MEC8024 Marking Criteria
Structure & Presentation [40%]
Six pages may seem very limited, but in industry there is often a demand for brief, even one-or-two page reports that summarise research and make a recommendation. Academic papers typically aim to be 6-8 pages, including everything. The challenge, therefore, is to use the given space wisely without sacrificing clarity.
• Pages should be numbered. Main report (not including title/cover page, references and appendices, if any) should be no more than six pages. (A table of contents is not required.)
• A short abstract (one paragraph) that describes the problem, outlines the approach, and summarises the key conclusions.
• Clear structure: Introduction / Methodology / Results & Discussion / Conclusions
• Fonts, line spacing and paragraph styles should be consistent. Text in figures, tables and
equations should be readable and not overly large. Non-symbols in equations should not be
in italics. Units should not be in italics. Do not use bold or underline for emphasis.
• All tables and figures should be numbered and have descriptive captions. Tables are not
figures. Graphs and charts and images and sketches and photos, etc., are all figures.
• Equations, ideally (but not necessarily), should be numbered also, at the right (1)
• Space is limited and should not be wasted. Choose carefully what results should be
presented. Figures should not be squashed down just to squeeze more in (and should never be stretched – this looks awful). Consider whether multiple figures can instead be merged, and add legends/annotation to identify curves and explain key features.
• Avoid first person and narrative.
Results & Interpretation [60%]
The main purpose of this coursework is data analysis. There are multiple input parameters that can be varied, and multiple output data values that can be plotted. There are multiple ways to interpret the data. There is no single correct solution.
• Define – and justify! – a way to quantify vehicle stability, i.e., which are the most critical output data and how can you reduce these to a simple number?
• Determine – with justification! – a set of input parameters that maximise stability.
This is not a Matlab exercise. It may be easier to analyse the data in Matlab and plot the results in
Excel, but it is possible to use Excel for analysis and it is possible to use Matlab for plotting. Marks awarded based on how convincing the arguments are.