Research Project

Available Projects in 2007

More information on Physics Honours, including details of the exciting Research Projects offered in 2007 and descriptions of the Research Groups in the School of Physics, can be found in the 2007 Physics Honours Handbook. Download here in PDF format or from the Physics Honours Coordinator. This list represents only some of the opportunities available for research projects and you are invited to explore other possibilities in your field of interest with academics in the School of Physics.

General Information

Progress and outcomes in your project will be assessed by a variety of means, some of which are designed to ensure that your work proceeds smoothly, others which carry a mark value. The research component of the Physics Honours program counts 50% of the final mark. The sub-division of this assessment is given below.

• At the start of the project you and your supervisor will write a one-page maximum Research Plan, including a list of equipment/data/programs needed, a proposed plan of expected progress, and a statement certifying the supervisor's availability and the feasibility of the project. This will be submitted to the Physics Honours Coordinator.


• A draft Introduction and Literature Review (see below) will be due two weeks after the start of the second semester of your project, with a copy going to the Physics Honours Coordinator, along with a revised Research Plan (if appropriate).


• A 20-30 minute talk on your project will be given to your research group near the end of your project work. ASSESSMENT: 10%.


• A draft Report should be submitted to your supervisor approximately one month before the final version is due.


• The finished Report will be submitted at the end of week 12 of the second semester of your Project. ASSESSMENT: 60% from research group, 30% from external examiners.
  • For full-time students with a March 2007 commencement, this will be Friday 19 October 2007.
  • For full-time students who commenced in July 2006, this will be Friday 1 June 2007.
  • For full-time students with a July 2007 commencement, this will be Friday 30 May 2008.

Report Requirements

Students write an Honours research project Report. It should be written so that it can be understood by a physicist who is not a specialist in the subject. Such a person should be able to acquire a good understanding of the subject from your Report. As the ability to write clearly is an important skill for a scientist, it is desirable that you devote considerable effort to the clarity of your expression and to the organisation of your Report. Hence, you must not wait until the second half of your second semester to start thinking about it.

Guidelines for preparation are provided below. REPORTS THAT DO NOT COMPLY WITH THESE GUIDELINES WILL BE RETURNED FOR REWRITING.

Format

SECTION OF REPORT	PAGE NUMBER AND COMMENTS
Title Page	Page 1 use Template with logo and green cardboard
Abstract	Page 2 (100 - 200 words)
Statement of Originality	Page 3 (format given below, to be signed)
Acknowledgments	Page 3 (general statement)
Statement of Contribution of Student	Page 3 (does note count in 40-page limit)
Table of Contents	Page 4 (only counts as 1 page in 40-page limit)
Introduction & Survey of Literature	About 6 - 10 pages (details below)
Main Body of Report	(Sections as appropriate)
References	Page 40 (only counts as 1 page in 40-page limit)
Appendices	Not part of 40-page limit (may not be read by Assessors)

• 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 11 pt or 12 pt 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, so long as it is at least 8 mm from the edge of the page).


• 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 explain 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 co-ordinator 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. A tutorial will be given during the Induction Program. 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.




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Assessment of Honours Projects

Criteria for Talk Assessment

Broadly, each 20-30 minute presentation will be assessed on the basis of form (the way the material is organised and presented), content (the extent of the material covered), and style (your personal delivery of the presentation - confidence, responsiveness to questions, etc.), with approximately equal weightings.

Criteria for Report Assessment

Some of the criteria for this assessment are listed below. The external examiners will in general not be able to judge criterion (4) and the first part of (3) in their assessment.

1. Understanding
• Perception of the problem.
• Applicability of the method used.
• Experimental or theoretical insight.

2. Originality
• What new ideas and novel methods were used.
• What were the modifications and adaptations of existing methods.

3. Effort
• A judgement of the diligence of the student.
• The content of the report.

4. Independence
• How much assistance did other group members and the supervisor give.

5. Professionality
• Literature survey.
• Critical judgement of data/results and their significance.

6. Presentation
• Ease of reading.
• Clarity of presentation.
• Informative introduction and conclusion.

To standardise grades, the examiners will refer to these criteria:

• 0-64 Fail. Unacceptable effort.


• 65-69 Hons III. Minimum acceptable to pass Honours.


• 70-74 Hons II.2. Capable of proceeding to MSc in some circumstances, but further postgraduate study would depend on an assessment at the end of the 1st year of MSc.


• 75-79 Hons II.1. Certainly capable of MSc; probably PhD.


• 80-84 Hons I. Competent in research and high standard of work. Certainly acceptable into PhD program.


• 85-91 Hons I. Undoubted research capability. Shows evidence of such independent thought and dedication that one could anticipate a largely self-motivated PhD program.


• 92-100 Hons I and likely University Medal. An outstanding student showing exceptional achievement.

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