A) BB303, students are expected to submit a
report (approximately 800 words) indicating:
- progress
- achievements to date
- difficulties
- details of any changes to original proposal/project plan
As this is a ‘report’ it should comply with the format of a report, i.e., contents page, page
numbers, headers/footers, introduction, summary, etc.
The interim report really serves two purposes:
1. To act as a record of the students progress (or lack of) to date. It is an opportunity
for students to summarize everything they have done to date, highlighting the key
issues, problems and solutions; the rationale is similar to a typical interim report
that might need to be delivered in an industrial project: 'What we have done,
where we are now and where we will be going from here' - an opportunity to
'touch base'.
2. It assists the lecturer in deciding a grade in terms of 'project management' when it

comes to marking the project at the end. E.g., if the student claims that
everything is 'hunky dorey' but disaster strikes when they hand the project in at
the end, then this can be raised at the VIVA (If little contact is maintained after
the interim report is handed in).
4.1 Is the interim report marked?
The interim report is a vital part of the hand in requirements of the project, in other words
students MUST hand one in. A vital part of project management is the ability to stick to
deadlines and deliver required deliverables by those deadlines. Students who fail to hand the
Interim Report in will ultimately lose marks in terms of project management.
However, it is not only the actual ‘handing in’ of the report that counts, but also the contents
of this report. If the contents are weak, then this also could result in marks being lost at the
end.
4.2 What do we look for in an interim report?
The interim report should be a good record of the students’ experience (issues, problems,
solutions, work done, etc.) to date, if this is a good and true record, then it is a good interim
report. However, a supervisor can only really tell if this is a good record if students have been
maintaining good contact throughout the first few weeks. There are, however, other points
that should also be considered, e.g., report format, grammar, referencing, students
acknowledgment of problems and solutions, how they will go forward from here to the point
of handing the project in.
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If however, students who have maintained little or no contact with the supervisor (bearing in
mind the onus is on the student to contact the supervisor to arrange meetings and not vice
versa), then it is more difficult to ascertain whether it is actually a good record and the
supervisor will only be able to work on what students have written. E.g., if the student notes
that 'such-and-such' problem was experienced, then students should also suggest a solution. If
the solution is reasonable, then the supervisor will be able to judge this when students hands
in the final proposal.
The submission date for the interim report is the end of the first FYP(A) semester, by
the end of Week 14.
Arrangements should be made directly with the supervisor in terms of where and how
this should be handed in. E.g., the supervisor may prefer an electronic copy or a hard
copy.
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Chapter 5 The literature review
Although the full structure of the project is given in the next section, it is necessary to discuss
the Literature Review at this point.
The literature review should be completed in the main in the early stages of the project;
however, the literature review is sometimes ongoing in many project that involve more
research.
The literature review needs to convince the reader that the project is worth doing. Every
project should contain a literature review; some may include a less lengthy literature review
(e.g. Business Planning), some (which involve more research) will include lengthier reviews.
There is no minimum or maximum length of a literature review; students should discuss
individual literature reviews with the supervisor.
5.1 Purpose of a literature review
A project requires that the topic is set into its subject context by reviewing the relevant
literature. The following are some of the specific aims of the Literature Review.
 Provides an overview of the literature - helps to set the scene for the reader.
 Provides background knowledge and serves to prevent replication of earlier research.
 Provides a critical view of earlier work - the critical review will highlight major issues
associated with the topic - clarifies thoughts and puts things into context.
 Critical review highlights gaps/shortcomings in the current state of knowledge.
 Clarifies the relationship between proposed study and previous work.
 Provides sound foundation on which to launch the contribution - shows the student is
not working in a vacuum of no interest to anybody.
 It organises and classifies sources in a reasonable manner for the reader.
It should be noted that the primary sources in a literature review should be journal articles;
students can also consider books, white papers and web sites if applicable. Students that are
involved in the development of a simulation or a program may also refer to products that
have been developed in the past.
5.2 Doing the literature review
The literature search should start from day one. The review is based on the literature that has
been researched on the current work in the field of the project. Students review literature in
order to build up background knowledge of the chosen topic, students should not review
every single article read, only the ones that are relevant to the chosen topic area.
A literature review may begin with older literature in order to set the scene of the project,
current literature however is most crucial and students should seek to identify current
literature very early in the project.
16
5.3 Journal articles
Libraries are the most obvious source of literature for research. Searching without method,
through thousands of journals and magazines, is non-productive and time wasting. It is
important to be organised in the way that the library is used. Defining a list of keywords
associated with the topic will help to use indices and databases that can point to the actual
journals containing relevant material. Keywords can be found by doing a little background
reading and asking people who are knowledgeable in the area. Reading the bibliography in up
to date material on the topic can also be a useful way to produce a chain of suitable
references.
There are numerous internet search engines available which can assist researchers to locate
journal articles on a particular topic; hence students should take advantage of this facility.
Journal articles are available in the following ways:
- physically in the University library
- on-line from any machine connected to the internet (whether on campus or off
campus)
- on-line but only from machines in the library (that is because the University has been
granted or has paid for online access to those journals)
- at another University or institution in which case the library may be able to order a
copy in for students. It should be noted that if a journal article is not available in the
library, the library can normally order it in; however, this process can take up to eight
weeks and students should therefore bear this in mind at the beginning of the project.
Students should not underestimate the importance of journal articles, as far as academic
sources are concerned; these are generally considered the single most important source for
any project. Projects that have a large research-based emphasis, would tend to require more
journal sources, whereas those with a more practical emphasis will require less journal
sources.
The important thing to note about journal sources is that:
a. They must be relevant. One should not include journal references ‘to pad out the
references section’; each and every journal must be relevant. Students will find that
some journal articles will be much more relevant than others, some may almost seem
irrelevant except for a few points made in a couple of paragraphs within that article,
nevertheless, both are important sources and are useful to students
b. They should be as current as possible. When searching for literature, students

should try and locate as current literature as possible. For example, a student
researching the performance of current network protocols will find literature that was
written about network protocols 15 years ago less relevant (perhaps not completely
irrelevant though), the most important literature in this case is that which has been
written on the current performance of current protocols.
5.4 When does the literature review begin?
Time management is a crucial deciding factor when a grade is awarded to a project. One of
the common issues that let students down in a group final year project is that of relevant
17
sources. Often, students can fail to appreciate the importance of suitable and relevant
literature, by the time it is realized, it is often too late to begin searching for it.
This means that is possible, students should try and identify relevant material – if possible –
even before the project begins.
Students should identify relevant literature as early as possible so that enough time has
been left for the student to be able to access it if it is not available locally and so that it
can be used suitably within the project. Students cannot use the excuse later on that a
required journal article was not received in time to be considered for whatever purpose
in the project.
5.5 What significant points should be made in the literature review?
When writing a literature review, students should consider the value of the literature:
- what may good about it?
- was it used to base further research?
- is it quoted as a standard?
- what is fact and what is opinion ?
- and on the other side - what may not be valuable ?
- what may have been proved to be erroneous in the light of further research?
- what aspects were not considered in the work?
- do the conclusions follow the arguments?
It is important to be objective when reporting relevant studies - it would be unfair and unwise
to omit papers that contradict the viewpoint that the student is trying to endorse.
5.6 Useful tips in searching the literature
Subject librarian
The person in a library with the responsibility for the topic area is likely to be familiar with
the library’s stock on the subject needed by students. The subject librarian may be able to
provide students with shortcuts for a search.
Subject catalogue
Useful for location of keyword items in the book stock
Periodicals index
This is a list of the periodicals that the library holds and their location. It also gives
information on back copies kept from journals no longer being taken. Remember journals
belonging to business studies may also contain articles of interest for computing topics.
18
CD-ROM databases
A selection of these is held in the University libraries and is very useful sources of
information. The library can provide further information on which databases it holds.
Specialised libraries of professional bodies
A number of professional bodies and institutions maintain their own libraries where they
have collections of papers and reports relevant to their specialist field of interest. Access to
such libraries is for research purposes only and by prior agreement with the librarian.
19
Chapter 6 The final report
The most important focal point of every group final year project is the final report.
Documents to be submitted in FYP (B) include: (1) One copy of hardbound project and (2)
CD containing full project, data set, power point slides and related documents. Students need
to submit their documents after their respective presentation slots.
The hand in date for the final report is the end of the second semester, i.e. FYP (B),
usually at the end of Week 14.
It is important that the student hands in the report by the stipulated deadline, as a late
penalty will be imposed as follows:
One day late: 30% marks deducted; 2 days late: 60% marks deducted; 3 days late: 90%
marks deducted. Zero marks awarded if the report is submitted after 3 days (weekend
inclusive).
6.1 The report
Students should not underestimate the time required to word process a report of the length
and quality required. When planning the word processing of the report, allowances should be
made for hardware difficulties that could cause delays. Time must be allocated for adequate
proof reading and correction and for the binding of the final version. Extensions are not
granted for loss of work due to crashed hard drives, or lost USB drive!
6.2 Report drafts
It is always a good idea to ask the supervisor to comment on draft work throughout the
project process. This becomes more important as the hand in date of the report approaches.
However students should note that:
- Supervisors will not comment on what mark the draft work would attract if it was
handed in ‘as is’ or if it was handed in with any comments made by the supervisors
taken into account.
- Supervisors are under no obligation to read every page of a draft and provide detailed
feedback on how it can be improved, hence students should not be disappointed if
generalised feedback is provided on certain parts of the work.
- Members of staff are under no obligation to read the draft at all, more particularly so
if the draft is presented too late for the member of staff to be able to comment on it.
- Members of staff may be more difficult to contact over the semester break period due
to annual leave students should bear this in mind when preparing draft work for
consideration.
Ideally, students should aim to complete a draft version of the report by week 9 of semester
two, i.e., FYP (B) BB311
20
6.3 Report structure
Two copies of the report must be handed in, one hard bound and one soft bound.
Getting started on writing the report can be quite difficult. A suggestion of how to begin is to
write down a list of headings of topics that will be discussed in the main body of the report;
these should be put in order.
This provides a framework for the report and allows the work to be completed section by
section. The report has to be word processed at some point - it is a good idea to begin this
from day one.
Correct English grammar and language should be used throughout the report and students
should not use slang or ‘Americanized’ terms. Any complex terms that need to be used
should be explained either by the use of footnotes or by adding a glossary.
If a glossary is to be included, this should be compiled as the project progresses, rather than
attempting to compile it at the end of the project at which point it will be too difficult to
complete.
The following gives an indication for the format of the report. It is NOT an indication of
exactly the headings that a student should use.
 Cover Page
 Title Page
 Abstract
 Acknowledgments
 Table of Contents Page number (i, ii, iii..)
 List of Tables (if applicable)
 List of Figures, tables and Illustrations (if applicable)
 Chapter 1: Introduction
 Chapter 2: Literature Review
 Chapter 3: Research Methodology
 Chapter 4: Result, Analysis and Discussion

Page number (1, 2, 3..)
 Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendation
 References/Bibliography
 Appendices
21
COVER PAGE (Black colour)
Must contain the following information only - on the front cover of the hard bound and soft
bound report
TITLE
(Uppercase, Arial Narrow, centred, bold, 18-point gold-coloured font)
NAME OF STUDENT
B.A (Hons) BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
UCSI UNIVERSITY
MONTH, YEAR (of thesis submission)
(Uppercase, Arial Narrow, centred, Arial, bold, 18-point gold-coloured font)
TITLE PAGE
Must contain the following information only in the first page of the hard bound and soft
bound report
A project completed as part of the requirements for the
BA (Hons) BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
TITLE
(Uppercase, centred, bold, 12-point)
by
NAME OF STUDENT
22
ABSTRACT
The abstract should state clearly the important aspect of the study such as the aim, research
objective/s, methodology, results/ findings, conclusions and implication. The abstract should
not more than 350 words in length.
Note: The abstract is NOT the introduction of study but abbreviated descriptive summary of
the whole project.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This section should be used to record thanks/acknowledgements for help received, use of
facilities, information given from particular sources. Students should consult other reports to
get a flavour of what is required.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This should accurately reflect the structure and organisation of the report by listing the
headings of sections, chapters, paragraphs etc. with their associated page numbers.
LIST OF TABLES (if applicable)
Each table in the main body of the report should have a table number and title at the top. The
list gives the number, title and the number of the page on which it appears.
LIST OF FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS (if applicable)
Each figure that appears in the report should have a title and figure number. Figures that are
not numbered cannot be readily referred to in the report. The list gives the figure number and
the number of the page on which it appears.
INTRODUCTION
The introduction should cover (recommended):
 Background of the study
 Problem Statement
 Research Questions
 Research Objectives and/or Hypotheses (if related)
 Significance of Study
LITERATURE REVIEW (recommended)
 Review on both of independent variables and dependent variable
 Selected theory or theoretical framework that related study
 Conceptual /research framework of the study
23
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (recommended)
 Research design, sampling and location
 Variable measurement
 Data collection
 Data analysis method
# a copy of the questionnaire used should be included in the appendix.
RESULT, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
 Results of analysis and data presentation (consisting of tables, charts, graphs, text etc.)
 Explanation, interpretation of data and discussion. (If the research attempted to test certain
hypotheses, then this section should consider whether they were or were not supported by
the results.)
CONCLUSIONS
This section gathers up the threads of the project and comes to a conclusion. This section is
an indication of what has actually been achieved; it is a summary of the project. Nothing new
should be presented here, i.e., nothing that has not already been discussed in the project. This
is another very important section; often somebody interested in the topic of the project may
read the introduction and then the conclusions to see if the project is relevant to the study that
they are conducting.
Students should evaluate the work that has been conducted. Students should be critical and
should outline shortcomings and problems with the research as well as of course highlight the
positive points.
The conclusion must:-
 Relate to the topic of the investigation
 Be consistent with what has been considered before
 Be clear, concise and possibly itemised
Limitation of the study
The student should also identify how the project could have been improved. Any problems
with the research design and suggestions about other techniques that may have more
appropriate could be stated here.
Recommendations
Only an option if the project has been to work on the solution to a specific problem.
24
Further research (if relevant)
This section is very important and should give indications of how this research can be
furthered. This is very useful for students who may want to follow the project up with a
Masters or PhD. Furthermore, this can act as a useful indicator to other students who want to
follow up this project.
REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Use the Harvard System or APA System as illustrated in this handbook in the section on
Referencing.
APPENDICES
Relevant material that is not necessary to the main argument of the project can be included in
here - questionnaires, field notes or any supplementary material which must be relevant and
not acres of raw data.
6.4 Formatting the report
Typing should be double spaced, with 1.25" margins left (to allow for binding) and 1" right,
1" at the bottom of the page and 1" at the top.
The length of the report will depend partly on the type of project undertaken. A technical
project or a project based on the production of an extensive piece of programming is expected
to be approximately 10,000 words.
i. Individual: 8000-10000 words.
ii. Group (2 Students): Minimum 10000 words.
The cost of the production of the project is up to students to budget for this including the cost
of paper and photocopying.
Section numbering and titling system should be used for Reports. The reasons for this are:-
 It is then possible to cross reference things you have written in the report by referring
to a paragraph, e.g., see Section 2.11
 It makes it easy for the reader to find any part of the report that he needs by consulting
the index for the heading of the section.
An example of section/heading numbering:
1. Section title
1.1 Sub-section title
Body of sub-section ……. Ensure that spacing between heading and paragraph and the
spacing between the end of a paragraph and the next are consistently applied throughout the
document.
25
1.2 Next sub-section title
Body of section ………
1.2.1 Sub-sub section title
Bold and italics or combinations of both should be used to emphasise words and phrases.
2. Next section title
Body of the second section
2.1 Paragraph title
Body of paragraph …etc.
The use of headers and footers give the document a professional look and can also give help
to the reader by being pertinent to chapters or sections, making it easy for a browser to find
their way about. Footnotes as opposed to footers are extremely useful for adding short bits of
information that may not be appropriately given in the body of the text.
Each of the numbered sections should be about a complete topic with headings and sub-
headings that describe each facet of that topic. It is not usual to go beyond 3 levels of
numbering i.e. 2.5.1 is acceptable but 2.5.1.1 would be unnecessary. If a topic needs to be
expanded further then it would be better to use Roman numerals for the expansion i.e. (i), (ii)
etc. Each main section (as opposed to sub-section) should begin on a new page.
Whatever system is chosen for formatting the report, it is important to be consistent

throughout.
The following is a checklist designed to ensure that the project has been compiled correctly.
Content
- There should be a statement to indicate why the research is significant.
- Any strong claims that are made must be supported with arguments (and references if
applicable).
- Students should show that the research method(s) is (are) suitable for the topic.
- All sources of quotes and ideas are fully quoted.
- Any examples used should be relevant to the point made.
- Irrelevant arguments and comments should be removed.
- The contents of each section should belong in that section.
- A copy of the interim report should be in the appendices as well as the project
specification.
26
Writing
- The language used should comply with good grammar the language should be
English, Americanized terms should not be used, nor should slang or abbreviations.
- Expressions should be clear.
- Complex words should be avoided and where possible the student should try to
explain in simple language.
- Sentence structures should be simple and short.
- The introduction should indicate very clearly what the report is about.
Presentation
- Ensure that the report is the correct length.
- References should be checked for accuracy.
- All tables and figures should be labelled and numbered.
- All the titles, tables and figures should be checked for consistency with those in the
Lists of Tables and Figures.
- Spelling and grammar should be checked thoroughly.
- The report should be proof read thoroughly; it is always a good idea to get somebody
else to read it as many errors can easily be spotted by others.
27
Chapter 7 Assessment
A final year project assessment sheet is to be completed by the main and secondary
supervisor. A blank copy of final year project assessment sheet is printed out two copies as a
separate document and is submitted together with the project. Both supervisors must
complete in same assessment sheet and should include a grade for the project.
The final year project assessment sheets and the marked copy of the project should be
submitted to the FYP coordinator. In case of any disputes in marks, a third independent
supervisor will be brought in a moderator.
See Appendix 3.1 and 3.2 for Final Year Project Assessment Criteria.
Students must pass with minimum of 50% marks and above for the final year project as part
of the requirements for the degree programme.
28
Appendices
29
Appendix 1: Project outline form
GROUP FINAL YEAR PROJECT

OUTLINE SUBMISSION
To be submitted to School Office on ________________ (Refer to LMS).
This form is required to be completed by students who wish to have their Final year Project
work supervised by a staff from within the School of Management and IT. Failure to submit
the form by the date indicated will delay the allocation of an appropriate supervisor.
STUDENT (1) NAME: ………………………………..…… ID NO: ………………………………
STUDENT (2) NAME: ……………………………………… ID NO: …………………………….
SUBJECT CODE: (E.g. BA309, BB303, BM309) ……………………………………….
RESEARCH CLUSTER Accounting/ Finance
(Please tick) Marketing
Economic
Human Resource Management
Management
POSSIBLE TITLE
……………………………………………………………………….…………………………
30
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE BY YOUR STUDY
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
LIST OF AT LEAST 3 RELEVANT BOOKS and ONE JOURNAL ARTICLE which you deem
to be relevant to your initial stages of secondary research in the topic area
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
RESEARCH METHODS CONSIDERED
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR THE RESEARCH
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………
STAFF CONSULTED FOR PROJECT TITLE (IF ANY)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
NAME OF THE STAFF SIGNATURE OF THE STAFF DATE
This section to be filled by the FYP Coordinator ONLY:
MAIN SUPERVISOR
_________________________________
2ND MARKER
_________________________________
Remarks:
31
Appendix 2: Progress report form
GROUP FINAL YEAR PROJECT
PROGRESS REPORT
Date: _____________
Student (1) NAME: _______________________ ID NO: ________________
Student (2) NAME: _______________________ ID NO: ________________

Name of Supervisor (Main/2nd):_____________________________________
WORK DONE SINCE LAST MEETING

………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED & SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS

………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
32
PEOPLE MET/CONTACTS ESTABLISHED

………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
ACTION REQUIRED
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………………...
Date of Next Meeting: ………………………………………………………
Supervisor
Signed ……………………… Date: ………………..
Students
Signed (1)…………….…… (2) …………..……. Date: ……………..
Note:
Original Copy – Students; Photocopy - Supervisor
33
Appendix 3.1: Group Final Year Project (A) assessment form
GROUP FINAL YEAR PROJECT (A)

ASSESSMENT REPORT
Name of Student (1) (2)

Student ID Number (1) (2)
Programme
Title of Project
Main Supervisor
2nd Marker
Semester/Year
Maximum First Second

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Marks Supervisor Marker
1. Introduction
Information gathering for background of the study, with problem
statement included the research questions, research objectives and/or
30
Hypotheses. Significance of study should also be discussed.
2. Literature Review
Literature Review is relevant to the important variables of study and
reviews express the comparison/contrasting views/outcomes of
currently published knowledge on the topic. Present conceptual 35
Framework and/or selected relevant theory/ theoretical framework
3. Methodology
The appropriateness of research design, sampling and location, variable
measurement, data collection, data analysis method to carry the study 35
TOTAL 100
34
COMMENTS
Please make any comments regarding the dissertation, i.e. good points, weaknesses, how
the work could have been improved etc.
MAIN SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS:
SECOND MARKER’S COMMENTS:
Name & Signed:
MAIN SUPERVISOR…………………………………………. Date ……………………
SECOND MARKER .…………………………………………. Date ……………………
35
Appendix 3.2: Group Final Year Project B assessment form
GROUP FINAL YEAR PROJECT B

ASSESSMENT REPORT
Name of Student (1) (2)

Student ID Number (1) (2)
Programme
Title of Project
Main Supervisor
2nd Marker
Semester/Year
Maximum First Second

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Marks Supervisor Marker
1. Analysis & Findings
Organisation and discussion about the outcomes of data analyses in
achieving research objectives/ hypotheses testing and linkages with
40
literature review
2. Conclusions
Summary of Findings, Implications/Recommendations, Limitation
and Future Research (if relevant) 20
3. Holistic Assessments
Professional scholarly appearance, Scholarly language, grammar,
punctuation and spelling, Appropriate citation 15
4. Student presentation
Relevant key points, ability to answer logically and clearly
supervisor’s questions. The presentation was carried out in clear and 20
understandable English. Usage of appropriate visual aids.
Student's Progress (Frequency of meeting supervisor, learning

process etc.) Note: To be evaluated by first supervisor only, Second 5
Marker follow the marks of 1st marker
TOTAL 100
36
COMMENTS
Please make any comments regarding the dissertation, i.e. good points, weaknesses, how
the work could have been improved etc.
MAIN SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS:
2ND MARKER’S COMMENTS:
Name & Signed:
MAIN SUPERVISOR…………………………………………. Date ……………………
2ND MARKER…… ……………………………………………. Date ……………………
37
Appendix 4: Project cover Sample
TITLE
NAME OF STUDENT 1
NAME OF STUDENT 2
FACULTY OF BUSINESS AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
UCSI UNIVERSITY
(Uppercase, Arial Narrow, centred, Arial, bold, 18-point gold-coloured font)
38
39
Appendix 5: Spine of project paper Sample

SURNAME OF STUDENT 1 & 2 BA (Hons) BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
YEAR
(Uppercase, centred, bold, 20-point gold-coloured font)
Appendix 6: Title page Sample
A project completed as part of the requirements for the
TITLE
by
NAME OF STUDENT 1
NAME OF STUDENT 2
40
Appendix 7: CD cover Sample
TITLE
by
NAME AND STUDENT ID OF STUDENT 1
NAME AND STUDENT ID OF STUDENT 2
MONTH, YEAR (of project submission)
41
Appendix 8: List of tables
LIST OF TABLES
Table No. Page
42
Appendix 9: List of figures
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure No. Page
43
Appendix 10: Referencing

Students may choose to use either the Harvard referencing style of the APA referencing style.
Please consult with your supervisor as to the preferred style.
This section provides a general guide to the Harvard style of referencing.
Harvard style
Why cite references
Acknowledgement of the source of material used is mandatory otherwise students can be

found guilty of plagiarism. If there are any concerns or queries as to what constitutes
plagiarism, students should consult the university regulations on plagiarism. Ignorance of
these regulations will not be accepted as a reason for committing plagiarism.
Even if students put text into his/her own words the source of the work must be referenced.
Any extracts used should be:
“put in quotes and perhaps separated from the students own text by using a line space and a
smaller paragraph format - especially if it is a long quote - just a few words may be best
included in the general text, but, always enclosed in quotes and always referenced”
A N Other (1996)
Referencing in text means putting the author’s name and the date of the publication after the
quote (as shown above). If the author has more than one work referenced for the same year
then the letters a,b,c etc. are used to discriminate between the particular work that is being
referred to, the bibliography should also use the same letters
e.g. Other A N (1996)(a) Referencing & Why. Derby University Press: Derby
References are a crucial part of the presentation of written work and practice should be
undertaken in blending references and quotes into work so that they don’t appear stilted.
Material obtained from the World Wide Web must also be referenced.
The List of References is where all full references are situated, if using the Harvard system,
and then they need to be cited in alphabetic order of the author’s surname.
The Harvard system has the advantages of
 Author’s name and year appear in the text
 Alphabetical reference list is easy to consult
 Only one entry in the List of References is needed for each citation in the text
 Amendments are easy to make without renumbering
44
The order of the data in the Harvard system is:
Author/editor OTHER, A N
Year - bracketed (1996)
Title - italics Referencing and Why
Edition - if not 1st 3rd ed.
Publisher & place of publication Derby University Press: Derby
Series - if any - bracketed
Page within the item (if only a part is cited)
If the place of publication is unknown enter s.l for sine loco. If the publisher is not known
enter s.n. for sine nomine.
Examples of the Harvard System
a) Book with more than one author:
C.Eden, S.James, D.Simes (1983) Messing about with Problems. Pergamon
b) Contribution in a book:
D.Truex, H.Klein, (1991) Rejection of Structure as a Basis for Information Systems

Development. In: R. Stamper and R.Lee, (eds), Collaborative Work, Social Communications
and Information Systems. North-Holland, Amsterdam.
c) Contribution in a periodical:
Jacquemin, C (1994) A Temporal Connectionist Approach to Natural Language. SIGART

Bulletin, 5 (3) pp 123-125.
d) Thesis:
GAYFER, J (1993) Controlling Wall Thickness of Extruded Polythene Pipe. BEng.

Dissertation, University of Derby.
45
Harvard reference system for publication types 1 to 11
1) Authored books
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of book. Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN,

Volume (Number) Pagination.
2) Edited books
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of book. Ed(s): Editor(s) Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S.

Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN, Volume (Number) Pagination.
3) Short works
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of chapter. In: Title of book. Ed(s): Editor(s)
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN, Volume (Number)
Pagination.
4) Conference contributions (refereed)
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of presentation. In: Title of conference proceedings.

Ed(s): Editor(s) Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN/ISSN,
5) Conference contributions (other)
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of presentation. In: Title of conference proceedings.

Ed(s): Editor(s) Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN/ISSN,
6) Editorships
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. Position. Title of Journals. Start-end dates.
7) Academic journals
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of paper, Title of journal, ISSN, Volume (Number)
Pagination.
8) Professional journals
Pagination.
9) Popular journals
Pagination.
10) Reviews of academic books
Reviewers Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of book reviewed. ISBN, Publisher, Place
of publication, Authors Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L. Reviewed In: Title of journal, ISSN, Volume
(Number) Pagination.
46
11a) Guidelines/manuals
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of work. Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN,

11b) Teaching methods
Surname, I.N.I.T.I.A.L.S. (Year). Title of work. Publisher, Place of publication, ISBN,

American Psychological Association (APA) Style
APA style is a set of rules that authors use when submitting papers for publications. APA
contains guidelines for every aspect of writing to avoid plagiarism and constructing accurate
reference citations. APA Style consists of rules or guidelines that a publisher observes to
ensure clear and consistent presentation of written material. It concerns uniform use of such
elements as:
 selection of headings, tone, and length;
 punctuation and abbreviations;
 presentation of numbers and statistics;
 construction of tables and figures,
 citation of references; and
 Many other elements that are a part of a manuscript.
Example of APA Style
a) Book
 Names are listed last name, then initials. Separate names with a comma, and use &
before the last author.
Example: Helfer, M. J., & Duncan, A. K.
 Use Ed. for ONE editor, Eds. for MULTIPLE editors,
Example: (Ed.). / (Eds.).
 Capitalize first word in TITLES and SUBTITLES, and PROPER NAMES.
Italicize the name of the TITLES.
i. Books by One Author
Frank, H. A. (2005). An introduction to organizational behaviour. New York, NY: McGraw-

Hill.
ii. Books by Two or More Authors
Levison, M., Ward, R. G., & Webb, J. W. (1973). The settlement of the Polynesia.
Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
47
b) Journals
 Names are listed last name, then initials.
 Italicize the TITLE of the journal.
 Always give both volume number and issue number for an example: 11(2).
 If the journal does not use volume numbers, include “pp.” as the page number
Example: Zgoda, K. M. (2008, Spring). Back-to-school resolution: Avoid common APA

mistakes. New Social Worker, pp. 28-29.
 Use “p.” only if the source is a page or less long.
i. Journal by One Author
Boey, K. M. (1998). Social network and the subjective wellbeing of the elderly in Hong
Kong. Asia Pacific Journal of Social Work, 8(2), 5-15.
ii. Journal by Two Authors
Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994). Mood management across affective states: The
hedonic contingency hypothesis. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 66(2), 1034-
1048.
c) Newspaper article
Schwartz, J. (1993, September 30). Obesity affects economic, social status. The Washington
Post, pp. A1, A4.
d) Magazine article
Henry, W. A. (1990, April 9). Beyond the melting pot. Time, 135(4), 28-31.
e) Interview
An interview is not considered recoverable data, so no reference to this is provided in the

reference list. You may, however, cite the interview within the text as a personal
communication.
Examples:
(J. Smith, personal communication, August 15, 2009)
J. Smith (personal communication, August, 15, 2009)
Students may visit the following website for further information.
http://www.apastyle.org/
Students should note this short appendix may not be sufficient, and are advised to seek
further information on referencing from the library, or to seek guidance from their
respective supervisors.
48

FYP Handbook

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Faculty of Business and Information

Group Final Year Project Handbook

their project paper.

BA (Hons) in Accounting & Finance

BBA (Hons) Islamic Banking & Finance

BA (Hons) in Finance & Economics

BA (Hons) in Business Administration

BA (Hons) in Logistic Management

BBA (Hons) Islamic Banking & Finance

BA (Hons) Supply Chain Operations Management

BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science

BSc (Hons) Actuarial Science and Finance

BSc (Hons) Finance & Investment

Chapter 1 General notes on the group Final Year Project (FYP)

Chapter 2 Project proposal

Chapter 3 Project management and project meetings

Chapter 5 The literature review

Chapter 6 The final report

Chapter 1 General notes on the group Final Year Project (FYP)

1.2 The purpose of the group final year project

1.3 What is the time and effort a project requires?

1.4 What is a project?

1.5 What topic areas can be chosen?

Topics from the following areas may be selected:

1.6 Group Final Year Project (FYP) student guidelines

Steps in registering of Group FYP (A) and FYP (B)

1. Identify group members.

General guidelines from group final year project

1. TWO (2) students are to form a group without exception.

Project Updates effective from Jan 2011

HYBB students, if “fail” …

 Project (B), they will repeat from Project (A) again

BCBBA students, if “fail” …

1.7 Student enquiries prior to submission of project topic and outline

1.8 Assessment teams

1.9 Problems with supervisors

Chapter 2 Project proposal

2.1 The deadline

2.2 Definition of terms

2.4 Selecting from a list of titles

Please note the following points:

2.5 Self-developed titles

3. The project specification has been submitted by the deadline date

2.6 Structure of the project proposal

The following points are indicators of a good proposal:

2.7 Summarized procedure for submitting a project proposal

Chapter 3 Project management and project meetings

3.2 Project plan

3.3 Organization and time management

3.4 Project meetings

Students should understand that members of staff cannot be guaranteed to be in their

Flow chart of group final year project (A) process

Flow chart of group final year project (B) process

3.5 Planning for meetings with the supervisor

3.6 Progress report form

3.7 How to fill in the progress report form

Problems encountered/ suggested solutions: Students gives an indication of any problems

People met/contacts established: this is an indication of any interviews conducted or any

Chapter 4 The interim report

- details of any changes to original proposal/project plan

The interim report really serves two purposes:

2. It assists the lecturer in deciding a grade in terms of 'project management' when it

4.1 Is the interim report marked?