DD309B TMA (Project) - Spring semester, 2016-2017

DD309B TMA (Project) - Spring semester, 2016-2017
Cut–off date: May 2nd, 2017

This TMA weighted 20% of the final mark. Students should start preparing their TMA (project) from week 3. Unlike previous TMAs where TMA’s topic is the same for all students in the group; this TMA (project) is different among students. In other words, each student has his/her own topic. The student must select a topic in an area which interests him/her. His/her task is to write an extended essay of up to 3000 words on the project of his/her choice.

The aim of the project is to enable the students to learn and develop different skills, apply and explore concepts, hypotheses, theories, analytical techniques and methodological skills. This can be achieved through identifying an economic problem, addressing the question, collecting and assessing data either qualitative or quantitative, making academic judgments about the work of other studies, carrying out research interviews or working with econometric models.
First, you need to decide which of the following three project options will suit you best:
- A literature review in which you look at a number of books or articles from a selected part of the course or from DD202 course. You compare and contrast authors’ analyses of a topic and come to some evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of their arguments and provide your contribution.
- A fieldwork project in which you use your own qualitative data based on some aspect of the course. You plan how to collect the data, acquire it and then make an evaluation of what you have managed to do in the light of one or more of the theoretical aspects in the course.
- A quantitative data analysis project is which you use Microsoft EXCEL or SPSS to analyze a large data set using regression analysis. For this case, your research paper should not exceed 3500 words.

Therefore, you need to decide which of the above three project options you want to follow. You may ask your tutor if you are still uncertain. The choice of topic is up to you and it is recommended to pick a topic which genuinely excites you.
In choosing a particular topic, it is important to decide upon a set of objectives. Try not to be too ambitious and focus on a narrow course-related topic. Remember that you have only 10 weeks to prepare your project and to meet your cut-off date.
If you feel that you still need further assistance on how to prepare your project, you may refer to one of these websites that explain to you the necessary steps in writing a research paper. For example, you may visit the following websites:
http://www.wikihow.com/Write-a-Research-Paper
http://www-ec.njit.edu/~venanzi/chem658/projprep.html
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/tools/report/reportform.html

What you need to do?
The student must first prepare a proposal (see below) within 7 days clarifying the title of his/her project, project description, methodology, etc. The tutor must approve the student’s proposal before writing his/her TMA.

The Proposal: (notes to the student)
Your proposal should intend to convince your tutor that you have a worthwhile project paper and you have the work-plan to complete it. Regardless of the topic you are going to write about or the methodology you are going to adopt, your proposal should include sufficient information and address the following questions:
- What you plan to accomplish.
- Why you want to do it.
- How you are going to do it.

In choosing a style of project, ask yourself, ‘What kind of work excites me?’ ‘Do I want to find out information for myself about the detail of people’s live, or am I happier working with big set of data which describe large populations?’. The things that interest you will be the things you do best and that will give you the biggest buzz.

Your proposal should have 1-2 pages only and contain the title and a brief summary. It should include the project question, or the project problem that you have identified, the rationale for the study, the hypothesis (if any) and the method you are going to adopt in your study.
Please submit your proposal to your tutor within one week, do not start writing your project until you receive an approval from your tutor.

After you get the approval from your tutor, you may start reading, collecting, analyzing, writing your project. You may allocate your time (10 weeks) as follow:
- Weeks one & two: Choose the topic and identify the goal of the paper .
- Week 3: Find good sources.
- Weeks 4 & 5: Reading and taking notes.
- Week 6: Compile and structure the essay
- Week 7: Write the body paragraph
- Week 8: Write the conclusion and the Introduction, (the introduction is, in many respects, the conclusion written in reverse).
- Week 9: Revise the paper and develop a final draft.
- Week 10: Provide your list of references and submit your project.

Plagiarism:
If you submit a project that contains work that is not your own, without indicating this to the marker (acknowledging your sources), you are committing ‘plagiarism’. This might occur in an assignment when:
• copying word-for-word directly from a text
• using text downloaded from the Internet
• copying or downloading figures, photographs, pictures or diagrams without acknowledging your sources
• copying from the notes or essays of a fellow student
Copying the work of others would be counter-productive to your goal of understanding the course work and to real achievement. Most students will not wish to take such a negative approach to studying, and the university does not tolerate it.

Good luck …