Word Limit and Page Count
It is anticipated that the project report should be of between 5,000-10,000 words, depending on the nature of the project. The absolute maximum for the word count is 10,000 words. You must state the word count (see below for guidance and the following section for where to place this).
Guidance on the Word Limit
The maximum word count for the Master of Pharmacy Final Year Project Report is 10,000 words. A maximum is imposed so that students do not feel they are required to submit lengthy reports to obtain a good mark.
The maximum word count is not a target to be aimed for. It is an absolute maximum. Many reports that are only a fraction of the maximum word count receive very good marks in the first class degree classification. The examiners are looking for quality in a report (demonstration of understanding etc) rather than quantity.
Project reports exceeding the maximum word count will be penalised. This may be up to 10% per 1,000 words over the maximum, e.g. a report of 12,000 words awarded a mark of 65%, could be reduced to 45%. The penalty may be applied by the assessors or the module leader.
The word count includes:
o Introduction, aims, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions, references o Words in tables and figures as well as the titles to tables and figures
The word count does not include: o The title page
o Theabstract
o Information in appendices. Material for appendices can include large amounts of information
including raw data, detailed statistical analysis, responses from questionnaires etc. The purpose of the appendix is to store large amounts of data and information that are summarised in the main body of the report. The information within an appendix should support the results and conclusions of a project and will not normally be assessed; therefore, it cannot be seen as a means of including extra information to circumvent the word count. The appendix should not be used for literature reviews, methods, discussion, conclusions etc.
Liverpool John Moores University
Page 32
The word must be stated, in writing, after the project conclusions and before the references, as well as on the submission form through the Student Zone. It is recognised that it may not be possible to provide an exact word count, but a rounded figure to the nearest 100 words should be possible. Most Word Processing packages (e.g. Microsoft Word) have the capability to count the words in a document automatically.
The assessors of the project, or module leader, may require the submission of an electronic copy of the report to confirm the word count.
The report should not normally exceed a total of fifty pages. If it does exceed this limit a mark penalty may be applied. Please discuss this with your Principal Supervisor.
Format of the report
It should be typed, using single spacing, on one side of A4 paper, with a left-hand margin of approximately 25mm and a right hand margin of approximately 20mm. A standard 12 point typeface such as Times or Helvetica or 11 point Arial (as in this document) must be used. Each page should be separately numbered.
The report must be in black print on white paper. With regard to the use of colour, the following criteria apply:
The use of colour in project reports will only be allowed if approved by your Principal Supervisor.
Normally, colour is reserved for photographs, diagrams, etc. that would not convey the message if reproduced in black and white
Figures, such as pie charts, histograms etc should be used only where absolutely necessary and preferably in black & white. They should definitely NOT be used to duplicate information that is already provided in numerical and/or tabular format
The purpose of this restriction is to limit the cost of preparation and to ensure that the finished report may be successfully photocopied, if necessary.
The report must be thoroughly supported by references, in either Harvard or Vancouver style, as agreed between yourself and your Principal Supervisor.
The report should contain the following features (usually in the sequence shown):
(i) The TITLE PAGE should be set out in exactly the same way as the title page included at the end of these guidelines.
(ii) A TABLE OF CONTENTS with page numbers.
(iii) An ABSTRACT should be included in each copy of the report.
The abstract is a significant factor in the marking scheme of the project as it may be used by your supervisor for submission as a publication to a conference. Discuss with your supervisor if they have any specific instructions as to how your abstract should be presented. Normally it should contain a brief introduction; methods; key results; discussion; conclusions; up to 4 key references. It should be a maximum of 600 words.
(iv) The MAIN TEXT should be divided into sections as shown below. Long sections may require sub- headings.
Liverpool John Moores University
Page 33
INTRODUCTION. This is a major part of the report and should generally provide the reader with a reasonable background leading up to the experimental investigations and the purpose of the study. It should include a brief historical review of the study area being examined, and of the methods that have been used. Generally nothing should be assumed; give only the facts. Your project, like any piece of research work, should follow on directly from the current state of knowledge. To make the relevance of your work clear the current status of the subject must, therefore, be explained.
MATERIALS AND METHODS. All reagents, apparatus and techniques, as appropriate, should be described, in sufficient detail, to allow other workers to reproduce your results.
RESULTS. Presentation should be clear, brief and to the point. Use the text in the results section to summarise the important points from your data. Do not use both tables and illustrations (graphs, pie charts etc) to present the same data unless it is absolutely necessary for a clear understanding of the data. Tables are better for the presentation of data. Emphasise or summarise only those aspects of the data, which are central to your discussion. Care should be taken to ensure that tables and figures clearly show what they are intended to show. A common mistake is to include too many variables in one table or figure. Do not include large amounts of raw data. It is unlikely that every result you have obtained is pertinent to the report! Raw data may be presented in the appendices, if necessary.
DISCUSSION. Perhaps the most important section. You must attempt to make any reader aware of the relationship between the results obtained from the practical work and the existing literature on the subject. The potential value or application of the results should be highlighted, possibly in the form of recommendations.
CONCLUSION. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by your data. suggest appropriate directions for future research.
LIMITATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS
Point out any limitations to the work and any assumptions that you made with respect to the data collection.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS are customarily given to people or institutions that have assisted the work in some way.
WORD COUNT. The following statement must be included in your report and completed appropriately.
“The word count for this report, not including the title page, abstract and appendices, is ?,??? words. This report complies with the stated word limit of 10,000 words for Master of Pharmacy Final Year Projects”
REFERENCES. All citations in the text must appear in the reference list (and vice versa!); all references used must be both appropriate and correctly detailed in either Harvard or Vancouver style. Check with your supervisor which system they prefer. Further information can be obtained through Avril Robarts LRC.
Abbreviations of titles should be those given in the current issue of “World List of Scientific Periodicals”.
APPENDICES should include any additional information that does not realistically fit in any other section! The section is useful, for example, for abbreviations, mathematical or statistical derivations, details
Liverpool John Moores University
Page 34
of calibrations, COSHH information or for other material that might interfere with the continuity of the text. Please note, however, that this section will be included within the page limit.
General points
TABLES should be inserted at a suitable position in the text. Number tables consecutively and supply a brief title for each. Do not forget to refer to the table number in the text, for example, “see Table 3”.
DIAGRAMS AND CHARTS should be inserted where appropriate and given a figure number. Include a brief legend for each figure in the text. Do not forget to refer to figure number in the text, for example “Fig 2 shows the results of……”. Diagrams and charts must be in black on white paper.
PHOTOGRAPHS should be given a figure number and inserted at an appropriate point in the text. Again do not forget to refer to the figure number in the text. For photomicrographs include the magnification, for example x1000. If necessary photographs may be in colour but if colour photographs are used they must be included in all copies of the report.
INCLUSIONS, such as pamphlets or labels, must either be glued to a page of the report or put in a clear plastic pocket, which should be glued to a page of the report. Each copy of the report must be identical.
ABBREVIATIONS. Use abbreviations only when necessary. Where they are used, they must be clearly defined, in full, on the first occasion. A list of such abbreviations should be included in the appendix. In general, use only those abbreviations that are widely recognised in the scientific literature.
PRESENTATION ERRORS. Ensure that all typographical, spelling and grammatical errors are corrected before submitting the report for assessment.
PAGE NUMBERING. Ensure that page numbering is complete, and that all pages are in numerical order.
_
Liverpool John Moores University
Page 35
_______________________________________________________________
INSTRUCTION FOR THE PRESENTATION OF POSTER (OR, IF APPLICABLE SEMINAR) PRESENTATIONS
As an integral part of the project you are required to give a poster (or seminar) presentation of your work. You will be informed by your Project Group Leader which type of presentation applies to you. Poster presentation will require you to prepare a 2-3 minute verbal summary. Seminar presentations should last for between 10-15 minutes and will be followed by 5-10 minutes of questions or discussion.
These project seminars and poster sessions are attended by both students and academic staff. A mark is awarded for the presentation, by the supervisor(s), and contributes to the overall module assessment mark.
You are expected to attend for the whole session in which your own seminar / poster is scheduled. You are also expected to participate in the discussions of other seminars.
The poster should be prepared in portrait orientation and should be approximately A0 dimensions, or as near as the printers will allow.
Our Service Charter
-
Excellent Quality / 100% Plagiarism-Free
We employ a number of measures to ensure top quality essays. The papers go through a system of quality control prior to delivery. We run plagiarism checks on each paper to ensure that they will be 100% plagiarism-free. So, only clean copies hit customers’ emails. We also never resell the papers completed by our writers. So, once it is checked using a plagiarism checker, the paper will be unique. Speaking of the academic writing standards, we will stick to the assignment brief given by the customer and assign the perfect writer. By saying “the perfect writer” we mean the one having an academic degree in the customer’s study field and positive feedback from other customers. -
Free Revisions
We keep the quality bar of all papers high. But in case you need some extra brilliance to the paper, here’s what to do. First of all, you can choose a top writer. It means that we will assign an expert with a degree in your subject. And secondly, you can rely on our editing services. Our editors will revise your papers, checking whether or not they comply with high standards of academic writing. In addition, editing entails adjusting content if it’s off the topic, adding more sources, refining the language style, and making sure the referencing style is followed. -
Confidentiality / 100% No Disclosure
We make sure that clients’ personal data remains confidential and is not exploited for any purposes beyond those related to our services. We only ask you to provide us with the information that is required to produce the paper according to your writing needs. Please note that the payment info is protected as well. Feel free to refer to the support team for more information about our payment methods. The fact that you used our service is kept secret due to the advanced security standards. So, you can be sure that no one will find out that you got a paper from our writing service. -
Money Back Guarantee
If the writer doesn’t address all the questions on your assignment brief or the delivered paper appears to be off the topic, you can ask for a refund. Or, if it is applicable, you can opt in for free revision within 14-30 days, depending on your paper’s length. The revision or refund request should be sent within 14 days after delivery. The customer gets 100% money-back in case they haven't downloaded the paper. All approved refunds will be returned to the customer’s credit card or Bonus Balance in a form of store credit. Take a note that we will send an extra compensation if the customers goes with a store credit. -
24/7 Customer Support
We have a support team working 24/7 ready to give your issue concerning the order their immediate attention. If you have any questions about the ordering process, communication with the writer, payment options, feel free to join live chat. Be sure to get a fast response. They can also give you the exact price quote, taking into account the timing, desired academic level of the paper, and the number of pages.