CET351 Assignment 2: Research Paper
This research paper is worth 50% of the module mark
The deadline for this work is specified on the module website
Please read all of these instructions carefully!
Submission date: See assignment submission page on Canvas
This is a negotiated research assignment. You are to propose and gain approval for a research
paper title on one narrow topic that is relevant to your degree. This paper must be focussed on
one narrow aspect of computing research and must not be the same as any other research you
are doing, or will be required to do, for any other module while doing your degree. Guidance will
be given on your proposed title by your local tutor but it is yourresponsibility to ensure you
follow this advice and ensure that the paper you submit in the end has an appropriate title.
Your research paper should describe and evaluate current research evidence (research aims,
methods, experimental results and a researcher conclusions) and in doing so present your
analysis and your conclusions. See the many good exemplars in the module materials.
You are to write a research paper with an appropriate title with references to between 25 and
40 relevant conference and journal articles. Your research paper should include a detailed
discussion and evaluation of current research on the topic under consideration leading to your
own well reasoned conclusions.
The word limit for this assignment is about 3000 words (with 10% more or fewer than 3000
words allowance). The 3000 words limit excludes the reference list an the assignment cover
sheet. You must put the word count on your assignment cover sheet (details of which are
provided later).
Your task in doing this assignment is a continuation of you assignment 1 but to discuss and
evaluate research published by other researchers. In doing so you are required to discuss the
research described in published research papers. Therefore, providing an introductory
discussion, or providing a detailed description of a technical subject will score very low marks.
Care should be taken to ensure that your paper is unbiased and accurately referenced using the
Harvard referencing system (see the lecture slides and publication template for guidance on
this).
Any words not your own must be in quotation marks and sources cited. Quotations should be no
more than two lines long and, taken all together, should represent less than 10% of the words
written. The remaining 90% of this assignment must be entirely in your own words.
Your paper should be appropriately sectioned, well structured and should clearly set out your
own evaluation of the evidence, analysis and conclusions. Your conclusions should be backed up
by well-reasoned arguments and should be suitably illustrated with appropriate examples. It is
not enough to regurgitate or summarize material found in literature.
Good academic writing uses literature to present evidence and the conclusions reached by other
researchers and discusses this literature allowing the author draw out their own concrete
conclusions.
Your conclusions should come from:-
• Your evaluation of the evidence presented in research papers,
• Your comparison of the theories proposed by researchers in research papers, • Your
consideration of the potential application of these theories to real world situations.
For a good balance you should aim to spend about 50% of the space devoted to presenting
research materials and 50% to your evaluation of this evidence, your comparison, your reasoned
argument and your conclusions.
A reference list must be included at the end of the research paper.
Your paper should be in a format suitable for publication. A publication template is available to
help with this. Students will have the opportunity to get their research papers published if their
paper is good enough and correctly formatted.
Assignment Submission and Marking
Your assignment should be submitted as one document (must be in Microsoft word file). This
should start with an assignment cover sheet which includes the following information:- • the
module code,
• your name and student registration number,
• the name of the degree you are studying
• the name of the centre you are studying at (for off-campus students),
• the title of your paper
• the word count and
The title page should then be followed by the body of the assignment which should be a
correctly formatted a research paper. A research paper template is provided via Canvas module
page to help you with this within the module materials. For reasons explained later the research
paper, if correctly formatted, will duplicate some of the information on the assignment cover
sheet (ie. title and author name).
The assignment will be submitted electronically via your module space in the Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE). The submission is electronic and there is no requirement for any other form
of submission. Uploading your assignment constitutes the submission. Late submissions will not
be marked!
Please note that the assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document.
Assignments are normally marked within 4 working weeks – this does not include the three
week holidays period at Christmas or Easter. You can view your assignment marks and feedback
by returning to the assignment link after this period.
Assignment Marking Scheme
A detailed breakdown of this marking scheme is presented at the end of this document for
further guidance.
Essential Information
1) This is an individual assignment, the work must be entirely your own. The safety of your
assessments is your responsibility. You must not permit another student access to your work.
2) Your assignment will be submitted electronically via the module space. You must therefore
sort out any module registration \ log in problems within the first three weeks of the module
and upload your assignment by the date specified. If you cannot log in and upload an
assignment by the due date you will fail this assignment. You are strongly recommended to
upload a draft assignment at least 1 week before the deadline and to keep uploading revised
versions. Technical problems on the deadline day will not be accepted as a valid excuse for non-
submission.
3) The assignment should be submitted by 4pm UK time on the date specified in the VLE
however to allow for internet problems assignments will be accepted up until 23.59 without
incurring late submission penalty.
4) You are required to submit your work within the bounds of the University Infringement of
Assessment Regulations (see your Programme Guide). Plagiarism, paraphrasing and
downloading large amounts of information from external sources, will not be tolerated and will
be dealt with severely.
5) All text taken from other sources must be in quotations and the sources cited. Quotations
should be no more than two lines long and, taken all together, should represent less than 10% of
the words written. The remaining 90% of this assignment must be entirely in your own words.
6) You should upload a draft of your research paper via your module space early and respond to
the ‘TurnItIn’ report generated. This report will indicate any non-original words in your paper
including a) correctly quoted text, b) the reference list and c) and any plagiarized text. Reports
that come back rated at less than 20% non-original text are usually fine. Those that come back
with a score of over 25% i.e. yellow, orange or red usually need fixing. Plagiarised text will not be
tolerated. Please note that the generation of originality reports can take up to 24 hours. You are
likely to fail if your TurnItIn report return 40% or above.
7) You can repeatedly submit your assignment up until the deadline and the last assignment
uploaded at the deadline will be marked. You will be marked online and will be able to see your
marks and feedback online at the same location – usually marks and feedback will be available
after 4 working weeks (this does not include holidays).
8) If you cannot complete this assignment for reasons that are outside of your control, e.g.
serious illness, you can apply to the Extenuating Circumstances Panel asking for a deferral but
you will need to provide appropriate evidence e.g. medical evidence covering the appropriate
period. Technical problems on the day of the assignment deadline, module registration issues
and failure to back up your work will not be accepted as valid excuses. Therefore you should a)
ensure you can log into the module b) upload a draft assignment early and keep uploading
revisions as you make changes c) keep electronic copies of your work. If you provide a good
reason your local tutor can grant an extension of 72 hours but there are restrictions on this –
see module guide for
more details.
9) The following learning outcomes are assessed by this assignment:-
Knowledge
an understanding of current research, scientific principles and research methodology within an
area appropriate to the students named degree.
Skills
the ability to critically evaluate current research within an area appropriate to the students
named degree and document this in the form of a research paper.
Detailed Marking Scheme
Criterion Perfect Outstandi Excellent Very Good Good Acceptable Insuffici Ver
100% ng 90% 75% 65% 55% 40% ent 30% 15%
Content 20pts 18pts 15pts 13pts 11pts 8pts 6pts 3pt
20pts A perfect A An A very good A good Some The Con
description profession excellent description description description description sign
of current al description of current of current of of research y co
research is descriptio of current research is or is
presented n research, research and research is intr
experiment and given but insufficient y, o
of current al results experiment experiment this . pur
and al results is al results is and
research, fails to focus Though a
experiment conclusions provided provided. enough on dire
al results on one the topic may or is
and is provided focussed be oth
conclusions that is very current
is provided subject. research. described defi
that is very well in some
well detail this flaw
develop develop is not
ed and ed and research. It
organised organised may also
be too
introductor
y.
Critical 15 pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25
Evaluation A perfect An An A very good A good Evidence is The claims Eva
15pts evaluation outstandin excellent evaluation attempt is presented to made in is en
of current g evaluation is justify the the
research is evaluation is provided made in a inad
presented is of the provided of few claims made literature
claims are or is
provided of the claims places to in the sign
made by taken y
the claims made by evaluate the literature
made by researchers but little or entirely on cop
researchers researchers evidence no
throughout throughout in several presented trust and
by by places by by attempt is
evaluating evaluating made to little or no
the the discussing researche evaluate this
research research evidence attempt is
rs.
methodolo the
methodolog research made to
gy and
experiment y methodolo
gy and/or present
al research
results and research
results supporti
experiment ng
al research evidence
.
results
Reasoned 15pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25
Argument Perfectly Very Excellent Very good Good Sufficient Insufficie Disc
15pts reasoned profession reasoned reasoned reasoned reasoned nt is en
argument al argument is argument is argument is argument is reasoned inad
is reasoned presented presented presented argument or is
presented argument leading to in places presented but the is sign
leading to is strongly leading to presented. y co
perfect presented specific leading to conclusions
conclusion justified well reasonably are very Taking
s leading to and specific general or arguments
strongly justified justified, weakly from the
justified conclusions conclusions justified.
and . . conclusions. literature,
outstandin as
g
you may
conclusions have done,
. is not
enough.
Citations 15pts 13.5pts 11.25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25
15pts Citations Immaculat Excellent Very good Citations Acceptable Some Sec
and use of e citations citations citations and citations in sources are the
these are and and and reporting not cited are
perfect accurate accurate accurate on almost all or plag
reporting at reporting
reporting a the whole places even text that n
at a fine overall. good, even if q
grained fine grained if there are should be
level minor flaws there is in OR
level in places scope
quotes is are
for not. cited
improveme
nt in format
or use
Literature 15pts 13.5pts 11..25pts 9.75pts 8.25pts 6pts 4.5pts 2.25
Search The An Excellent Very good Good list of Some List of List
15pts reference outstandin list of list of largely academic references refe
list is g list of references references quality is is
perfect references in terms of references inadequate
in terms of quality, in terms of academic (5 or more with less very
quality, or o
quantity quantity quality and references journal or than 5 poo
and focus and quantity (8 (7 conference
(11-12 or journal or sta
journal or focus (11- or more papers) conference
conference 12 journal more have been
papers or journal journal or used but not papers unre
with full enough used.
conference or conferen liter
details on
ce and many Too many Or c
one
papers with conference papers) and
coherent
papers with though not weaker weaker
subject).
full details refe
on one virtually full quite as sources may sources
coherent many may also sub
details) also have have y d
subject). as expected been used. mat
though a and some been
few weaker up.
used.
sources weaker
may also sources may
have been
used also have
been used.
Presentati 20pts 18pts 15pts 13pts 11pts 8pts 6pts 3pt
on 20pts The Spotless Excellent Very good Good Acceptable Shows In v
presentati presentatio presentatio and presentatio presentation definite roug
on of the n which is n which is consistent n, structure and flaws in form
research excellently presentatio and structure on presenting inco
paper is excellent structured n which is formatting the whole a
perfect ly and well even if though
structur structured some structured
ed excellently and very further work piece of
well minor
and formatted. would work
formatted. aspects
perfectly
could be benefit
formatted
to a improved
profession
al quality
20
Total 100
