Category Course

As in any kind of writing, it is necessary to present the background or the scenario or the current situation relating to the issue or the focus of the research. In a story, it is known as scene-setting presented in prose so the reader will understand what the current situation is. This section also explains why it is necessary to conduct research in order to address the issue, the step of indicating a gap. The background can be started with:

• An existing situation that is common knowledge or which has been researched into earlier.
• The present study attempts to build on or even counter the earlier findings.
• A statement relating to something ordinary with reference to our everyday lives.

The opening line in the background of the study is usually the “kicker” of the writing process just as the whole introduction chapter is the jumpstart of the thesis.

Please give at least 5 citations to support your introduction. Your reference doesn’t have to be the latest because maybe some references refer to the basic fundamental or highlight certain past researchers.

Example introduction for chapter 1

This chapter discusses the research background that drives this project and the reasons why it is important. Following an explanation of the problem statement, which clarifies the problem to be solved, comes the study’s scope, which establishes the project’s main objectives. The research questions and objectives are then presented, which briefly outline the project’s progression and finally provide an idea of what to anticipate from this study. At the end of this chapter, the study’s importance for this project will also be discussed. 

Example of background of study (Aqilah Saibah – CS230)

Gestational diabetes mellitus is a condition where a woman has a high blood sugar level during their pregnancy. Approximately 87.5% of all diabetes in pregnancy, is gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (Lefkovits et al., 2019). There are two classes of gestational diabetes which are type 1 and type 2. Women with type 1 can manage it through diet and exercise and those who have type 2 need to take insulin or other medications. GDM usually happens in the second half of pregnancy. Usually, the time range where the doctor will check for GDM is between week 24 and week 28. But if you are at high risk the doctor will check sooner. (Common knowledge about the topic selected)

Diagnosing women with GDM is crucial during early pregnancy to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity. Based on the current screening guidelines, there will be two tests to diagnose GDM. According to Iftikhar et al. (2020), the first diagnostic consist of a 50 g of oral glucose challenge test performed after 24 weeks gestation, followed by a second diagnostic test guideline. If the patient is at high risk but the test results are normal, the doctor might test again later in pregnancy to get the confirmation. This will require more time to do the screening again. A lot of research in cohort studies has been made using predicting modeling techniques where the patients are followed up routinely. (Describe more on common knowledge and focus on a certain area)

However, according to Qiu et al. (2017), the studies on risk factor analysis did not consider the details of gestational trimesters. The risks for GDM can be predicted in the first trimester of pregnancy according to the mix of maternal demographic and characteristics.

If we can predict disease earlier, we can improve health and improve outcomes (Sundeep Bahn, 2017). The machine learning algorithm is one of the AI techniques that are capable to predict the percentage of a pregnant woman who diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus earlier. Machine learning methods application can give worthy information and prediction on health risks based on the electronic health record dataset. According to Shinde and Rajeswari (2018), the recent machine learning algorithms progress in designing and applying it on Electronic Health Record (EHR) dataset has given positive results. Machine Learning algorithms facilitate the development of intelligence into a machine. Hence, it can perform better in the future using the experience that has been learned. In this research, the early prediction of GDM will be made based on multiple common risk factors of the pregnant woman. (Highlight the importance of this research)

Conclusion:

• A clear conclusion section help editors and reviewers to judge our work easily
  • Keep it brief.
  • Summarise the motivation/purpose of the study, what we did, and what we found.
  • State the key conclusions.
  • Do not cite (old or new) referencesin this section.
• Discuss the implications of the findings.  Are the findings:
  • supporting a given theory?
  • solving a corporate problem?
  • helping managers and policymakers to make better decisions or design new strategies?
• If possible, discuss broader implications of the findings for the society, governments, investors, etc.
• Do not overstate the findings, however. The implications must be based only on the evidence reported in the paper. Do not exaggerate the results.
• No speculative statement.
• Recap the objectives and explain on how you achieved that objectives.
• State the limitation of the project.
• Possible future work recommendation.

Example outline for results

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Example of conclusion and recommendation

• In this chapter, you need to elaborate everything about the development of your project.
• Explain the process, code, algorithm for every process/stage of your and the output of it.
• Give the screenshot of the system/app
• Lastly, explain the testing and validation of the project. Usually, just use functionality test, however it also based on the project.

Example outline for results

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• State and explain the project methodology we are using in the project. 
• Define all the terms and notations clearly.
• Do not be repetitive: If the method is well known or described extensively in other studies, briefly summarise the methodology and move on.
• Tell how this project methodology helps us accomplish the key objectives of the paper; that is, it is the right methodology to use.
• List papers that use a similar methodology.
• If there are alternative methodologies, state them and explain clearly why we are not using these methods.

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What should in your methodology:

• Explain what project methodology will you use. Use MDLC for mobile app and need to explain why choose the methodology.
• Explain each phase.
• In design phase, show the ERD diagram, use case diagram, flowchart, storyboard and etc.
• In development phase, mention the hardware and software requirement.
• In testing phase, describe the testing procedures. Subjective/objective test. Just pick one test, usually functionality test.

Example outline for project methodology

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A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.

Writing a literature review involves finding relevant publications (such as books and journal articles), critically analyzing them, and explaining what you found. There are five key steps:

1. Search for relevant literature
2. Evaluate sources
3. Identify themes, debates and gaps
4. Outline the structure
5. Write your literature review

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What should be in the literature review (FYP)

1. Introduction of the case study
2. Related information about the case study
3. Comparison of the methods/technique that can be used
4. Similar studies/application/system/research
5. Summary

Additional info

A good literature review doesn’t just summarize sources – it analyzes, synthesizes, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.

• Do not include all published papers on a given topic.
• Need to be selective: Include the most relevant articles to our topic and make a footnote for others
• Do not cite too broad a literature and too much literature
• Make sure is that references are up-to-date.
• Do not cite papers in low-tier journals. Also, normally do not cite papers published before 2000 unless they are critically important (i.e. theoretical underpinning / core authors in the topic)
• Do not list/summarize the literature findings /results:
  • Accumulation of papers
  • Start with the reference of a paper (e.g. Kim (2010) examines…..” and then describes the paper (each paragraph)
• Organize the discussion in an effective manner 
  • Integrate the literature ->“Transitions”
  • Transitionshelp connect paragraphs together. Examples:
    • One of the first researchers to investigate this problem is Lee (2010)….. 
    • Peter and Smith (2013)counter Lee’s argument . . .
    • The issue becomes more complex when a third school of thought is considered …..
    • The issue becomes more complex when a third school of thought is considered …..
  • Divide long paragraphs
    • If there are two or more ideas in a single paragraph, split them up
    • Break up long paragraphs even if they contain in a single idea
    • Readers tend to skip long paragraphs.
    • No paragraph should be longer than half a page (around 15-18 lines) 
    • A paragraph should have more than two sentences.
• In the similar application/system/research section, compare with your proposed application/system/research
• Word Choice in the literature review:

Example outline for literature review (Aqilah Saibah – CS230)

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Example outline for literature review (Muhammad Iqbal – CS253)