CS6143 Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Dissertation Guidance

Dissertation Brief

A. DISSERTATION

An important part of the undertaken project during the summer semester is writing a dissertation. The dissertation must document clearly what the student has achieved by unambiguously indicating the student's contribution and information gained from other
sources, using appropriate referencing.

A1. SECTIONS

The following section outline will normally apply.

1. Front title sheet

    Include the following information:
    Name, I.D. number, Supervisor's Name, Course Followed, Year, Department, Title of Project.

2. Statement (optional)
A statement that you agree for your dissertation to be made available in the UL
library and/or to future M.Sc. students in the Department of CSIS.

3. Abstract
A single page abstract highlighting the addressed research questions and the
achieved results.

4. Table of Contents
Follow with List of Figures and List of Tables if appropriate.

5. Introduction and Outline
- Introduce the topic and context.
- Clearly state the goals and objectives of the project.
- Include an outline of the rest of report: e.g., a few lines describing
each chapter.

6. Several core chapters which might include:
- Literature review (of similar
work).
- Analytical background/requirements analysis.
- Specification and design, implementation, testing.
- Results including measurements and facts
about performance.
- Discussion of results.

7. Conclusion
Summarise how the objectives were met. Recommendations for future work.

8. References

9. Acknowledgements
You should thank those who supported the project and you.

10. Appendices
Discuss the inclusion of appendices e.g., code listings etc. with your supervisor.

A2. LENGTH AND FORMAT

The following length and style guidelines apply but your supervisor can advise on specific
requirements:
Expected Length: The report length is typically between 50 and 70 pages of main text.
Typing: The report should be typed on A4 pages/portrait using:
   • Times New Roman font, recommended size 11 or size 12,
   • 1.5 line spacing,
   • 2.5cm margins at top, bottom, left and right.

Style: The style of writing should be formal and impersonal but attempting to
interest a technically aware reader. Very detailed discussion of datasets,
simulations, software, or intricate derivation of analytical results may be more
appropriate in appendices.

Page Numbering: Page numbers must be included. The main body text should start at page 1.

A3. CITATIONS AND REFERENCES

References should acknowledge the contribution of others and indicate the level of awareness of students of work undertaken in their chosen field. Either the Harvard Referencing Style or the IEEE citation style for references should be used throughout the report. UL recommends using the software package EndNote for handling references. EndNote is a bibliographic management software program which allows you to create your own reference database and then to use that database to generate a bibliography of your papers, books and theses. It is available in Desktop and Web versions and a copy for installation can be obtained from the UL library.