Guide to research projects for engineering students : planning, writing and presenting / Eng-Choon Leong, Carmel Lee-Hsia Heah, Kenneth Keng Wee Ong.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction -- Cognitive skills -- Role of supervisor -- Writing skills -- Information and technology skills -- -- Frequently asked questions (FAQs) -- -- $g Part I. Planning : -- -- Choosing a research project -- Before you choose a research project -- Basic considerations for choosing a research project -- Advice for undergraduate students -- Advice for postgraduate students -- -- Researching a topic -- Keywords -- Sources of information -- Types of information -- Writing a research project proposal -- Purpose of a research proposal -- Structure of a research proposal -- Other considerations -- Tips on writing style and language in a research proposal -- Checklist for writing a research proposal -- -- Planning a research project -- Phases of a research project -- Project management -- Be accountable -- Be focused on your objectives -- Be realistic -- Keep interested -- Tips on making a Gantt chart -- -- Research methodology and research methods -- Research methodology -- Research methods -- -- Keeping research records -- Purpose of keeping a research log -- Contents in a research log -- Using a research log -- Writing a research log -- Recording literature searches -- Hardcopy versus electronic copy -- Things to avoid in keeping a research log -- Rules on keeping a research log -- -- Part II. Writing -- -- Starting to write -- Starting to write -- Writing at the beginning of a project -- Managing your writing -- Avoiding procrastination -- Grammar, punctuation and word usage guide -- Common grammar problems -- Common sentence problems -- Common punctuation problems -- Commonly misused and confused words and phrases -- -- Do's and don'ts of technical writing -- Do's of technical writing -- Don'ts of technical writing -- -- Strategies for writing a good report or thesis -- Learn from others -- Start early -- Write the first draft quickly -- Use a template -- Revising and checking for plagiarism -- Writing the introduction and literature review -- Components of an introduction -- Strategic use of steps in the different parts of an introduction and literature review -- Common logical pitfalls in an introduction -- Some key language features of an introduction and literature review -- Writing the literature review as a separate section or chapter -- Checklist for introduction and literature review -- -- Other 9. Writing the materials and methods -- Components of materials and methods -- Some considerations in writing materials and methods -- Some key language features in materials and methods -- Checklist for materials and methods -- -- Writing the results and discussion -- Components of results and discussion -- Organizing results and discussion -- Common logical pitfalls in results and discussion -- Some key language features of results and discussion -- Tips on typing equations -- Checklist for results and discussion -- -- Writing the conclusion -- Functions of a conclusion section -- Components of the conclusion section -- Illustration of a conclusion section in a research paper -- Language features of the conclusion -- Do's and don'ts in writing the conclusion section -- Checklist for writing the conclusion -- -- Writing the abstract and front matter -- Components of an abstract -- Some key language features in an abstract -- Some considerations in writing an abstract -- Checklist for writing an abstract -- Parts of front matter -- Checklist for an abstract and front matter -- -- Referencing -- Features of two main referencing systems -- In-text citations -- End-of-text citations -- -- Using sources and avoiding plagiarism -- Using sources -- Avoiding plagiarism -- Checklist for avoiding plagiarism -- -- Revising and editing -- General advice before you revise -- How to revise -- -- Part III. Presentation -- -- How to create figures -- Purpose of figures -- Types of figures -- Photographs and images -- Schematic drawings -- Tips for positioning figures, images and charts -- How to create a good layout -- Ten simple rules for a good layout -- Layout of report or thesis -- Follow the guidelines -- Create a template file -- -- How to prepare for an oral presentation -- The message -- The audience -- Presentation time -- Preparing for an oral presentation -- Presentation format -- Presentation slides -- -- Do's and don'ts of oral presentations -- Managing anxiety -- Delivering your presentation -- Using presentation tools -- Managing your time -- Procedure for finishing quickly -- Tip: How to find your conclusions slide instantly -- Answering questions -- Checklist for a presentation.

Are you a student facing your first serious research project? If you are, it is likely that you'll be, firstly, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task, and secondly, lost as to how to go about it. What you really need is a guide to walk you through all aspects of the research project, from planning and conducting your research project to writing and presenting it. Guide to Research Projects for Engineering Students: Planning, Writing and Presenting is the guide you need to do the job efficiently. Specifically Designed with Engineering and Technical Science Students in Mind The book is organized into three sections, broken down into concise chapters that focus on a specific topic and the skills required. The section on planning shows you how to choose a project, research a topic, write a project proposal, plan the project, select methods and methodologies, and keep records. The section on writing provides help on writing the different sections of a research report as well as introduces you to the strategies and language conventions required for writing an effective research report. Finally, the section on presenting covers creating effective figures and layout, preparing for a project presentation, and the dos and don'ts in delivering a presentation. Advice on how to use IT tools effectively is given throughout the book.