Guide to Research Projects for Engineering Students

Presents an Integrated Approach, Providing Clear and Practical Guidelines 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. - Contains highly practical content-includes tips on how to conduct research, write it up effectively, and avoid common errors and pitfalls in grammar and style - Offers guidance on using IT tools (which are indispensable in research) - Includes pertinent examples of best practices on conducting research and research writing The authors have drawn on their many years of experience teaching engineering students, either in supervising engineering students in their research projects or teaching technical communication skills.

Eng-Choon Leong is currently an associate professor at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has more than 300 publications in international journals and conferences and is a recipient of the 2004 ASTM Best Practical Paper for Geotechnical Practice Award and of the 2012 Koh Boon Hwee mentor award. Carmel Lee-Hsia Heah is a senior lecturer at the Language and Communication Centre at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and formerly a senior lecturer in professional communication at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto, Canada. Her research interests include EL teaching and learning, ELT and engineering curriculum and course design and Language for Special Purposes. She has done significant research work in ELT pedagogy and course development as well as professional communication skills training. Her research output includes co-authored textbooks and an English grammar reference book. Kenneth Keng Wee Ong is a lecturer at the Language and Communication Centre at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He teaches courses at graduate and undergraduate level on research writing and technical communication. He has also received the Dean's Commendation for Research award in 2010 and 2011 conferred by the National Institute of Education, Singapore. His current research interests include bilingual language processing and semantic/conceptual representation, second language vocabulary acquisition and computer-mediated discourse analysis.

Introduction. Frequently asked questions (FAQs). PART I. Planning. Choosing a research project. Researching a topic. Writing a research project proposal. Planning a research project. Research methodology and research methods. Keeping research records. PART II. Writing. Starting to write. Grammar, punctuation and word usage guide. Do's and don'ts of technical writing. Strategies for writing a good report or thesis. Writing the introduction and literature review. Writing the materials and methods. Writing the results and discussion. Writing the conclusion. Writing the abstract and front matter. Referencing. Using sources and avoiding plagiarism. Revising and editing. PART III. Presentation. How to create figures. How to create a good layout. How to prepare for an oral presentation. Do's and don'ts of oral presentations. Appendix.