Final Documentation Format

Title Page

The title page forms the cover page.

It should have a header, body and footer.

i Declaration Page
Declare that the work presented is original and has not been presented at any other place nor
has it been copied from other sources.
There must be a place for you to sign, your supervisor and dean of faculty

ii. Acknowledgements
This is the section where you are able to acknowledge individuals and/or groups who may
have assisted you during some stage of the project.
So in this place you thank all those who helped you complete this project.

Iii. The Abstract /Executive summary

This is a summary of all the work you did (past tense). It forms a synopsis telling the full story
in less than one side of A4! .
It should concisely tell readers everything they need to know about the research hypothesis,
methods used to gather data, overview of significant findings and final conclusion.
The aim of this section is to let someone else read it to undestand the aim of the project, who
was sampled, what methodology was used, what the results showed and what overall
conclusion was.
Abstract/execution summary is like a preface of a book.
Make sure you also quote the number of words used.
iv. Table of Contents

This helps guide the reader through the document. Check for consistency between actual
heading/subheadings used in the body of the dissertation and the contents page.

A list of tables, charts, figures, photographs and other relevant material should also be listed at
the end of the Table of Contents.

Use of decimal structure with chapters is preferred.

Table of contents is arranged as follows.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

i Declaration Page
ii.Acknowledgements
Iii.The Abstract /Executive summary
Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1Background Page
1.2 problem statement Page
1.3. Scope of the study page
1.4 proposed solution.
1.5 Significance of the project.
1.3 research objectives
3.4 system objectives

Chapter 2:
2.2. Literature Review
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3

Chapter 3 Methodology
3.1 Target population
3.2 Sample selection,
3.3 Data collection method(s)
3.4. Development methodology
Chapter 4: System Requirement Specifications
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Chapter5: Design Specifications
5.1 System Overview
5.1.1 Data flow diagrams level 0
5.1.2 Data flow level 1
5.1.2 System architecture

5.2 Software design

5.1.3.Algorithms for each process
5.1.4. Pseudo code for each algorthm
5.1.5 flow chart for each process
5.1.6 Structured chart(diagram)
etc

5.3. Data base design

logical design
list of entities and respective attributes and their constraints
Conceptual models (entity relational diagrams showing attributes and constraints).(schemas)
Data dictional
Physical design:
Diagrams of tables showing labelled columns and data types
Description of dbms to be used e.g ms access
Description of Primary and secondary storage volume required e.g ram size, hard disk size
Description of programming language to be used
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5.4. User Interface Design

5.3.1 Input user interface Design : e.g login design, data entry forms
5.3.2 Output user interface Design: e.g report design, invoice design
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5.5. Test Plan
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5.6 Implementation Strategy
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Chapter 6. Test Results and Conclusions

Examples: Test results according to test plan including screen captures of test cases including
errors generated when running the system

6.2 System limitations

6.3 Conclusions
6.4 Recommendations

Glossary
References
Appendices

Appendix1: Sample Code

Appendix II: User Manual

List of figures
Fig 1.2
Fig1.3

List of tables
Table 1.2
Table4.2

List of graphs
Graph 3.3
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

This first chapter should aim to address the issue or problem you are to examine define the
subject area briefly, and clearly draw upon the boundaries of the dissertation; giving an
indication of what it isn't. Here the research state his/her hypothesis.
An explanation is given Why is it important to look at this area and Why the researcher is
interested..
an argument is made whether the study will contribute anything to the wider academic or
business community.
The context of the research and the background of the organisation you may have used for
your research environment discussed.

So, in this section, the researcher describe the institution so that the examiner clearly
understands the background of the institution fully in terms of how it operates, the organization
structure, review of its operations with a bias to problems, and how it connects to the title of
your project.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

The purpose of the literature review is to provide the reader with an understanding of the
current academic debate surrounding the topic under focus and draws attention to the major
issues and questions in the field. It helps the writer to define and narrow down the research
area by examining the research of other authors and considering whether you may have
anything new to contribute to the debate.

It is also a useful way of comparing approaches to different methodologies which have been
previously utilised when researching this subject area.

The literature review is not meant to be a list of everything read or ever written on the subject.
It should be a critical evaluation of written material and should be used to discuss the relative
merits or gaps in published materials. The literature review should be an ongoing process, and
you should undertake several initial searches and one final search before you start writing up
your work.

There is a need to read books and articles which may have formed the 'original' ideas on this
topic area, but you should also ensure you fully examine any recent literature. Keeping up to
date with the subject is important - check out any relevant periodical issues on a regular basis.

How do I go about starting my literature review?

Start with a few keywords which can be used to search CD ROM databases. You need to
focus heavily on looking at academic journals as you need to deal with the subject in an
analytical, interpretative or evaluative manner rather than just facts. Other sources such as
newspapers, trade magazines and government publications may also provide some relevant
information.

Record the literature you have reviewed to prevent delays when compiling your bibliography.
You need full bibliographic details of all works. (By now you should know how to produce a
bibliography, and what is correct referencing procedure).

So, in this section, you will make sure that your examiner feels that you have fully read books,
journals and clearly cited them so that all are confident that you did not just wake up and start
a project.

CHAPTER THREE: METHDOLOGY

The next section is to discuss the 'way you went about it'. How did you research the issue? It
should evaluate previously used methodologies from similar study areas and methods you
decided upon. Why did you choose those particular methods? What
were the main advantages/disadvantages of using them?

Here you are aiming to persuade the reader (your supervisor and moderator) that you chose the
most appropriate methods but are aware of limitations.

You need to discuss how you collected both the Primary and Secondary data at this stage. For
secondary data - what sources did you use and why? List key words used
in your search. .

With regard to the primary data - what procedures did you use to ensure validity of results?

You do not give actual data in this chapter, but inform the reader about the ways in which you
gathered this data. It is a question of HOW not WHAT!

So, this section should come up with two main items:

- How you captured data – The tools used and the justification for the same
- How you analysed the data – The tools used and the justification for the same. Usual
tools are statistical measures that you learn in Quantitative techniques or Research
Methodology
CHAPTER FOUR: SYSTEM REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATIONS

Discuss both functional and non-functional requirements

CHAPTER FIVE: SYSTEM DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION

5.1 System Design Specifications

5.2 Test Plan

5.3 Implementation Strategy

CHAPTER 6: RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

6.1 Results

What were your test results or findings?

They need to be well presented using a combination of graphs, charts and fully explaining and
evaluating these as fully as possible.

Avoid lists of numbers!

Find imaginative ways of presenting raw data.

6.2 Conclusion

Having presented the results can we draw any conclusions from this?

What do the findings indicate?

Can you accept or reject your hypothesis or assumptions that made you do this project?

What can you logically deduce from the research?

Can you identify any implications this may have on the organisation/business/wider academic
community?

The ability to reflect on the process that has gone before can also be included in this final
stage.
6.3 Recommendations

GLOSSARY
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REFERENCES
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APPENDICES
-APPENDIX I: SAMPLE CODE
-APPENDIXII: USER MANUAL
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This contains materials which are relevant to arguments in the main text, but would be too
'heavy' or would spoil the flow of the text.

Questionnaires, letters, interview agendas, raw data from field work are some examples.

Only include material that is relevant to the bulk of your research and findings.