Government of Karnataka

RESEARCH PROJECT GUIDELINES

FOR
SUPERVISORS, STUDENTS AND EXAMINERS

Department of Technical Education,

Palace Road, Bangalore 560001, Karnataka

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 RESEARCH PROJECT

Introduction
The students of Polytechnic Programs will have an opportunity to be part of one of the most
challenging educational experiences in the year-3, The students who were selected the
Science and Research Pathway requires to do a research project on real-world problems
which would motivate them to produce practical solutions in sixth semester
A research project focuses on conducting work on a research topic under the supervision of
an academic staff member. This type of project typically requires developing a testable
hypothesis, involves background reading, and requires systematic evaluation of a particular
strategy or solution for a specific problem or topic applicable to the research area of interest.
A research project provides a valuable introduction for students interested in possibly
moving into a higher studies, research and may result in collaborative publications with the
project supervisor. Students attempting this type of project are expected to learn the
appropriate research methodologies and techniques necessary to support their project and
clearly present them.
These guidelines are prepared for students and academic Supervisor to enable them to execute
their respective roles and responsibilities in an effective manner, hence benefiting the
students with that, the successful implementation of this course can then be realized.

Outcomes

After completing this research project, students will be able to,

• Write the Research Project Proposal
• Read and interpret others researcher’s work critically while doing their own research
work
• Develop a conceptual framework to address the identified problem statement by
applying the research methodology concepts and theories
• Test and validate data to address the research questions/hypothesis

Responsibilities of the Head of the Department

The Head of the Department shall coordinate in Executing the Research Projects, their
responsibilities can be summarized as follows:

• To approve Research Project Proposal

• To assign academic staff supervisor to a group of maximum Four students who are
working on a common problem statement
• To maintain a centralized research project hub repository to facilitate research
project management and keeping track of all projects

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Responsibilities of the Supervisor
Students will be guided by the academic staff supervisor; their responsibilities can be
summarized as follows:

• To Guide the students in writing the Research Project Proposal

• To Guide the students for the literature survey, selection of methodology, data
collection, data analysis, testing of the Hypothesis etc
• To interact with the students once in a week to review the progress of the research
work, these sessions will reinforce/review the concepts, findings and will focus on
addressing issues relevant to weekly meetings
• To guide the students in managing the research project from start to finish meeting
stated milestones and timelines
• To Review the draft of research project dissertation, presentation slides and provide
suggestions to improve them
• Develop appropriate Rubrics and evaluate the student’s research project work as per
the assessment criteria
• To work together with students until the submission of the final dissertation and
Semester End Examination
• Maintain all the documents related to the research project work

Responsibilities of the Students

Students are required to exercise self-discipline, self-management, job co-ordination,

teamwork, and trustworthiness to ensure the success of the project.

Among the expected responsibilities are:

• To write a Research Project Proposal

• To review the literature, selection of appropriate methodology, data collection, data
analysis, testing of the Hypothesis etc
• To adhere to the weekly meeting schedule with the supervisor for the purpose of
updating their progress and seeking advice on project matters (Attendance is
compulsory as per regulation) and submit weekly report
• To manage the research project from start to finish meeting stated milestones and
timelines
• To report immediately to the supervisor any difficulties encountered that would
interrupt the work.
• To submit Dissertation on time

Assessment of the Research Project Work

This section is addressed to supervisors and examiners. It provides information on assessment

criteria for the research project work. It also provides guidance to students about what
examiners will be looking for in evaluating the projects. The Research project work will be
assessed for 400 marks through formative and summative assessment tools, in formative
assessment the project will be evaluated for 240 marks and in summative assessment project
will be evaluated for 160 marks
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The Formative Assessment- (Continuous Internal Evaluation- CIE)

The Formative Assessment is conducted for 240 marks throughout the course in three
developmental phases as CIE-I, CIE II and CIE-III. Students shall complete CIE-I before taking
CIE-II and complete CIE-II before taking CIE-III, otherwise they will not be eligible to take
Semester End Examination

Continuous Internal Evaluation- CIE - I conducted at the end of 4th week

Sl No Assessment parameters Marks
1 80
Research Project Proposal:

• Scope of the Research Project -15 marks

• Background of the study –15 marks
• Research Problem statement -30 marks
• Hypothesis/Research Questions -20 marks

Total 80

Continuous Internal Evaluation- CIE - II conducted at the end of 8th week

Sl No Assessment parameters Marks
1 Literature Survey-Are the relevant concepts and empirical 30
studies in literature were critically reviewed in literature
survey?
2 Research Methodology- Are the Research Design, Population 30
of the Study, Sampling Techniques, Instrument for Data
Collection, Validity of the Instrument, Reliability of the
Instrument, Procedure for Data Collection, Method of Data
Analysis were well suitable for the research work?
3 Testing of Methodology-Are the selected methodology is 20
tested with sample Data
Total 80

Continuous Internal Evaluation- CIE – III conducted at the end of 12th week
Sl No Assessment parameters Marks
1 Data collection and Data analysis 25
2 Testing of Hypotheses 25

• Hypothesis 1
• Hypothesis 2
• Hypothesis 3, etc.

3 Discussion on the Findings 30

Total 80
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 The Summative assessment- Semester End Examination (SEE)

During the semester end examination, students shall demonstrate and defend the outcomes of
their research work to the Panel of Examiners comprises of an internal supervisor and an
external Subject expert

The evaluation criteria are as follows:

Sl Criteria Marks
No
1 Presenting and Defending the Research work 60
2 Demonstrating the Outcomes of Research work 60
3 Dissertation Report -Format and Technical writing skill 40
Total 160

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work by
representing the work of another as one's own without the necessary and appropriate
acknowledgment. If a student is in doubt of the nature of plagiarism, he/she should discuss
the matter with the supervisor. If a student is caught committing plagiarism, disciplinary
action will be taken against the student

Keeping in view the policy of plagiarism, and avoid piracy of intellectual property, the
student needs to follow the citation policy:

• When 10 words are taken together from some established core work, citation becomes
essential.
• when the copied content reaches 40 words in accumulation, the fragment needs to be kept
under inverted comma (“_”) in italic.
• It is necessarily required to cite reference in case of any content adopted from anywhere
other than internet open sites. It is also that, even in case of open site internet source or any
other source the copied contents if found more than 35 percent in aggregate during
plagiarism detection, the work shall not be considered for further process and asked to
resubmit the report again for the evaluation

Copyright

The Polytechnic institutions shall be the owner for all findings, designs, patents, and other
intellectual property rights.

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FORMATS

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 Department of Technical Education
Research Project

Format- 1

Research Project Proposal

Research project proposal

This proposal guides the students to conduct research effectively though out course. When the
students prepare a research proposal, few important factors should be taken into account such
as scope of the project, background to the study, Problem Statement and possibility to complete
by given time frame. The project proposal should not exceed 2-3 pages and key components of
the project proposal are as follows.

1. Title:

2. Proposer Name:

3. Scope of the Research Project:

4. Background of study:

5. Research Problem Statement:

6. Hypothesis/Research Questions.

7. Time Frame:

Date
Signature of the student

Signature of the Supervisor

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 Department of Technical Education
Research Project

Format- 2
Weekly Meeting Record

<For Supervisor Use>

Project Title:
Group Members 1) □ Present
2) □ Present
3) □ Present
4) □ Present
Date
Meeting venue □ On Time

Documents Submitted □ Status Report □On Time

Issues Group Working on

Assessment of Progress □ Excellent

□ Good
□ Satisfactory
□ Fair
□ Poor
Notes/ Concerns/
Comments

Signature of the Supervisor

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 Department of Technical Education
Research Project

Format- 3
Weekly Status Report

Project Name: <State the Title of the project>

Project Members: <List of group members>

Status:

Briefly describe and illustrate the progress.

Highlights
List any items of note. Breakthroughs, accomplishments, major decisions, or changes in
the project plan Are you on schedule, ahead of schedule or behind schedule?

Tasks in Progress or Completed:

List the tasks that each member of the project worked on up to the present time.

Task Name Description Team Member Percentage Complete

Responsible

Upcoming Tasks:
List the tasks that each project member is planning to work on in the upcoming Task.

Task Name Description Team Member Responsible

Date
Signature of the students

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 Department of Technical Education
Research Project

Format- 4
Student’s Daily Log Book

Project Name: <State the Title of the project>

Project Members: <List of group members>

Day-1 Date:

Project Title:

Name of the student

Name of the Supervisor:

Remarks of the Supervisor:

Record Main actives of the day (including observation, sketches, discussions, etc):

Signature of the Supervisor

Note: Prepare a A4 size hard bound Student’s Daily Log book using this format with college
and student details

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 Department of Technical Education
Research Project

Format- 5

Research Project Dissertation Template

The contents of the Dissertation shall be arranged in the following order:

• Cover Page
• Inside Title Page
• Certificate signed by the supervisor and HOD
• Declaration signed by the Candidate
• Acknowledgements
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables
• Abbreviations/ Notations/ Nomenclature (if any)
• Text of the Report
➢ Chapter 1: Introduction
➢ Chapter 2: Literature Review
➢ Chapter 3: Methodology
➢ Chapter 4: Results and Discussions
➢ Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations
• References
• Appendices
• Non-paper materials (if any)

Each chapter of the project Thesis shall have,

Chapter 1: Introduction
• Background to the Study
• Statement of Purpose
• Research Questions and/or Hypothesis

Chapter 2: Literature Review

• Conceptual Framework
• Theoretical Framework
• Empirical studies
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 • Appraisal of Reviewed Literature

Chapter 3: Methodology
• Research Design
• Population of the Study
• Sample and Sampling Techniques
• Instrument for Data Collection
• Validity of the Instrument
• Reliability of the Instrument
• Procedure for Data Collection
• Method of Data Analysis

Chapter 4: Results and Discussions

• Testing of Hypotheses
• Hypothesis 1
• Hypothesis 2
• Hypothesis 3 etc
• Discussion on the Findings

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

General Guidelines
Report Size - Dissertation shall contain maximum of about 100 pages including references
and appendices.
Paper Size - Use A4 size paper
Paper Quality - White bond paper weighing 85 g/m2 or more should be used. Photographs
or images with dense colors may be printed in single side on glossy paper.

Margins - A margin of 40 mm is to be provided on left and 30 mm on right sides, whereas top

and bottom margins should be 30 mm. No print matter should appear in the margin except
the page numbers. All page numbers should be centered inside the bottom margin, 20mm
from the bottom edge of the paper.

Font - Times New Roman (TNR) 12-point font shall be used throughout the running text. The
captions for tables and figures should have font size of 11 and foot notes should be set at font
size 10. Font sizes for various levels of headings are given in the table below

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 CHAPTER 3

TITLE PAGE-CENTERED TNR 17-POINT BOLD ALL CAPS

3.1. Section Heading

Left aligned with number, TNR 17 points, bold and leading caps
3.1.1. Second level section heading
Left aligned with number, TNR 14 points, bold and sentence case.
3.1.1.1 Third level section heading
Left aligned with number, TNR 12 points, bold and sentence case.
Fourth-level section heading
Numbered subsections beyond third level are not recommended. However, fourth-
level subsection headings may be included without numbering, TNR 12-point font,
left aligned and italicized
Running text should be set in 12-point TNR and fully justified. First line of paragraph
should have indentation of 15 mm.

Line Spacing - The line spacing in the main text should be 1.5, for quotations, figure captions,
table captions, figure legends, footnotes, and references. The equations, tables, figures, and
quotations Single line spacing should be given.

Table / Figure/equation Format-

Tables, figures, and equations shall be numbered chapter-wise. For example, second figure in
Chapter 3 will be numbered Figure 3.2. The figure can be cited in the text as Figure 3.2, Tables
shall be numbered similarly (Table 2 in Chapter 3 will be numbered Table 3.2) and shall be
cited in the text as Table 3.2. Figure caption shall be located below the figure. Table number
and caption shall be located above the table. Equations are aligned to the Centre of the page
with equation number in the text has to be given at the end of the line within brackets as given
below.
𝑓 𝑥 = 𝑎0 + 𝑎𝑛 cos 𝑛𝜋𝑥 𝐿 + 𝑏𝑛 sin 𝑛𝜋𝑥 𝐿 ∞ 𝑛=1 (eq. 2.1)

Listing of the References

Referencing is a way to give credit to the writers from whom you have borrowed words and
ideas. By citing the work of a particular scholar, you acknowledge and respect the intellectual
property rights of that researcher. As a student or academic, you can draw on any of the
millions of ideas, insights and arguments published by other writers, many of whom have
spent years researching and writing. All you need to do is acknowledge their contribution to
your assignment.
References are to be listed after last chapter. They are to be listed in alphabetical order and
numbered. Within a reference the line spacing should be single. Each reference should be
separated by one blank line. The reference number should be left aligned. The text of the
reference should have an indentation of 10 mm. The reference format to be followed for
journal articles, text books, conference proceedings etc. are given below.

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Journals
1. Parkas, K. (2011). Feedback and optimal sensitivity: Model reference transformations,
multiplicative semi norms, and approximate inverses. IEEE Transactions on Automatic
Control, 26(2): 301–320.
0303

Text books
1. Myers, D. G. (2007). Psychology (1st Canadian ed.). Worth: New York.
Conference proceedings
1. Payne, D.B. and Gunhold, H.G. (1986). Digital sundials and broadband technology, In Proc.
IOOC-ECOC, 1986, pp. 557-998.
Reports
1. Milton, M and Robert, L. (2004). Atmospheric carbon emission through genetic algorithm,
Environment and Technical Report No.3., Indian Meteorological Department., New Delhi
Online journals with a DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
1. Krebs, D.L. and Denton, K. (2006). Explanatory limitations of cognitive developmental
approaches to morality. Psychological Review, 113(3): 672- 675. doi: 10.1037/0033-
295X.113.3.672

Online journals without a DOI

1. Vicki, G.T., Thomae, M., Cullen, A. and Fernandez, H. (2007). Modeling the hydrological
impact on Tropical Forests. Forest Ecology, 13(10): 122-132. Retrieved from
http://www.uiowa.edu/~grpproc/crisp/crisp.html

Online books
1. Perfect, T.J. and Schwartz, B. L. (Eds.) (2002). Applied metacognition. Retrieved from
http://www.questia.com/read/107598848 (--If DOI is available, use the DOI instead of a URL
Chapters from a book
1. Krebs, D.L. and Denton, K. (1997). Social illusions and self-deception: The evolution of biases
in person perception. In J. A. Simpson & D. T. Kenrick (Eds.), Evolutionary social psychology
(pp.21-48). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Appendices
Include data tables, drawings, background calculations, specification lists for equipment
used, details of experimental configuration, and other information needed for completeness,
Page Numbering
Page numbers for the prefacing materials (Inside title page, dedication, certificate, declaration,
acknowledgements, Abstract, table of contents, etc.) of the report shall be in small Roman
numerals and should be centered at the bottom of the pages.
The numbering of the prefacing material starts from the Inside Title Page. However, the
number is not printed on the Inside Title Page. Each new item of the prefacing materials listed
above should start on a fresh paper on right page. If the content of the prefacing material
exceeds one page, it has to be printed on both sides of the paper by starting from the right-
side page. For example, if the item „Table of Contents‟ extends for 5 pages, it should be printed
in fresh paper on right side page with second page of the „Table of Contents‟ on the back of
the paper and then continued. The page numbers of the prefacing material will be printed in
small Roman numerals continuously counting blank pages also. However, the numbers are not
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printed on the blank pages
The body of the report starting from Chapter 1 should be paginated in Arabic numerals and
should be centered at the bottom of the pages. The pagination should start with the first page
of Chapter 1 and should continue throughout rest of the report. Each side of a sheet of paper
should be counted as a separate page, even if the back side of a sheet of paper is blank. The
odd numbered pages are always on the right and even-numbered pages are always on the left.
If the end of a chapter is in odd page (right side page) the next chapter should start on odd
page i.e., on a fresh paper, and should be numbered as odd only by counting the blank even
page also. However, the page number is not printed on the blank pages.
Each of the items - Inside cover page, Certificate, Acknowledgements, Abstract, Table of
Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables, Abbreviations, Notations, Nomenclature, each new
Chapter, References, and each new Appendix should start on an odd page i.e., on the right side
Non-Paper Material
A report may contain non-paper material, such as specimen, CDs and DVDs, Pen drive if
necessary. They have to be accommodated in a closed pocket in the back cover page of the
report. The inclusion of non-paper materials must be indicated in the Table of Contents. All
non-paper materials must have a label each clearly indicating the name of the candidate,
student Register number and the date of submission.
Binding
Two hard bounded copies of the Dissertation shall be submitted for evaluation, the cover page
should be printed on sky blue card of 300 g/m2 or above. One copy is used for Semester End
Examination and after the exam it should be maintained in the concerned Head of the
department and another copy is maintained at supervisor
Electronic Copy
An electronic version (PDF) of the Dissertation should be submitted to the supervisor and
Head of the department. The file name should contain title of the project, student Register
number and date of submission

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