CS4490z/4460z Final Report

 Due: Friday March 27, 2009 at 5 p.m. (no lates allowed for final report)

Weight: 
Software projects: 45%
Research Projects: 55%

What to hand in: 

Please prepare two final paper copies (single-sided) of your thesis report: one for me, and one for your supervisor. You can drop mine off either to my mailbox in the Computer Science main office (give it to the office staff in MC355) or to my office, MC416 (if I'm not there, slide it under the door).

Note: My copy of your Final Report must be signed by your supervisor(s) to indicate approval of the project content.

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Your Final Reports will, of course, vary as much as your projects are varied! However, here are some "loose" ideas as to the content and form of the Final Reports. 

Final Report for Software Projects

The Final Report should be a single document, in the following format:

• Title Page (see Report Format and Style Guidelines)
• Acknowledgments (where applicable)
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures and Tables (optional, but useful for the reader)
• List of Abbreviations, Symbols, Nomenclature (optional, but useful for the reader)
• Introduction (brief description of project)
• Main Body of Report: What goes in here? It depends on your project, but here are some possible subheadings (not all will necessarily be in all reports, and your project may lend itself to completely different subheadings) :
• Background/Motivation/Goals
• Architectural Overview (main components, etc.)
• Implementation Discussion
  (Note: do not put actual code here. If you wish to include some code, put it in an Appendix.)
• Testing Discussion
• Results
• If you revised your Design from the one submitted in the Design Document, discuss this.
• Conclusions (and maybe further discussion, future possibilities, etc.)
• References
• Appendices (if applicable)

Final Report for Research Projects

Research reports should show an in-depth understanding of the topic.
The Final Report should be a single document, in the following format:

• Title Page (see Report Format and Style Guidelines)
• Abstract : The abstract provides a brief (no longer than 250 words) summary of the project for potential readers, and should include

• a statement of the research problem
• an indication of the research method(s) used or theoretical orientation taken
• findings or major discoveries made
• conclusions and significance.
• Acknowledgments : You may wish to acknowledge anyone who has helped you in a meaningful way, including your supervisor, other faculty, students, staff, etc.
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures and Tables (optional, but useful for the reader)
• List of Abbreviations, Symbols, Nomenclature (optional, but useful for the reader)
• Introduction (brief description of project)
• Main Body of Report
• Conclusions (and maybe further discussion, future possibilities, etc.)
• References (make sure there is enough detail so that a reader of your report can check a reference)
• Appendices (if applicable)

Approximate length:

I hesitate to suggest a page size, but .... A software project report will probably be in the neighbourhood of 20-25 pages, depending on the layout. If it works out to be shorter, you don't need to "pad" the pages! A research report will probably be longer, maybe 30-40 or more pages.

Evaluation: 

• Your supervisor(s) will assess the report for content, accuracy, and originality. 
• The Course Administrator will assess the report for structure, style, and readability.