Faculty of Engineering and Environment

BE1012/BE1275 Work Based Project/Dissertation

June 2015 start

Assignment 1: PROPOSAL (20% of overall module mark)

Proposal Brief: The purpose of the proposal stage is to encourage you to make a
sound plan for your project/dissertation at the outset and to get formal feedback at
this early stage to inform the development of your project dissertation. The proposal
is made up of the following components and accounts for 20% of the overall mark:
-Working Title

-The Purpose of the Work Based Project/Dissertation

-Hypothesis or Research Questions; Aims and Objectives
-Initial Literature Review
-Outline Methodology
-References/ Bibliography
-Research Plan/timetable

Assessment Criteria:
Purpose of the WBP (10%)
Does the title reflect the focus, nature & purpose of the study?
Is the problem clearly defined & is it related to appropriate, good quality literature sources?
Are the key theoretical concepts / frameworks defined & explained?
Aims and Objectives/Hypotheses or Research Questions (20%)
Has the proposal defined a clear purpose for the research?
Are there clearly defined investigative aims & objectives?
Is there a logical flow from problem statement to aims & objectives?
Do the objectives breakdown the aim into smaller, measurable sub-goals?
How well do the aim & objectives relate to the key theoretical concepts?
Are any stated hypotheses / research questions appropriate to the study?
Literature Review (20%)
Are the range & types of literature sources sufficient to define the problem?
Have critical judgements been made about the literature?
Is the literature sourced relevant and appropriate to the defined problem?
Has the student used sources to create tightly focused theoretical concepts?
Are the identified concepts appropriate to the study?

Outline Methodology (20%)

Are the methodological strategies that will be adopted in the study clearly defined?
Is the strategy appropriate & can it be implemented?
Has consideration been given to any ethical issues (if appropriate)?
Does the methodology flow logically from the literature review
References and Bibliography (10%)
Are the bibliographic citations in the running text correctly referenced using the Harvard
referencing system?
Are the reference lists arranged in accordance with the Harvard system?
Research Plan/Timetable(10%)
Is there an awareness of the different aspects of the process that need to take place?.
Is the plan well thought through and realistic?
GeneraI Issues (10%)
Is the proposal written with a sense of academic authority?
Does it construct and sustain a well-structured argument embedded in theory?
Is the proposal accurate in terms of spelling, punctuation and grammar?
Is the proposal well presented?

Proposal Word length: 4,000 word maximum (excluding bibliography). Please

include a word count on your submission
Tolerance of up to 10% (up to 400 words without penalty).Word lengths beyond the 10%
limit will be penalised by a reduction of the mark (The mark will be reduced by 10% of the
mark that would otherwise have been awarded for every additional 10% (400 words) over
the tolerance level, until the word length is more than 30% over the tolerance, in which case
the work will be awarded zero).

Proposal Submission: To be submitted electronically using Turnitin via the

BE1012 eLP site.
Academic Integrity Statement: You must adhere to the university regulations on academic
conduct. Formal inquiry proceedings will be instigated if there is any suspicion of plagiarism
or any other form of misconduct in your work. Refer to the Universitys Assessment
Regulations for Northumbria Awards if you are unclear as to the meaning of these terms.
The latest copy is available on the University website.

Proposal Submission Deadline: Friday 23rd October 2015

Additional requirement: At the same time as submitting your proposal you are
required to submit an Ethical Registration and Approval Form. (see Appendix B
Research Ethics/Form)

Proposal Marking: Your proposal will be marked by one internal examiner and a
sample of the marks will be moderated. You will receive feedback within 21 working
days of the submission deadline.

ModuleTutor: Rachel Kirk