Project proposal and preparation

Review of literature, data and statistical methods

Getting Started:

The first priority is to settle on a project topic that appeals to you and for which we can offer suitable supervision. 

How do you decide on a project topic? 

-- Project topic related to your job.

Students who are currently in employment may choose a topic relevant to their job   this has the advantage that they are able to work on their project during work hours and using the facilities in their office. If you are in this position then you need to select a supervisor who is familiar with your proposed field of investigation. In the first instance you should discuss the availability of such supervision with the Unit Convenor. If we are unable to offer suitable supervision for your chosen topic you may need to select a different topic, or seek an external supervisor after consulting the Unit Convenor. 

-- Project topic suggested by a member of staff

Most students obtain their project topic this way. The procedure is for the student to approach one or maybe several members of staff and to discuss possible subject areas that are of interest to the staff member concerned. The research interests of our department staff are available at http://www.stat.mq.edu.au/our_staff. If you have difficulties to locate a supervisor you may seek help from the Unit Convenor. 

Out of these discussions the student will choose or be guided to a particular topic. The student must then secure the agreement of the staff member concerned to supervise the topic. Bear in mind that you are asking the staff member to commit considerable time to work with you. Many supervisors will prefer you to work on a project of their choosing, particularly if you do not have very specific plans of your own, as the work will then have continuing benefit and support from both participants. You should communicate with your supervisor regularly by email or in person (eg once per week), regarding your project.

When you have found a member of staff who is willing to supervise your project you must email the Unit Convenor the supervisor's name and the project topic.

-- Some topics from previous Masters projects:

-   The EM and EMS methods for image reconstruction in emission tomography.

-   Time series analysis of beach pollution monitoring data

-   The impact of transmission lines on the vegetation of Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.

-   Evaluating quality in an academic teaching unit

-   The effects of rotation group bias on estimates of unemployment from the monthly labour force survey.

-   Censored data and the lognormal distribution.

A comparison of several methods for analysing clustered binary data -  a

simulation study.

-   Housing prices in Sydney: a statistical analysis.

-   Sudden infant death syndrome.

-The Effect of Body Mass Index on Intermediate Outcomes in the Treatment of Infertility

-Predictors of Growth Amongst Young Children in Sydney

-A Churn Analysis of a General Insurance Portfolio.

Requirements of the project:

1. Scope of the project.

The project should involve at least some (but not necessarily all) of the following:

• Data collection and/or sampling with appropriate analysis and reporting of results. It is often the case that there are several plausible models for representing the data. Alternative models in such cases should be considered and some justification given for the particular form of analysis chosen.

• Literature search and review. The Science Citation Index, the Current Index of Statistics and the CD-ROM directories in the Library are invaluable tools for such work. Also Mathematical Reviews and Zentralblatt für Mathematik may be useful.

• Problem formulation, model specification and analysis. This is best illustrated by an example: Suppose a non-standard experimental design has been used in the generation of a set of data. The first task would be to explain the objectives of the experiment, then to explain carefully the nature of the experimental design and to detail any features of the implementation of the experiment that may influence the model chosen to represent the data and its subsequent analysis. This would all come under the heading of 'problem formulation'. The model specification and analysis may involve, for example, proposing an analysis of variance table as well as justification for the particular tests used. This clearly has a number of ingredients in common with the first category (Data collection etc.) however the first category will include problems where standard designs are used and interest is focused on the results of the experiment rather than in the present case where the design and its analysis are at least as important as the interpretation of the data.

• Survey of recent developments in a field. This will involve literature search and review with the above suggestions relevant.

• Simulation. 

2. Format.

A common format for many projects usually includes the following items: 

Title page (including unit code, eg, STAT 825)

Abstract

Content page(s)

Main body of the project in sections (or chapters) with the following recommended headings:

o Introduction

o Methods

o Results

o Discussion and Conclusion

o References (or Bibliography) (Note:You shall check with your supervisor for reference Style/Format.)

Appendix

As sections of your first draft are written ask your supervisor to read them and comment. Then work on the suggestions and rewrite. The sooner your supervisor gets a chapter draft the sooner you will get it back and the longer the time you will have to respond to it.

Note that the project must be typed using a word processor with mathematical capability, if necessary. Do not include vast amounts of computer printout in your appendix unless it is absolutely essential to do so. Mostly, it will not be looked at and it causes irritation to the reader as it adds excessive bulk.  

3. Length

Excluding index, references and appendices, the project length should be between 8,000 and 11,000 words although for certain topics (for example those with considerable theoretical content) fewer than 8,000 words may be acceptable. 

4. Standard of English

The project needs to be written up in English of an acceptable standard.  If English is not your first language, you should seek the help of an English-speaking person to correct your grammar and spelling, or use the services of professional editors. 

5.  Submission of Project

Projects have to be submitted by the 28th of November 2014 (one week before the last day of the examination period of the session). 

Three spiral-bound copies should be submitted to the Unit Convenor in person, via your supervisor or by mail. One copy is for your supervisor to keep, and the other two copies will be examined by two markers.

Very Important Note:

Students who fail to complete their project by the due date but have made satisfactory progress in their project during the session may re-enrol in the following session to complete the project. 

Students who do not complete nor have made substantial progress in their project in a session will NOT be given permission to re-enrol and an F or FA grade will be awarded unless there are special circumstances. 

6. Academic Honesty Policy

Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement. Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. You must read the University's policy on Academic Honesty. This can be found on the MQ web site at: 

http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html.

Penalties may include a deduction of marks, failure in the unit, and/or referral to the University Discipline Committee.

7.  Examination and grading

Two examiners will examine your project and provide numerical marks according to the Marking Guide attached at the back of this document. These marks are then averaged to give the final grade (with a numerical mark) of HD, D, Cr, P or F for your project. 

Note: Students must be aware that you only have one opportunity to submit the project and the two markers will grade your project according to the two submitted copies. You do not have a chance to correct and resubmit.