for
CBBR4003/CBPR4106
MULTIMEDIA COMMUNICATION
HONOURS DEGREE PROJECT
1
FOREWORD
Congratulations! You have made it to the research level of your degree programme,
which is CBBR4003/CBPR4106: Multimedia Communication Honours Degree
Project. In order for you to graduate with a Bachelor of Multimedia Communication
(Hons) degree, it is compulsory for you to sit and pass for this Project Paper.
Dont worry, even though you might think research can be intimidating and daunting, it
can also be exciting and interesting at the same time. There is also good news in store for
you - as Bachelor of Multimedia Communication (BMC) is a multidisciplinary program,
BMC students are given the privilege to choose either to carry out research in the field of
multimedia or in the field of communication/social science. Please choose carefully your
area of research based on your interest, ability and career goals.
Please take some time to read the information in this handbook carefully in order for you
to understand and enjoy the process of research and ultimately for you to produce a high
quality project paper or thesis which you can be proud of.
All the best and may you graduate with flying colours! Thank you.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I: OVERVIEW
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Appointment of the Supervisors and Examiners
3.0 Projects Topics
4.0 Contents of the Project Report
5.0 Processes Involved in the Management of Student Projects
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PART I
OVERVIEW
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1.0 Introduction
It is well recognized that final year project paper is an important component of the first-
degree curriculum. The one semester 3 credit hours, final year project
(CBBR4003/CBPR4106) will be one of the most important parts of your undergraduate
studies. Accordingly, Bachelor of Multimedia Communication (BMC) students are
required to take the paper toward or at the end of their studies.
BMC students can take the approach of social science or humanitarian research or evaluate an
issue or a case relevant to multimedia communication or students can also use the ICT and
multimedia approach to build a multimedia prototype or multimedia contents such as animation
or audio/video performance. However you must have an element of research in your report.
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3.0 Projects Topics
Choosing a project topic can be daunting as well as exciting. Project topics can be
proposed by the students or the supervisors concerned. But the faculty needs to evaluate
the topics for their suitability.
As BMC is a multidisciplinary program which covers the field of ICT, multimedia and
communication, BMC students are given the privilege to do research in the following
field:
BMC students can take the approach of social science or humanitarian research or
evaluate an issue or a case relevant to multimedia communication OR students can also
use the ICT and multimedia approach to build a multimedia prototype or multimedia
contents such as animation or audio/video performance. However you must have an
element of research in your report.
Do a preliminary research at the digital library, internet or discuss with your supervisor to
find a topic that is both within your interest, ability and career goal. Look through
researches, project papers, seminar papers in the websites, CD ROM and other terms of
reference.
OR
Important:
Do not rush to pick a topic or area of research. You must choose carefully your area of
research based on your interest, ability and career goals. Get the opinion and feedback
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from the supervisor before moving on. Ultimately YOU must be excited and passionate
about your project topic!
If you choose to do research in the multimedia area, for your project paper, you may
develop a multimedia application, create a website and you may do pilot testing among a
group of target audience to get feedback on your website. However you must have an
element of research in your report.
For multimedia based research the scope of the project should covers
all the following elements:
problem identification,
literature review
system design and analysis
development of prototype system.
Important:
The evaluation form for students doing research in the field of multimedia is different
from the evaluation form for students doing research in the field of communication.
Please ensure you download the correct form!
If you choose to do research in communication area, you may find the correlation
between variables, carry a case study of an ICT organization or multimedia
communication or special group, find a meaning of a phenomenon, and identify factors
that caused social problems and others.
For communication based research the scope of the project should covers
all the following elements:
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problem identification,
literature review
research methodology
data analysis and findings
The deliverables for communication project are:
Project report (written according to OUM format as elaborated in Part II)
Important:
The evaluation form for students doing research in the field of communication is
different from the evaluation form for students doing research in the field of
multimedia. Please ensure you download the correct form
The first task that need to be done by the student is come up with a Project Proposal.
Project Proposal should contain the following aspects:
Title of the project
Introduction
Problem Statement
Objective
Project Scope
Requirement of Software/Hardware needed in the project (if applicable)
Gantt Chart
Conclusion
6-10 pages (1.5 spacing) are enough for the Project Proposal and student need to
submit it to their supervisor a week before the semester commences or latest on the
first week of the semester.
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After their proposal has been endorsed by their supervisor, the student can proceed to
write the report and eventually develop the application (if applicable). The following are
the chapters (to be included in the final report) and time frame that are proposed to the
students so that they can complete the project on time:
It is the duty of the supervisor in order to make sure that the students is progressing well according to
the time frame given above.
Students can use their own computer or computers at the PPW/T computer Lab in order
to do the write-up or system development. STUDENT WHO PLAGIARIASED THEIR
PROJECT WORK WILL BE GIVEN 0 (F).
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5. Awarding Grades
Refer to the next pages for more details on the above processes.
Identifying Supervisors and Examiners Database
List of
Anytime Faculty supervisors and
Advertise the need
for Supervisors and examiners
examiners
List of
Create database of Faculty Database
successful
successful candidates candidates
List of
Inform the successful Letters/e-mail
Faculty
candidates candidates etc
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When Responsibility Inputs Outputs
Check students
eligibility to do Faculty Exam List of
project result eligible
students
Allocate student to
List of eligible Students
supervisors Faculty
students projects
Supervisor Data base
data base
Students
Faculty projects Letters/e-mail
Inform the students Data base etc
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Project Supervision
Supervisor
Make arrangement to At each Ts students
see students/to
meet supervisors
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Project Examination
List of students
Students submit Beginning of Students Project, submit the
the project for the Submission project for
examination examination form examination
week
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PART II
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1.0 CONTENTS OF PROJECT PAPER (Multimedia Field)
Contents of the project paper should be arranged in the following order. However, this is
only a guide, as project papers differ in terms of the contents, headings and
subheadings. Students should consult their supervisors and discuss with them when
finalizing the arrangements and contents of their project paper.
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4. DEVELOPMENT AND TESTING
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
.
.
4.6 Summary
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
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2.0 CONTENTS OF PROJECT PAPER (Communication Field)
Contents of the project paper should be arranged in the following order. However, this is
only a guide, as project papers differ in terms of the contents, headings and
subheadings. Students should consult their supervisors and discuss with them when
finalizing the arrangements and contents of their project paper.
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.4
3.5
3.5.1
3.6
.
3.7 Summary
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4. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
.
.
4.6 Summary
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
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3.0 GENERAL FORMAT FOR WRITING PROJECT PAPER
Language
The language of the project paper/ case is either standard American or British English or
Bahasa Malaysia. The use of a language must be consistent throughout the project paper/
case study. Mixing of British and American English or Bahasa Malaysia is not allowed.
The project paper/ case study must be written in the third person.
Technical Specification
ii. Typeface and Font Sizethe entire text, including headings and page
numbers must be produced with the same font or type face. The font size
should be 12 point (Times New Roman) for the main text and should not
be scripted or italicized except for scientific names and terms in a different
language. Bold print is used for headings. Footnotes and text in tables
can be in 10 point font size. The font styles must be in Times New
Roman.
iii. MarginsThe left margin should be at 35mm and the right, top and bottom
margins are at 30 mm.
iv. Spacing the main text of the chapters should be typed on one side of the
page and 1 -spaced throughout. Spacing between two paragraphs in the
text should be set at 2 single spacing. Spacing between the chapter
heading and the first subheading should be set at 4 single spacing. Single
spacing will be used for the following purposes only:
Abstract
Explanatory footnotes (if absolutely necessary)
Quotations longer than 3 lines set in a block
References and bibliographies (except between entries)
Long headings or subheadings
Long captions to tables, figures or plates
Appendices such as questionnaires and letters.
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v. Paginationall pages should be numbered centrally at the bottom
margin. Page numbers should appear by themselves and should not be
placed in brackets, hyphenated or accompanied by other decorative
devices.
Only the original word-processed copy of the project paper/ case or its
good and clean photocopies will be accepted. When a page consisting of
Figures or Tables needs to be inserted, it may be numbered with a lower
case letter (e.g. 5a if inserted between pages 5 and 6).
vi. PaperWhite paper (80 gm) or paper of equivalent quality with A4 size (210
mm x 297 mm) should be used.
vii. HeadingChapter number and heading should be centred and written in bold,
upper case letters with 16 point font size. Subheadings should be aligned
to the left margin and written with 14 point font size, upper case and lower
case letters.
viii. After supervisors approval, the student need to bind the report properly
with the cover page and the back cover should be soft-binding (color:
Royal Blue) refer figure a and b.
b. Abstract
An abstract of the project paper is required in English and Bahasa Malaysia. The abstract
should not exceed more than 200 words. It is a summary of all the important elements of
the project such as the problems, method, results, implications and conclusions. It
should be written in one paragraph. The abstract should be written in past tense to
describe processes or activities already done by the researcher, and present tense to
describe conclusions and implications based on the study. Use Times New Roman, 12
with single spacing for the abstract.
c. Text Citations
Ideas, words, findings, figures and others which are taken directly or indirectly from the
others must be duly acknowledged by the writer. To acknowledge others works in the
text, students must follow certain conventions. The following examples illustrate some
of the conventions when making citations in the text.
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i. Writing the authors name (s).
Western or English name, use only the surname (or the family name) in the text. For
example: John Smith, use Smith.
Malay and Chinese names: Use the whole name or the first name for the Malay, and
family name for the Chinese.
Example: Mohd. Ali Bin Kassim, use Mohd. Ali.
Lee Ah Hua, use Lee.
When the author is a part of the formal structure of the sentence, the citation is as
follows:
Franklin (1998) pointed out that, universities as providers of management education have
both privileged opportunities and critical responsibilities to ..
According to Denison (1990), culture refers to underlying values, beliefs, and principles
that serve as .
When the author of the source is not part of the formal structure of the sentence, the
citation is as follows:
As the average inter-item correlation is low, Cronbach,s alpha will be low. As the
average inter-item correlation increases, Cronbachs alpha increases as well (Santos,
1999).
(Note the way the author and year are written for each condition or situation.)
Similar style is used for multiple authors, but with the use of and and & as follows:
The Legitimacy Model (Miles & Cameron, 1982; Zammuto, 1982) considers
organizational effectiveness in terms of contextual measure.
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[Note (1) semi colon separates the two sources of information, and (2) the sources are
arranged in alphabetical order]
When many authors are found in one source, use et al. for second time citation. For
example:
Mohd. Ali, Lee, Smith and Bradner (1990) found that .. (First time citation)
Mohd. Ali et al. (1983) found that . (second citation and onwards).
The knowledge obtained through this process must be retained (Mohd. Ali et al.,
1983).
Several studies by the same author in one year are referred to by the writer, then the
citation is as follows:
Mohd. Ali (1990a, 1990b, 1990c)
Several studies by the same author over several years are referred to by the writer, then
citation is as follows:
Mohd. Ali (1990, 1991, 1993).
d. Quotations
i. When short quotations (less than 40 words) are taken from the source, these
can be incorporated in the text but enclosed by double quotation marks.
Example:
According to Emory (1985, p. 115), even when the research design is ideal, there is
always a question about whether the results are true.
ii. When long quotations are taken from a source (more than 40 words), display
the quotations in a free-standing block of typewritten lines but without the
quotation marks. Start the quotation block on a new line, indented five
spaces from the left margin. Type double-spaced lines. If the quotation
takes more than one paragraph, then start the new sentence of the new
paragraph indented five spaces from the new left margin.
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[Note: (i) Materials quoted must follow the wording, spelling, and interior punctuation of
the original source, even if the source is incorrect. Students must make sure to check the
typed copy with the original source to ensure no discrepancy exists. (ii) For quotations,
write the authors names, year and page number of the source.]
In summarizing the research finding on the roles of ISO consultants, Salleh Yahya (2003)
states that:
In the old ISO 9000 quality assurance systems, consultants often act as knowledge
requirements and implementation, which is learnt through the precise ISO 9000
(p. 162)
All references cited in the text must be listed in the List of References or Bibliography.
The listing must be ordered in the alphabetical order based on the name of the author that
appeared in the citation. Writing of references in the Bibliography must follow the style
outlined in the following examples.
(Take note of how the authors names and journal titles are arranged, and also how the
volume and page numbers of journals are written. Spaces between words should also be
noted )
Salleh Yahya. (2003). The role of ISO 9001: 2000 consultants. IIUM Journal of
Economics and Management, 11(2), 143-165.
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More than one author, journal article.
Newspaper article
Mohd. Ali Hassan (Year, month & date). Title, Name of newspaper, p.
Chapter in a book
Salancik, G.R. (1977). Commitment and the control of organizational behavior and
belief. In B.M. Staw & G.R. Salancik (Eds.), New Directions in Organizational
Behavior (pp. 1-54). Chicago: St. Clair Press.
Choudhury, M.A. (1996). Why cannot neoclassicism explain resource allocation and
development in the Islamic political economy? In Ahmed, E. (ed.), Role of Private
and Public Sectors in Economic Development in an Islamic Perspective (pp. 17-44).
Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought.
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Unpublished Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses
Web Document
Elangovan, A.R., & Karakowsky, L. (1999). The role of trainee and environmental
factors in transfer of training: An exploratory framework. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 20(5), pp. 268-275. Retrieved September 3, 2003
from http://www.emerald-library.com
Titles of the tables and figures must be written at the top left hand side. Number all
tables and figures with Arabic numerals in the order in which chapters the tables and
figures appear, for examples, Table 3.1, Table 3.2, or Figure 4.1 and Figure 4.2. The
contents of the tables and figures must be written using font of size 10 and single spaced.
The source(s) of data must be written at the bottom left of the table and figure.
Must be written using upper case letters and font size of 14. The
specifications are shown in the following illustration (Appendix II).
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APPENDIX III (COVER OF REPORT)
60 mm
60 mm
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APPENDIX IV- TITLE PAGE (AFTER THE COVER)
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APPENDIX V DECLARATION PAGE
DECLARATION
{New Times Roman, 16, bold, centred}
Name :_____________________________
Matric. Number :_____________________________
I hereby declare that this project paper is the result of my own work, except for
quotations and summaries which have been duly acknowledged.
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APPENDIX VII LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF FIGURES {Times New Roman, 14, bold, upper case, right justified}
Page {Times New Roman, 12,
bold, left justified}
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APPENDIX VIII STARTING A CHAPTER
MarginsThe left margin should be at 35mm and the right, top and bottom
margins are at 30 mm.
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