A student in need of a 1st!! - dissertation ideas

Hi Rach, glad to see academic work in the field. There's a need for it. I'm at a disadvantage here because I don't understand the UK system well enough and need some clarification.

want to start thinking about my dissertation now.

In the US, dissertation implied lofty, dry academic tome written so mere mortals understand it's English but not much more. Cool.

I need to start developing a programme which performs some kind of forensic analysis on anything!

Hmmm, computer programme? Like code for proof of concept of the dry academic tome?

However, it must not have been done before!!

Can you also clarify this for me? In the US, research must be original, but it's certainly OK to research something someone else has done, it's your research that must be original. The other problem is, you're being forced to prove an negative. How can you prove no one else had written code in this area before? The criteria seems odd to me.

know its cheeky to ask

No, not at all IMHO. I think we'll all be happy to help. For me, I just need to understand what the requirements you have are.

I would guess that this is an Undergraduate Degree right ? Dennis is, I believe, correct in what he says about original research. You don't really need to worry about doing something that no-one else has done until your Doctorate 😉

These are the guidelines for a MSc project ( for a computing course … ) from a UK University …

Projects are usually concerned with academic or practical issues which may arise from your studies, your work or from other areas of computing interest. A suitable topic is one in which

* there is an existing ‘body of knowledge’ on which you can build;
* you can formulate a problem from which you can describe objectives with achievable outcomes;
* you can suggest a methodology for the investigation or study;
* you can draw conclusions of interest to others with a related problem or issue.

The project consists of a thirteen-month period of supervised work leading to the production of a dissertation (10,000-15,000 words) and short web poster presentation describing your project work and the academic study you have done. The project and dissertation give you the opportunity to

* Select from a given area of activity an issue or problem that you need to solve.
* Select and research the necessary areas of learning in order for you to understand the academic background to your project.
* Demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems.
* Integrate knowledge and skills from various sources into a coherent whole, making the appropriate abstractions.
* Critically evaluate proposed solutions using appropriate proven methods and tools.
* Critically evaluate and reflect upon your own work.
* Communicate your work effectively.

Upon completion of your project and dissertation you should have

* Advanced your own knowledge and understanding through independent learning and critically evaluated and reflected upon your work.
* Demonstrated a systematic understanding and a critical awareness of current problems in your field of study or area of professional practice.
* Demonstrated your ability to select and implement appropriate research methods and techniques.
* Demonstrated self-direction and originality in developing problem-solving skills and applying them independently to professional level or equivalent tasks/projects/functions.
* Evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of a particular technology or solution within a computing system and critically evaluated proposed solutions using appropriate methods.
* Dealt with complex issues both systematically and creatively, making informed judgements in the absence of complete data.
* Integrated knowledge and skills from various sources into a coherent whole, making the appropriate abstractions and synthesising arguments from underlying premises to produce overarching conclusions.
* Clearly communicated knowledge, ideas, and conclusions about computing systems both in detail in the dissertation and at a high level of abstraction for a general audience in the poster presentation.

So even at a Masters Degree level, it doesn't have to be "new" …

Avoiding answering the question entirely, if you search the Forums, you'll find that this question gets asked quite a lot, and there are, each time, some really good suggestions - have a look through there and see if any tickle your fancy.

Jamie - would it be possible to create a sticky post somewhere, "Training" possibly, of "Project Ideas for People" then those with a need for research can post and those in need of a project could find one ?

Actually, having said that have a look at

http//www.cs.uno.edu/~golden/Stuff/DFRWS-04-UPDATED.pdf

Might be an interesting route to progress …

You don't really need to worry about doing something that no-one else has done until your Doctorate 😉

Help me here, Azrael. "Done" how? In the US the contribution must have a unique aspect to it that hasn't been researched, but the general topic can (and usually has) been resarched before, but from a different angle.

Am I just splitting hairs too much?

You don't really need to worry about doing something that no-one else has done until your Doctorate 😉

Help me here, Azrael. "Done" how? In the US the contribution must have a unique aspect to it that hasn't been researched, but the general topic can (and usually has) been resarched before, but from a different angle.

Am I just splitting hairs too much?

Ah, no, that's what not re-reading before you post gets you ! Sorry, I kind of meant that as - "it doesn't have to be a new thing entirely" … Rather than the way that it came accross …

Obviously just reproducing another persons work is never going to cut it at any degree level …

I think that the distiction is between "original research" and "original idea" the first is allways required - the second, not until later …

I had a topic on here about research ideas and Hdollar suggested something with Digital Answering Machines, proper prodecures and even a program to analyze, etc etc. .

Just an idea

The proliferation of "logging" and standard GPS with usb and bluetooth interfaces integrated into everything from phones to autos to kids toys would provide a seriously needed tool and perhaps a product to help pay down the college debt!

aye aye potatoe wedge!!! can u guess who it could be lol)
dissertation! - d we have to do one of them!!! 😯 downa

aye aye potatoe wedge!!! can u guess who it could be lol)
dissertation! - d we have to do one of them!!! 😯 downa

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