Writing Successful Undergraduate Dissertations in Games Development and Computer Science

This book provides an accessible, concise guide to producing a dissertation in Computer Science, Software Engineering or Games Development degrees with research projects typically involving design, implementation, testing and evaluation.

Thomas Hainey is Programme Leader of Computer Games Development at the University of the West of Scotland, UK. Gavin Baxter is a lecturer in Computer Games Development at the University of the West of Scotland, UK.

How to use this book, 1. Introduction to Dissertations, 2. Academic Rigour, 3. Citations, Referencing, and Hierarchy of Academic Sources, 4. Research Ethics, 5. Dissertation Structure in Games Development and Computer Science, 6. Research Methodologies and Methods, 7. Formulating Research Questions, 8. Performing a Literature Review, 9. Selecting a Software or Games Development Life Cycle Methodology, 10. Selecting a Software Design Modelling Language (SDML), 11. Design, 12. Implementation, 13. Testing, 14. Evaluation, 15. Statistical Analysis Techniques, 16. Discussion, 17. Conclusions, 18. References, 19. Appendices, 20. Writing Up and Proofreading, 21. Data Collection Mechanisms, 22. General Questionnaire Design, 23. Basic Intervention Experimental Design, 24. General Academic Writing Tips, 25. Presenting Research, 26. Defending Research, 27. Summary