AM4090 Applied Mathematics Projects
2014/15
The purpose of this document is to provide working guidelines and project submission instructions
for the module AM4090.
The formal requirement for this module is governed by the entry in the UCC Book of Modules for the
session 2014/15. A copy of the current module description is given on the web page
http://euclid.ucc.ie/pages/staff/thomas/gthomas.htm and all other relevant documents will be
posted there as well. The formal outputs from each project are a project report and the
presentation of findings; both elements are compulsory.
1. Project Report
Project reports must be submitted to Dr Gareth Thomas in Room WGB_1.42 between 14.00 and
17.00 hours on the last working day of the second review week; this is Friday 24th April 2015 for the
academic year 2014/15. Reports submitted after this date will not be considered as part of the
Summer Examination process unless there are exceptional mitigating circumstances, such as
documented severe illness. Please note that the second study week follows the Easter vacation
and that the Easter vacation is one week shorter than last year.

It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that their project report is submitted on time.

Each student must submit three copies of their project reports. The reports should be ringbound and produced to a sufficiently high standard; hand-written copies will not be accepted.

The stipulated length of the project is 3000 words; this will not be enforced strictly, as the
variation in project structure and content is considerable. A working guideline is that the
length should be no less than twenty and no more than forty pages in length, depending upon
material and content. Appendices may be utilised if required and will not be counted within
the page totals.

The report can be printed in either a single-sided or double-sided manner and no
recommendation is made with regard to preference.

Diagrams and figures should be clear with adequate labelling. Do not make them too small in
order to meet a page count; a better policy is to use fewer figures.

Computer software developed as part of the project will be recognised as an important
component, provided that it is submitted as part of the project report. The software should be
submitted on a CD or a DVD, together with the project report and include executable files,
program listings and help files (if available). Only one CD or DVD should be submitted.

A general introduction to the writing of research papers and reports is given in the MLA
Handbook for Writers of Research Papers by Joseph Gibaldi and which is in the library.

It is recommended that the project supervisor should read the project report prior to final
submission; this procedure is highly recommended but is not compulsory.

Finally, do not leave the compilation of the report until the last minute – it will take longer than
you anticipate.
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2. Referencing and Attribution.
2.1 Referencing
Accurate referencing of cited papers and documents is important for scientific accuracy, to give due
reward to some-one’s work and for other workers who may wish to use your project report as a
respected reference source.
One of two systems may be employed; a combination of methods is not acceptable. The permissible
referencing systems are the Author-Date System and the Number System and are described in
Appendices 1 and 2 of this document respectively. The journal literature of applied mathematics
employs both systems in almost equal measure.
In practice, both systems provide precise referencing but there is a slight difference between the
two. The author-date system attributes work directly to the author or authors, whereas the number
system attributes the work to a source. For this reason, the number system is perhaps better suited
to internet referencing and an example of this is given in Appendix 3.
2.2 Plagiarism
UCC takes the crime of plagiarism very seriously. The following paragraph is taken from the Guide to
Examinations, available at http://www.ucc.ie/en/exams/procedures-regulations/guide/, and there
are also a number of other documents on the UCC site that deal with plagiarism.
Cheating means an attempt to benefit oneself, or another, by deceit or fraud or other breach of the
examination regulations. Such breaches include personation and plagiarism. As regards plagiarism a
significant amount of unacknowledged copying shall be deemed to constitute prima facie evidence of
deliberation. Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. When done
deliberately, it is cheating, since it is an attempt to claim credit for work not done by you and fails to
give credit for the work of others. Plagiarism applies not just to text, but to graphics, tables,
formulae, or any representation of ideas in print, electronic or other media.
While this warning concerning plagiarism is given here, it is given in a precautionary sense and not
because plagiarism has occurred previously. Plagiarism is a severe problem is some disciplines and
necessitates the use of anti-plagiarism software to monitor project content but has yet to cause
problems in Applied Mathematics. So please maintain this tradition, reference properly and if you
need to quote directly from important sources, then place the quoted text within quotation marks.
3. Production of Report
The student is formally responsible for the production of the report and for any costs directly
incurred in this task. However some facilities are available; these are listed below.
The School of Mathematical Sciences presently provides scientific word processing facilities in the
laboratory G1 and installed packages include MS Office 2010, WinEdt and Scientific Workplace.
These are available for the production of project reports. The choice of package remains with the
student and no recommendation is made. However, WinEdt or Scientific Workplace is probably
more suitable, producing a TEX output, if the word processing contains a substantial mathematical
content.
No formatting structure is stipulated but clarity of presentation is an important consideration – a
cluttered report can be very difficult to read. A suitable template is given in Appendix 3 to serve as a
guideline.
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There is a network printing facility available for report production. Colour printing facilities are also
available and these may be utilised if required but excessive use will not be permitted.
Please do not approach the staff of the general office of the School of Mathematical Sciences to ringbind your project reports. This is your responsibility and not theirs!
The copying of software onto CD or DVD can be done within the School. Please contact Paul Keegan
by e-mail ([email protected]) if you wish to avail of this facility.
4. The Examination Process
The assessment method stipulated for grading overall project performance is given in the module
description, with a breakdown of marks into the three categories of Project Report (70 marks),
Method of Working (15 marks) and Presentation of Findings (15 marks). Please note that both the
project report and the presentation are compulsory element of this module and no mark can be
returned without both having been completed.
An Examination Board, comprising of members of the Department of Applied Mathematics, will be
convened to examine all aspects of an individual’s project work. The minimum constitution of this
board will be the Head of Department and the project supervisors. All project reports will be read by
two members of staff – the supervisor plus one other. This will be governed by the standard rules of
examination procedure presently in place in UCC, including the appeal system.
Presentations usually take place following the last written paper of the Summer examination period
and there is usually some consultation concerning suitable dates. Each student will be required to
make a presentation to the Examination Board of approximately twenty-five minutes duration; the
presentation will be followed by a short period for questions and discussion. Details of the
presentation requirements will be given when the timetable of presentations is posted.
The student will be expected to outline clearly the project objectives, background, methodology and
achievements during his or her presentation. Those students with a substantial element of
numerical computation or visual computer representation will be given an opportunity to
demonstrate their software packages at this time. Fellow final year students may attend if they so
wish and provided that the agreement of the presenting student is given. To ensure fairness,
undergraduate students will not be permitted to ask questions.
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Appendix 1. Referencing Style 1: The Author-Date System
This is sometimes called the Harvard system. Each reference is identified in the text by the author’s
surname [or authors’ surnames] and the date of publication. The Reference List is ordered
alphabetically, based upon the surname of the first-named author; both books and papers are
placed in the same list.
In Text (Paper or Book)
Structure: “Author’s Surname” (Date)
Example: A novel approach to project assignment was given by Sheehy & Cahalane (2004).
Example: Gibaldi (2004) contains much useful information on writing research papers and the
various different formatting styles.
In Reference List
There is a slight difference between the details attributed to papers from journal or conference
proceedings and to a general reference or a chapter from a book. The structures described below
may also vary slightly from journal to journal; for example, one journal may use just 1-10 for a page
range, whereas another may employ pp1-10. Minor variations of this type are acceptable within the
general framework.
Paper reference
Structure: Authors Date Title of Article Periodical Title, Volume, Page Range.
Example
Sheehy A. & Cahalane D. 2004 A spoof list of AM4090 projects. J. of General Foolery 1, 1-10.
Book reference
Structure: Authors Date Title of Book / Article Publisher, Place of Publication.
Example
Gibaldi J. 2004 MLA Handbook for Writers of Research papers (Sixth Edition). The Modern Language
Association of America, New York.
Notes
1. Referencing in the text depends upon the number of authors, with the general rules below.
Single author: Gibaldi (2004) at all times.
Two authors: Sheehy & Cahalane (2004) at all times.
Three or more authors: Sue, Grabbitt & Runne (2006) at first reference, Sue et al (2006) at
second and subsequent appearances, all authors in Reference List.
2. It is usual to indent the second and subsequent lines of a reference, when they exist, and to
include a blank line between each reference in the list. This is to facilitate ease of use.
3. There is no formal method of dealing with a web reference directly, except in the case where an
author’s work is attributable directly. Variants include just giving the URL in the text or adding the
URL as an alphabetic entry in the reference list.
4. A variant on the above form is to use a plain font for the article title and an italic font for the
journal or book title.
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Appendix 2. Referencing Style 2: The Number System
This system lists the references in a numerical list, which reflects the order in which they are cited in
the text. The Reference List entry is similar to that of the Author-Date system described above but
must begin with the Reference Number. Both books and papers are placed in the same list.
There is more variation in the citing of references than with the Havard system, with the reference
number providing the compulsory element and the option for additional information may be
available as well. Some journals enforce a strict implementation of number only, whereas others
employ the option of additional information. The option of page numbers is restricted usually to
book references and is uncommon for journal papers.
No recommendation is made whether only the compulsory element should be utilised or whether
optional elements are permitted but the correct numerical ordering is essential.
Internet referencing is easier in this system than in the Havard system, as shown in the fourth
example below.
In Text (Paper or Book)
Structure: Authors (Optional) [Ref. Number (Compulsory), Page Numbers (Optional)]
Example: A novel approach to project assignment is contained in [1], whereas [2] provides an
appropriate reporting mechanism.
Example: An innovative strategy for project assignment has been proposed in [1].
Example: An innovative strategy has been proposed by Sheehy & Cahalane [1].
Example: Precise instructions for report submission are supplied in [3].
Example: An innovative strategy for project assignment has been proposed by Sheehy & Cahalane [1,
pp1-3].
In Reference List
Paper reference [Ref. Number] Authors Date Title of Article Periodical Title, Volume, Page Range.
Book reference: [Ref. Number] Authors Date Title of Book / Article Publisher, Publication Venue.
Internet reference: [Ref. Number]
Example:
[1] Sheehy A. & Cullinane D. 2004 A spoof list of AM4090 projects. J. of General Foolery 1, 1-10.
[2] Gibaldi J. 1999 MLA Handbook for writers of research papers. The Modern Language Association
of America, New York.
[3] http://euclid.ucc.ie/pages/staff/thomas/gthomas.htm
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Appendix 3. Report Template
No formal template is supplied for the project reports and the student is free to present the work in
whatever form he or she chooses.
A suitable template can be provided, upon request, for those students who intend to employ
Scientific Workplace. For those students who would prefer to avail of some guidelines, the simple
template given below provides a good basis for scientific reports.
Format
Margins:
2.5 cm (1") all round on A4 paper.
Page Numbers: Bottom centre; ideally halfway down bottom margin.
Text Style:
Text can be left-justified or centre-justified but should be full-width across the page.
Font
Font type:
Font size:
Not specified, although simple fonts (Times New Roman, Calibri, CG Times, Ariel,
Universal etc.) are usually best for scientific work.
Either 11pt or 12pt scaleable, preferably the former. All of the specifications below
are based on the 11pt designation.
Size and Position of Headings
Main title:
Author:
First level headings(m.):
Second level headings(m.n):
Third level headings (m.n.p):
14pt, bold, centred.
12 pt bold, centred.
14pt, bold, left margin.
12pt, bold, left margin.
11pt, bold, left margin.
Spacing
For a project report with a high mathematical content, it is usually better to change the default line
spacing from “single line spacing” to “1.5 line spacing”. This produces a less cluttered document and
enables technical material to be read more easily.
First level headings(m.):
Second level headings(m.n):
Third level headings (m.n.p):
Main Text:
2 blank lines above, 1 blank line below.
1 blank line above, 1 blank line below.
1 blank line above, continue text immediately below.
Single spacing, 1 blank line between paragraphs.
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