General information about DissertationBSc (Hons) Software Development
2015 - 2016
Agenda1. The Dissertation Process2. Literature Sources3. What is (not) a valid dissertation?4. Past/Current Dissertations5. Q&A
The Dissertation Process1. Contact lecturers 2. SOI Submission (October)3. SOI approval by an institute board.4. Tutor allocation5. Dissertation Proposal (by end of November)
The Dissertation Process6. Dissertation proposal approval 7. Dissertation submission (mid-June)8. External verification of dissertations (End-
June)9. Communication of results
10. Hardbound submission for archival purposes
Literature Sources● Use appropriate and credible sources of
literature.● Although books may be used make sure that
their content is still relevant to your context.● Wikis, blogs and forums should not be used.
Literature Sources● Your work should be vendor neutral.● Be careful when quoting vendor
documentation. Remember, vendors want to make profit!
● Citeseer, ACM, IEEE, Springer Link & Google Scholar are good literature repositories.
Past Dissertations● Allow your mentors to recommend past
dissertations for your reference.● Do not just go and pick up random
dissertations from the library.● Dissertations at the library are not graded!
Invalid Dissertations● Simple comparison of technology.
○ Java Vs .NET○ Android Vs iOS○ Play Store Vs Apple Store
Invalid Dissertations● Dissertations with the business aspect as
their main focus. ○ The main focus should be the technical element.○ The business aspect may be used to sustain your
technical argument.
Invalid Dissertations● Research based solely on interviews and
questionnaires.○ These tools should be used solely to strengthen your
argument.○ They should never be basis of your conclusions.
Valid Software Dissertations● There has to be a research element with
academic value under investigation.● Apply to a specific scenario● Question various aspects of an existing
research● Prototype is just proof-of-concept and not
market ready
Past/Current DissertationsSome notable dissertations
Using IDS and IPS to improve the effectiveness of a firewallStudent: Robert Gosney Mentor: Robert AbelaYear: 2015
Analysis of NAT Traversal Approaches for P2P Networks
Student: Oliver Ciappara Mentor: Robert AbelaYear: 2015
Electronic identification for crisis management
Student: Andrew Quattromani Mentor: Kevin Borg Year: 2015
An RFID enabled system for improved postal logistics Student: Frank Xuereb Mentor: Alvin Cardona Year: 2015
Real-time Pathfinding in dynamic environmentsStudent: Owen Attard Mentor: Frankie Inguanez Year: 2015
The application of the A* algorithm in different types of games using different heuristic approaches
Student: Justin Bonnici Mentor: Roderick Vella Year: 2015
Using Glowworm Swarm Optimization to Improve the Selection Process of Genetic Algorithms
Student: Francesco Borg Elia Mentor: Diane Borg Year: 2015
The effect of impact-based deformation of 3D-Objects on Computer GamesStudent: Rudvic Bonnici Mentor: Elaine Farrugia Year: 2015
Procedural Generation of Suburban City Areas for Games
Student: Stefan Cauchi Mentor: Elaine Farrugia Year: 2015
A real time tracking system for gathering live sports statistics
Student: Lee-Jamie Galea Mentor: Neil Aquilina Year: 2015
Scaling the Mathematical Abilities of Users through User ProfilingStudent: Rebecca Mintoff Mentor: Annalise Sultana Year: 2015
Investigating the potential of soft computing techniques in indoor positioning using Wi-Fi access points
Student: Darren Vassallo Mentor: Paul Pulis Year: 2015
Using Soft Computing to recognise license plates and building an argument on its accuracy
Student: Owen Faenza Mentor: Paul Pulis Year: 2015
Text Recognition and Translation of Multi-Oriented, Multi-Language and Curved Text in Natural Scene Images
Student: Cristina Vassallo Mentor: Diane Borg Year: 2015
Improving music recommendation systems by considering compression ratios
Student: Danjel Attard Mentor: Olena Sammut Year: 2015
Visualizing Connections between Recognized Named Entities to Improve Digital Reading Experience
Student: Louis Miguel Grima Mentor: Olena Sammut Year: 2015
Exploring the Automation of Tree Structures within the Context of Musical Chords Progression
Student: Stephen Compagno Mentor: Christine Dimech Year: 2015
Creating a single metric that measures website usability by using a testing tool
Student: Vanessa Mangion Mentor: Gerard Said Year: 2015
Acoustic Classification of Touch Gesture on Touch-Enabled Devices using Own Microphone
Student: Joseph Grech Mentor: Frankie Inguanez Year: 2015
Optimizing Lazy Learning Speech Recognition based on Facial Electromyography
Student: Matthew Buhagiar Mentor: Frankie Inguanez Year: 2014
Developing a prototype application as a driving aid by applying Augmented Reality for parking maneuvering
Student: Jonathan Zammit Mentor: Silvio Nocilla Year: 2015
Secret Ingredients1. Motivation Motivation Motivation2. Dedication3. Literature as background4. Make good use of Summer5. Time management
Q&A Session
Questions?