• The text of the report must not exceed a maximum of 40 pages in total length. In no circumstances will permission to exceed the page limit be granted; mark penalties will be imposed for overlong reports. If absolutely necessary, additional material may be included in Appendices. However, Appendices will not necessarily be read in detail by the examiners. The typeface used must be 11pt or 12pt and the margins must be at least 20 mm wide on all sides of the page (the page number may be put in the marginal area, clearly away from the edge of the paper).
• The main body of text should be preceded by a Title Page (page 1), a page with an Abstract 100 - 200 words long (page 2), a page containing a Statement of Originality (see below) together with Acknowledgments and a Statement of Contribution of the Student, which explains exactly what parts of the work are yours and what roles were played by others (page 3). You may place the Statement of Contribution of the Student on a separate page, but it will not be counted as an extra page in the 40-page limit. The last part of your preamble should be a Table of Contents (page 4), and if this takes more than one page, only one page counts toward the limit. These 4 initial pages are included in the 40-page limit.
• You must acknowledge all assistance from staff and others under the heading Acknowledgements and Statement of Contribution of the Student on the 3rd page of the report, explaining their role briefly but precisely. You may give a general statement thanking people in the Acknowledgements, but the Statement of Contribution of the Student must be more explicit. You must give details of contributors to the project. For example, were you part of a team who performed the experiment, did someone write parts of the computer code, take the observations, build some of the apparatus, or do some of the analytic work? The reason for this Statement is to assist the assessment of the reports, which are typically written in the third person like research publications. You are also required to provide on this page a signed and dated statement of originality of the form: I certify that this report contains work carried out by myself except where otherwise acknowledged.
• The text itself should be divided into sections with appropriate headings. After a brief Introduction, you are asked to present a section of about 8 pages, which surveys the subject of your project and explains how the topic of your work fits into the bigger picture (this section could be given the heading Survey of the Subject, Literature Review, or similar). To prepare this you will need to consult the literature, a task you are advised to undertake early in the year. A draft Literature Review is to be submitted to the Honours Coordinator (and your Supervisor) early in the second semester of your project work.
• Diagrams (with captions) should be inserted in the text at the appropriate locations.
• References within the text should be indicated either by numbers in square brackets (in which case the list of references at the end of the report should be in order of reference number) or by authors' names and year (in which case the list of references should be ordered alphabetically by name of first author). If the references, which should be listed at the end of the report, take more than one page then only one page will count towards the 40-page limit.
• You may wish to use a physics journal as a guide to format for references and other aspects of the report. Not all journals follow the same rules: however, any major journal would provide an acceptable guide. Suggestions: Astrophysical Journal, journals published by the American Institute of Physics (e.g. Physical Review, Journal of Applied Physics, etc.), journals published by the Institute of Physics (Journal of Physics A, B, C, etc.).
• Reports must be on A4 paper and bound in School of Physics covers (available from the Student Support Office or the Store). Four double-sided copies of the report are required to be submitted to the Physics Honours Coordinator, PLUS copies for each of your supervisors.
• For information on scientific writing style consult the American Journal of Physics Style Manual (shelved at R530.149/1B/2 in the Physics Library).
• For help with English language usage there are many references. Several examples are:
     * The Elements of Style, W. Strunk, and E. B. White.
     * Fowler's Modern English Usage, W. H. Fowler.
     * The Complete Plain Words, E. Gowers.
     * The Oxford Guide to English Usage, E.S.C. Weiner.
     * Right Words - A Guide to English Usage in Australia, S. Murray-Smith.

Presentation
A high standard of presentation is required, using a word processor which can produce scientific notation. The document preparation system LaTeX (pronounced lay-tek), which was used to prepare this document, is recommended. Ask staff or students in your department how you can obtain access to LaTeX and become familiar with it early in the year. You may also use Word if you prefer. It is advisable to discuss the format of your Report with your supervisor. An electronic version of a template in each of these two major format styles will be available from the Physics Honours Coordinator. The facilities of the School can be used for producing diagrams, photographs, and for photocopying.

Deadlines
It is desirable that you start thinking about the content of your report as early as possible and discuss it with your supervisor. Specific deadlines are listed in the Important Dates section.