Computer Forensic Dissertation

Have a look at 'Triage' frameworks for large LE digital forensic units that deal with volume crime and high profile criminal investigations.
It is a hot topic right now due to the increased financial constraints that such tax-payer funded agencies are facing.
It would be interesting to see what kind of model you could develop if you started from scratch and tackled the subject without having the baggage of an existing operational units requirements to consider.

neddy

You offer very little for anyone to latch on to…

What I wil state is that the dissertation part of a Masters in the UK (in relation to a dissertation that produces an artefact which requires you to code) is measured on the critical research and application of your research to identify a 'problem', selection of chosen methodology that your artefact will leverage, creation of a solution design, application and testing of the artefact and conclusion/critical appraisal of the project - in total 'the academic journey', if you like.

The upshot is that you can employ a third party to specifically code your artefact. You must cite the third party and you must be able to demonstrate that you were solely responsible for all of the aforementioned aspects of the project, particularly that you developed the idea in accordance with the problem which 'dropped' from your primary and/or secondary research and developed/selected a methodology that the artefact would leverage.

I must say that I'm constantly amazed how many UK students come to the forums asking for dissertation ideas. How is it that a range of ideas have not been sparked by the taught part of the programme and the substantial additional reading that a MSc student is expected to do. Finally, what are the supervisors of said students doing…?? They should have a font of potential project matter….

Thread moved to Education forum.

I must say that I'm constantly amazed how many UK students come to the forums asking for dissertation ideas. How is it that a range of ideas have not been sparked by the taught part of the programme and the substantial additional reading that a MSc student is expected to do. Finally, what are the supervisors of said students doing…?? They should have a font of potential project matter….

Agreed.

Jamie

Just to follow on from that last point, ronaldo9, and please don't take this the wrong way, but is this not something you've already discussed and brainstormed with your own supervisor? It's difficult for a lot of people here to imagine how you can get to the end of a Masters degree either with no idea what to do a dissertation on (beyond the idea we discussed in another thread recently) or the academic support to help you find something suitable.

Let me stress once again, I'm not picking on you personally, I'm actually more interested in the academic support structure you have available. I'd value your comments.

Jamie

I have to agree with the responses made by Jamie & Fab4 but having had first hand experience of the support given to students by mentors and the like during my degree course, I can understand why 'ronald09' may be seeking a second opinion from those in the field.

When I took on a combined honours degree in Forensic Science & Computing in 2001, I was amazed to discover that none of the academics responsible for running the course had even heard of 'forensic computing'.

With respect to 'ronaldo9' however, one must worry about the level of knowledge acquired during his degree years if he needs to ask such a question.

When I took on a combined honours degree in Forensic Science & Computing in 2001, I was amazed to discover that none of the academics responsible for running the course had even heard of 'forensic computing'.

I would sincerely hope that this situation has changed radically in the 9 years since.

From my own knowledge, there are some *potentially useful* UK Universities out there now for CF - by potentially useful, I mean that they have 'extra-curricular' operations within the Uni that I hope are used to inform the taught and project parts of a BSc/MSc. This is not a definitive list nor does it form a recommendation wink

Warwick Uni has the Digital Lab initiative.

Staffordshire Uni has a team of forensic practitioners who take on real jobs from law enforcement et al and undertake R&D to solve their customers' problems.

De Montford Uni have strong links with Digital Forensics Magazine.

Northumbria Uni - I think have some connection with their local police force.

There will be plenty more UK Unis that have links through to industry and practitioner experts.

In relation to the OP, assuming these Unis are maximising their external relationships, the supervisors in these Unis should arguably have more potential project ideas than they have students….

The issue around universities offering digital forensics courses and the experience of the academics involved in them is a matter for significant debate. What is however apparent is that a number of academics could not be considered "practitioners" in the field of digital forensics, and this impacts significantly in any research environment.

If one considers university study for one to become a medical doctor, the study is both intense and involved, with a significant practical component. However, the key to this is that the academics presenting the courses are themselves medical doctors or specialists. We can thus be assured that new doctors having completed thier medical degrees at least have been taught by academics that know the field. Would any person want to go to any doctor that was taught by academics that were themselves not medical doctors and only had a theoretical knowledge of medicine?

I personally think for any university digital forensic program to have any credibility, the academics involved should have experience as practitioners, or at the very least, be supported by practitioners.

Hi Ronaldo9,

I hope you are having some luck choosing your dissertation topic.
I think choosing a project topic is a process in itself so don't worry about not having an exciting topic off the top of your head.

You could try a brain-storming technique.

a)take a piece of paper and write down any topic you can think of.
It does not matter what you write at this stage. All topics are appropriate.
Do not rule anything out for any reason –for instance put your own suggestion of a universal guideline for forensics. Don't make any judgements about the suitability of topics at this stage.
Put down any topics your tutor's suggest.
Do not rule out a topic because you feel you do not have the skills such as programming etc

b) Pick 2 or 3 of the topics and do some initial research.
Set yourself a time limit of a week or whatever is convenient for you.
Do a google search and look at academic papers and get a feel for what the issues are. What are practitioners and academics discussing if anything.
Look at forensic journals for ideas.
Are there any news articles about the subject? Look at forums–are people raising issues there?
Do a google search with the subject and the terms "challenges" ,"issues" and so on.
Do this for each topic.
c)Take a break and then go back and look at the research you have done.
What topics have emerged–have you found something that interests you and/or you will learn a great deal from studying?
Remember it is not so much the topic you choose but how you deal with it.

Good Luck and let us know how you get on.
all the best )