Format for Final Year Project Report
Format for Final Year Project Report
by
Department of .................................
Name of Institute
Address of Institute
Month, Year
1
(Example of Title Page)
by
Bachelor of Technology
in
<Discipline>
<Institute's Logo>
<Institute Name>
<Month, Year>
2
(Example of Declaration- make only one certificate for entire team)
DECLARATION
We hereby declare that this submission is our own work and that, to the best of our
knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another
person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any
other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where
due acknowledgment has been made in the text.
Signature:
Name :
Roll No.:
Date :
Signature:
Name :
Roll No.:
Date :
3
(Example of Certificate-make only one certificate for entire team)
CERTIFICATE
Supervisor
Date
4
(Example of Acknowledgement)
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It gives us a great sense of pleasure to present the report of the B. Tech Project undertaken during B.
Tech. Final Year. We owe special debt of gratitude to Professor Anshuman Singh, Department of
Computer Science & Engineering, College of Engineering, Lucknow for his constant support and
guidance throughout the course of our work. His sincerity, thoroughness and perseverance have been
a constant source of inspiration for us. It is only his cognizant efforts that our endeavors have seen
light of the day.
We also take the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of Professor M. S. Dhoni, Head,
Department of Computer Science & Engineering, College of Engineering, Lucknow for his full
support and assistance during the development of the project.
We also do not like to miss the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of all faculty members of
the department for their kind assistance and cooperation during the development of our project. Last
but not the least, we acknowledge our friends for their contribution in the completion of the project.
Signature:
Name :
Roll No.:
Date :
Signature:
Name :
Roll No.:
Date :
5
ABSTRACT
6
(Example)
DECLARATION ................................................................................................... ii
CERTIFICATE ..................................................................................................... iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................. iv
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... v
LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................................. vii
LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................................ viii
LIST OF SYMBOLS .............................................................................................. ix
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................ x
CHAPTER 1 1
1.1. ................................................................................................................. 5
1.2. ................................................................................................................. 8
CHAPTER 2 ……………………………. ......................................................... 13
2.1. .................................................................................................................. 15
2.2. .................................................................................................................. 17
2.2.1. ......................................................................................................... 19
2.2.2. ......................................................................................................... 20
2.2.2.1. ................................................................................................ 21
2.2.2.2. .......................................................................................... 22
2.3. ................................................................................................................. 23
CHAPTER 3 …………………………….......................................................... 30
3.1. ................................................................................................................ 36
3.2. ................................................................................................................ 39
CHAPTER 4 (CONCLUSIONS) ......................................................................... 40
APPENDIX A ......................................................................................................... 45
APPENDIX B ......................................................................................................... 47
REFERENCES... .................................................................................................... 49
7
LIST OF TABLES
8
LIST OF FIGURES
9
(Example)
LIST OF SYMBOLS
≠ Not Equal
Belongs to
€ Euro- A Currency
_ Optical distance
10
(Example)
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
11
CHAPTER 1
(For non-web based projects)
INTRODUCTION
It is the first chapter of the Report. The purpose of an introduction in the B. Tech Project Report
is to justify the reasons for writing about the report. The goal in this section is to introduce the
topic to the reader, provide an overview of previous research on the topic, and identify the own
hypothesis. The goals just mentioned could, if abused, lead to write an introduction that is pages
and pages long. It can be noted here that the introduction should not contain every bit of detail in
the report, and it should not include support for the report. An introduction might, however,
include the reasons for supporting the report.
In order for readers to trust the writer, the introduction must be well written with few errors. In
order to keep readers reading, the writer needs to catch the attention of the reader and write in an
interesting way. The unique language enhancement feature may suggest words to strengthen the
writing. Strong writing may hold readers' attention.
In addition to well-written English with strong vocabulary, there are a few other strategies to
hold readers' attention. It should be noted that to excite the readers' interest, one may also want to
sound as though the readers know the topic that are considered in the report. Some of the
following strategies in the bullet-list above may help.
• To pose a specific question that can invite the readers to keep reading for the
answer-- A provocative question works well to engage readers, so long as it
doesn't put them off
It has been observed that the difficulty level to write the Introduction is average and it takes the
variable amount of time. Following sub headings are to be included in this chapter depending on
the project-
12
1.1.1. Motivation
It briefly includes previous work carried out in this field, researching the problem
studied, summarization of the results obtained etc
13
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
It is the first chapter of the Report. The purpose of an introduction in the B. Tech Project Report
is to justify the reasons for writing about the report. The goal in this section is to introduce the
topic to the reader, provide an overview of previous research on the topic, and identify the own
hypothesis. The goals just mentioned could, if abused, lead to write an introduction that is pages
and pages long. It can be noted here that the introduction should not contain every bit of detail in
the report, and it should not include support for the report. An introduction might, however,
include the reasons for supporting the report.
In order for readers to trust the writer, the introduction must be well written with few errors. In
order to keep readers reading, the writer needs to catch the attention of the reader and write in an
interesting way. The unique language enhancement feature may suggest words to strengthen the
writing. Strong writing may hold readers' attention.
In addition to well-written English with strong vocabulary, there are a few other strategies to
hold readers' attention. It should be noted that to excite the readers' interest, one may also want to
sound as though the readers know the topic that are considered in the report. Some of the
following strategies in the bullet-list above may help.
• To pose a specific question that can invite the readers to keep reading for the
answer-- A provocative question works well to engage readers, so long as it
doesn't put them off
It has been observed that the difficulty level to write the Introduction is average and it takes the
variable amount of time. Following sub headings are to be included in this chapter depending on
the project-
14
1.1. Problem Introduction
1.1.1. Purpose
1.1.7. Reports
It briefly includes previous work carried out in this field, researching the problem
studied, summarization of the results obtained etc
15
CHAPTER 2
Literature Survey
(LITERATURE SURVEY FORMAT FOR NON-WEB BASED PROJECTS)
A brief description of what is studied in the survey should be given in a paragraph of 6-10 lines
(approx.) this paragraph should not contain any title.
Then you can elaborate on each technique/algorithm/ technology depending on your project
section wise. For example if literature survey is for face recognition then all existing approaches
should be mentioned in a separate section.
Each section should contain a heading and should be numbered. It can also contain images,
formulae, flow chart and tabular data that are needed for explanation. Each section size should
not exceed 1 to 1.5 pages.
Use citations from the References section where ever required-
Example- A pun, or paronomasia, is a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity
[1]
between similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect. (If the contents are
taken from reference 1 of References section).
Any included image, formula, flow chart or tabular data should be numbered and should be
referred in the respective section. Tables numbering should appear on the top of table and figure
numbering should be below the figure.
At the end of the literature survey chapter, include a summary section with the heading
SUMMARY. In this section sum up the above studied techniques/algorithms/ technologies
paragraph wise.
16
CHAPTER 2
(For Web Based Projects)
Software Requirement Specification
Describe the general factors that affect the product and its requirements. This section does not state
specific requirements. Instead, it provides a background for those requirements, which are defined in
section 3, and makes them easier to understand. In a sense, this section tells the requirements in plain
English for the consumption of the customer. Section3 will contain a specification written for the
developers.
Put the product into perspective with other related products. If the product is independent and totally
self-contained, it should be so stated here. If the SRS defines a product that is a component of a larger
system, as frequently occurs, then this subsection relates the requirements of the larger system to
functionality of the software and identifies interfaces between that system and the software. If you are
building a real system, compare its similarity and differences to other systems in the marketplace. If you
are doing a research-oriented project, what related research compares to the system you are planning to
build.
A block diagram showing the major components of the larger system, interconnections, and external
interfaces can be helpful. This is not a design or architecture picture. It is more to provide context,
especially if your system will interact with external actors. The system you are building should be shown
as a black box. Let the design document present the internals.
The following subsections describe how the software operates inside various constraints.
List each system interface and identify the functionality of the software to accomplish the system
requirement and the interface description to match the system. These are external systems that you have
17
to interact with. For instance, if you are building a business application that interfaces with the existing
employee payroll system, what is the API to that system that designer’s will need to use?
2.1.2 Interfaces
Specify:
(1) The logical characteristics of each interface between the software product and its users.
(2) All the aspects of optimizing the interface with the person who must use the system
This is a description of how the system will interact with its users. Is there a GUI, a command line or
some other type of interface? Are there special interface requirements? If you are designing for the
general student population for instance, what is the impact of ADA (American with Disabilities Act) on
your interface?
Specify the logical characteristics of each interface between the software product and the hardware
components of the system. This includes configuration characteristics. It also covers such matters as
what devices are to be supported, how they are to be supported and protocols. This is not a description
of hardware requirements in the sense that “This program must run on a Mac with 64M of RAM”. This
section is for detailing the actual hardware devices your application will interact with and control. For
instance, if you are controlling X10 type home devices, what is the interface to those devices? Designers
should be able to look at this and know what hardware they need to worry about in the design. Many
business type applications will have no hardware interfaces. If none, just state “The system has no
hardware interface requirements” If you just delete sections that are not applicable, then readers do not
know if: a. this does not apply or b. you forgot to include the section in the first place.
Specify the use of other required software products and interfaces with other application systems. For
each required software product, include:
(1) Name
(2) Mnemonic
(3) Specification number
(4) Version number
18
(5) Source
(1) Discussion of the purpose of the interfacing software as related to this software product
(2) Definition of the interface in terms of message content and format
Here we document the APIs, versions of software that we do not have to write, but that our system has to
use. For instance if your customer uses SQL Server 7 and you are required to use that, then you need to
specify i.e.
2.1.4.1 Microsoft SQL Server 7. The system must use SQL Server as its database component.
Communication with the DB is through ODBC connections. The system must provide SQL data table
definintions to be provided to the company DBA for setup.
A key point to remember is that you do NOT want to specify software here that you think would be good
to use. This is only for customer-specified systems that you have to interact with. Choosing SQL Server
7 as a DB without a customer requirement is a Design choice, not a requirement. This is a subtle but
important point to writing good requirements and not over-constraining the design.
Specify the various interfaces to communications such as local network protocols, etc. These are
protocols you will need to directly interact with. If you happen to use web services transparently to your
application then do not list it here. If you are using a custom protocol to communicate between systems,
then document that protocol here so designers know what to design. If it is a standard protocol, you can
reference an existing document or RFC.
Specify any applicable characteristics and limits on primary and secondary memory. Don’t just make up
something here. If all the customer’s machines have only 128K of RAM, then your target design has got
to come in under 128K so there is an actual requirement. You could also cite market research here for
shrink-wrap type applications “Focus groups have determined that our target market has between 256-
512M of RAM, therefore the design footprint should not exceed 256M.” If there are no memory
constraints, so state.
19
2.1.7 Operations
Specify the normal and special operations required by the user such as:
(Note: This is sometimes specified as part of the User Interfaces section.) If you separate this from the
UI stuff earlier, then cover business process type stuff that would impact the design. For instance, if the
company brings all their systems down at midnight for data backup that might impact the design. These
are all the work tasks that impact the design of an application, but which might not be located in
software.
In this section:
(1) Define the requirements for any data or initialization sequences that are specific to a
given site, mission, or operational mode
(2) Specify the site or mission-related features that should be modified to adapt the software
to a particular installation
If any modifications to the customer’s work area would be required by your system, then document that
here. For instance, “A 100Kw backup generator and 10000 BTU air conditioning system must be
installed at the user site prior to software installation”.
This could also be software-specific like, “New data tables created for this system must be installed on
the company’s existing DB server and populated prior to system activation.” Any equipment the
customer would need to buy or any software setup that needs to be done so that your system will install
and operate correctly should be documented here.
Provide a summary of the major functions that the software will perform. Sometimes the function
summary that is necessary for this part can be taken directly from the section of the higher-level
specification (if one exists) that allocates particular functions to the software product.
20
For clarity:
(1) The functions should be organized in a way that makes the list of functions understandable to
the customer or to anyone else reading the document for the first time.
(2) Textual or graphic methods can be used to show the different functions and their
relationships. Such a diagram is not intended to show a design of a product but simply shows
the logical relationships among variables.
AH, Finally the real meat of section 2. This describes the functionality of the system in the language of
the customer. What specifically does the system that will be designed have to do? Drawings are good,
but remember this is a description of what the system needs to do, not how you are going to build it. (That
comes in the design document).
Describe those general characteristics of the intended users of the product including educational level,
experience, and technical expertise. Do not state specific requirements but rather provide the reasons
why certain specific requirements are later specified in section 3.
What is it about your potential user base that will impact the design? Their experience and comfort with
technology will drive UI design. Other characteristics might actually influence internal design of the
system.
2.4 Constraints
Provide a general description of any other items that will limit the developer's options. These can
include:
21
(9) Reliability requirements
(10) Criticality of the application
(11) Safety and security considerations
This section captures non-functional requirements in the customers language. A more formal
presentation of these will occur in section 3.
List each of the factors that affect the requirements stated in the SRS. These factors are not design
constraints on the software but are, rather, any changes to them that can affect the requirements in the
SRS. For example, an assumption might be that a specific operating system would be available on the
hardware designated for the software product. If, in fact, the operating system were not available, the
SRS would then have to change accordingly.
This section is catch-all for everything else that might influence the design of the system and that did not
fit in any of the categories above.
Identify requirements that may be delayed until future versions of the system. After you look at the
project plan and hours available, you may realize that you just cannot get everything done. This section
divides the requirements into different sections for development and delivery. Remember to check with
the customer – they should prioritize the requirements and decide what does and does not get done. This
can also be useful if you are using an iterative life cycle model to specify which requirements will map to
which interation.
22
Actors Model Roles, Not Positions
2.7.2 Use Case Diagram (you can use either use case diagram or scenario)
23
Figure 2.2 Use case diagram example
2.7.3 Use Case Scenario (Following details can be provided for a use case scenario)
Use Case
Description
Element
Use Case
ID to represent your use case
Number
Application What system or application does this pertain to
Use Case Name The name of your use case, keep it short and sweet
Use Case
Elaborate more on the name, in paragraph form.
Description
Primary Actor Who is the main actor that this use case represents
Precondition What preconditions must be met before this use case can start
Trigger What event triggers this use case
The basic flow should be the events of the use case when everything is perfect; there are no errors, no
Basic Flow exceptions. This is the "happy day scenario". The exceptions will be handled in the "Alternate Flows"
section.
Alternate Flows The most significant alternatives and exceptions
24
2.8 Sequence diagrams ( Example for Registration Process)
25
CHAPTER 3
3.1.2. DFD, Class Diagram, flow charts, ER Diagrams (which ever applicable depending
on the project)
3.2. Algorithm(s)
(if required, add any other section applicable for the methods and approaches
you have followed. The structure of this chapter may be defined by the
Supervisor)
26
Chapter 3
(For Web-Based Projects)
System Design
System Design should include the following sections (Refer each figure or table in some text). Figure
number should be provided below the figure and the table numbering should be provided above the table.
27
3.2. Class diagrams
28
All the details regarding profile are asked from the user.
Details will be saved.
User id is generated.
User enters the id and password for access.
Alternate flow of events:
A message appears for wrong login id and password.
Post condition:
A login id is generated with its details.
User is logged in.
29
3.5. ER Diagrams
30
CHAPTER 4
In this section provide the details of any software or hardware required for the
implementation of the project.
4.4.3. Results
Include the output of your work here. The result can be in tabular and/or graphical format
depending on the project. Comparison with earlier or other work may also be presented.
31
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION
This chapter should usually be reasonably short (two pages perhaps). As with the introduction, it
is a good idea to ask someone who is not a specialist to read this section and to comment
32
Appendix
If there is material that should be in the project report but which would break up the flow or bore
the reader unbearably, include it as an appendix. Some things which are typically included in
appendices are: important and original computer programs, data files that are too large to be
represented simply in the results chapters, pictures or diagrams of results which are not important
enough to keep in the main text. Thus in the appendix, one may include
33
References
Thumb rules followed to refer some one’s work are given below.
1. Cite all ideas, concepts, text, data that are not own by the project group
2. If author makes a statement, he must back it up with his own data or a reference
2. Maiers, J., and Sherif, Y. S. , "Application of Fuzzy Set Theory," IEEE Transactions on
Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Vol. SMC-15, No.1, pp. 41-48, 1985.
3. Doe, N., Control System Principles, New York: John Wiley, 1999.
5. Nayak, T., "Application of Neural Networks to Nuclear Reactors," M.Sc. Report, U.P.
Technical University, 2005.
34
7. Lokhande, R., Arya, K. V., and Gupta, P., "Identification of Parameters and Restoration of
Motion Blurred Images", Proceedings of the 2006 ACM Symposium on Applied
Computing (SAC 2006), pp. 89-95, Dijon, France, April 2- 7, 2006.
8. Lokhande, R., and Gupta, P., "Identification of Parameters of Motion Images", presented at
5th International Conference on Cyber Systems, New Delhi, India, April 12- 17, 2004
9. Das, A. R., Murthy D., and Badrinath J., A Comparison of Different Biometrics Traits,
RSRE Memorandum No. 4157, RSRE Malvern, 2001.
10. Bell Telephone Laboratories Technical Staff, Transmission System for Communications,
Bell Telephone Laboratories, 1995.
11. "Signal integrity and interconnects for high-speed applications," class notes for ECE 497-
JS, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, Winter 1997.
35
17. Kar, K. and Majumder, D., "Fuzzy Controller Component," U. S. Patent 23,160,040,
December 21, 2006.
36
TEXT PROCESSING INFORMATION
It is important to note that type format of all reports should be uniform. So there is a need to
follow some guidelines on typesetting and other aspects. Some of such guidelines are given
below.
1. The original copy shall be typed on 75 or 80 gr./m 2 white paper. All photocopies shall be
run on the same grade of paper. Size of paper shall be 210 x 297 mm, i.e. A4.
2. Only Near Letter Quality or sharper dot matrix printer or Laser printer and Ink Jet printer
and electrical typewriter outputs are acceptable. In case of dot matrix printers or a
typewriter, black ribbon must be used and replenished as frequently as necessary to
maintain clear and high contrast constant density copy throughout the report.
3. As a character font, one should use Times new roman preferably (Times, Times Roman,
Courier, Geneva, Helvetica or equivalent) which are available in most word processors.
The font size must be 12 point in the text and at least 8 point in the figures. However, if a
typewriter is used, then typing must be done on an electric typewriter and with an Elite, Pica,
or Letter Gothic typeface, and preferably with a carbon film ribbon to avoid a fading effect.
4. Whenever titles and headings are to be centered the centering shall be such that 112 mm.
from the left edge of the paper or 98 mm. for the right edge of the paper is the center
point of the title or heading.
The above margins shall be observed on charts, graphs, tables, and drawings. Folded papers will
not be accepted unless there is absolutely no other way for the material to be presented. The text
must be justified within these margins.
6. Spacing of the text material shall be 1.5 with the following exceptions:
37
c. Extensive quotations - single spacing and indented eight (8) spaces relative to the text
material.
(1) Must begin a new page and be centered using the Font Size 18 with Bold Fold.
Omit period at the end of the heading.
(3) Chapter headings are to be titled names that reflect content of the text that
follows.
(4) It should be centered and Font Size to be used is 18 with Bold Face.
(1) Must be towards left margin and be typed in capital and lower case letters; i.e.,
the first letter of each word except conjunctions, prepositions, and articles must
be a capital letter. Omit period at the end of heading.
(2) The letter designation of the heading shall be followed by a period and two blank
spaces.
(3) Must be three spaces below preceding text and two spaces ahead of succeeding
text.
(5) In case it is found that first line of the succeeding text starts from the next page,
then this heading should start from the next page using page break.
(1) Must be typed on separate lines beginning at the left margin line of the text, but
need not begin a new page.
(2) Must be typed in capital and lower case letters except conjunctions, prepositions,
and articles.
38
(3) The number designation of the heading shall be followed by a period and two
spaces. Omit period at the end of the heading.
(6) In case it is found that first line of the succeeding text starts from the next page,
then this sub-heading should start from the next page using page break.
d. Second sub-headings- 2.2.1.1, 2.2.1.2 etc.. (second sub-headings must not be included). In
case required, this must be italic and bold and text should start in the same line. (As shown
below)
8. Figures and Tables: Ideally, every result claimed in the text should be documented with
data, usually data presented in tables or figures. If there are no data provided to support
a given statement of result or observation, one should consider adding more data, or
deleting the unsupported "observation." Examine figure(s) or table(s) pertaining to the
result(s).
The actual figures and tables should be embedded/inserted in the text, generally on the
page following the page where the figure/table is first cited in the text. All figures
should be numbered and cited consecutively in the text as Figure 2.1, Figure 2.2, to
indicate the first and second figures in Chapter 2 respectively. Similarly it is the case
with tables such as Table 3.1, Table 3.2, etc.
A caption for each figure and table is to be given with proper citation about reference,
data sources, etc. and by highlighting the key findings. One should include an index
figure (map) showing and naming all locations discussed in the report.
Author is always encouraged to make his own figures, including cartoons, schematics
or sketches that illustrate the derived processes. He should see all his figures keeping
in mind that:
39
2. Axes of figures are labeled and the units, if used, are indicated.
4. If the data are fitted by a curve, its goodness of fit should be determined.
12. Whether its caption guides one’s eye to the "take-home lesson" of the figure.
Figures should be oriented vertically, in portrait mode, wherever possible. If they must
be oriented horizontally, in landscape mode, so that one can read them from the right, not from
the left, where the binding will be. Examples are given below.
1 1
2
2 2
. .
3
. .
. . .
.
n n0 n '
40
TABLE 9.12. Comparison Of Various Data Structures.
Footnotes shall be sequential for each page and for the entire report.
Footnotes shall be placed at the bottom of the page on which they are indicated. They
shall be indented from the margin line of the text by eight spaces and placed under a
broken line made of 15 dashes.
Avoid to start a sentence in the text with the expression number. This can be avoided
by using changing the voice.
10. Pagination and Paragraphs: Each page in the report or dissertation is expected to
bear a number. Only one side of the paper may be used. The following plan should be
used exclusively:
41
a. The preliminary section, including the title page; copyright page, if any; foreword,
preface, or acknowledgements; table of contents; etc., should be numbered, using lower
case Roman Numerals, e.g., i, ii, iii, etc. The title page counts as Page i, but the number
does not appear. The sequence of the preliminary section is as follows:
Declaration...................................................... Page ii
Acknowledgements......................................... Page iv
For the remainder of the report, Arabic numbers are used. Each page must be numbered.
Page numbers are to be placed 2 centimeters from the top and right hand margins on the
pages. All pages for illustrations, tables, appendices, bibliography, etc are included. Use
of suffixes, such as 25a, 25b ... are not allowed. The numbering in the main body should
begin with Page 1 and run consecutively to the last page. No punctuation, such as dash or
a period, should accompany the page number.
b. Paragraphs: A new paragraph must not begin at the bottom of a page if there is not
sufficient space for at least two lines.
11. Size of Thesis: There is no limit on the number of pages to be used in the report. But it
should be complete in all respect. However it is expected that the number of pages in
the report will not exceed 100 pages of typed matter reckoned from the First page of
Chapter 1 to the last page of the Appendix.
13. Number of Copies: One hard copy to be submitted at the end of VII Semester
42
CITATION STYLE
In a project report there is a need to make references in the text, and relate them to notes, or to a
list of bibliographical references, at the end of the description of the work. A number of elements
must be present for a document to be identifiable with certainty. It is better to give extra or
redundant information than to omit vital features.
1) Citation of Books
author(s)
title
place of publication
publisher
date
Some citation styles omit place of publication, but it is useful, e.g. when filling out inter-library
loan requests, where it can simplify and limit the searching process. Examples (books) are given
below.
43
To some extent, the details of punctuation are up to the author as long as he is consistent. He
may, for instance, decide to write authors' names in upper case (capitals), or to give their
forenames in full ,if it is available.
The purpose of using italics is not just to give emphasis, but to show which element in the
citation is a separately published unit. It is especially important when one is citing a section (an
article, a paper, or a chapter) in a collection or other composite work, e.g.
Watson, R. 'Racial and Ethnic Relations', in Anderson, R. and Sharrock, W.W., eds.,
Applied Sociological Perspectives. London: Allen & Unwin, 1984. pp.3-65.
If one makes this kind of reference correctly, the reader will immediately know what is the book
to look for (i.e. Anderson and Sharrock) and not waste time searching for a non-existent (or a
different) work with the title, Racial and Ethnic Relations. Inverted commas are often used to
signal a part or contribution in a larger work - they show that it is not separately published in its
own right, and it is not good practice to use them to show a book title.
2) Citation of Periodicals
The same principles that apply to a book apply when he is citing articles from periodicals -
journals, magazines, newspapers, reviews, etc.
author(s)
title of the article
page numbers
Davis, R.D. 'Sludge disposal - keeping it safe'. Water and waste treatment, 1984, 27 (9) 38-42
or
Zlotnik, M. D. 'Chernenko succeeds'. Problems of Communism 33 (2) March-April 1984, pp.17-
31.
The detail of order and punctuation may vary between one writer and another, or with the same
writer on different occasions; the important thing is to decide firmly at the start how the author is
going to proceed, and stick to that style. Publishers of books and journals have their own 'house-
styles', and editorial staff to apply them rigorously; for these purposes, clarity and consistency
are enough -- one should not cite something unless the author is quite sure, he has enough
44
information for a reader to identify it. It is not necessary to use Roman numerals for volume
numbers, even if the periodical the author is citing uses them itself, or if he has seen them in a
citation elsewhere. Single inverted commas are used again here, to show which is the article, and
which is the periodical title.
It is sometimes needed to cite an issue by date, rather than part number, even if it has one, e.g.
Wood, Nick. 'Multiracial Study Pioneer in Grenada Coup'. Times Educational Supplement, 28th
October 1983, p.1.
45