CSC419: COMPUTER SCIENCE PROJECT

PROPOSAL WRITING GUIDELINE

By:

Dr. Makau Mutua S.

Department of Computer Science

Masinde Muliro University of Sc. & Tech.

- NOV., 2016 –
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1

Title Page............................................................................................................................................... 2

Preliminary Pages ................................................................................................................................. 3

Main Body ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Appendices ............................................................................................................................................ 8

Appendix I: Sample Title Page ............................................................................................................ 9

Appendix II: Sample Declaration/Certification Page .......................................................................10

Appendix III: Sample Abstract Page .................................................................................................11

i
Introduction
This document provides a guideline that students need to follow when writing their proposals. A
project proposal is a document that presents a detailed description of all the intended activities that
need to be undertaken in order to solve an identified problem. The proposal outlines all the steps
that need to put in place to successfully implement the project. As a result, the project/problem in
the proposal must have been properly investigated, ascertained and the potential solution well
thought out.

Herein the proposed format of the proposal document is presented. The proposal contains four
main parts which include;

 Title page
 Preliminary pages
 Main body
 Appendices

Each of these is explained in detail in the following sections.

Unless otherwise stated in the specific proposal parts, the document shall adopt a standard format
as enumerated;

 Font Style: Times New Roman

 Font Size: 12 points
 Spacing: 1.5
 Margins: Normal
 Page Size: A4

1
Title Page

The title page should indicate each of the following;

 Project title: - The title shall be written in Capital letters, centered with font size 12
 Student(s) name(s) and registration number(s): - The full names of the candidate shall
appear below the title separated by two lines in small bold letters. Below the name, the
candidate shall write his/her registration number. Both shall be center aligned and of size
14.
 Supervisor name: - This shall follow the candidate’s name separated by a single line and
preceded by the caption ‘Under Supervision of:’, then the full names and title of the
supervisor.
 Legend: - The following legend shall appear in the middle of the page;
“A project proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
(Insert the name of the degree) of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology”.
 Date of the project submission: - The date of submission shall appear below the legend in
the form of month and year.

The title page shall not be numbered. See Appendix I for an example

2
Preliminary Pages

Various preliminary pages shall appear immediate after the title page. All the preliminary pages
should be numbered using italic numbers and center aligned. These include;
 Declaration and Certification Page:-
This section shall be numbered as the first page of the document. It must contain two
main sections;
 A signed and dated declaration by the candidate with the following statement:
“This proposal is my original work prepared with no other than the indicated
sources and support and has not been presented elsewhere for a degree or any
other award.”
This shall be followed by the candidates name, registration number, signature and
date.
 A signed and dated certification by the University Supervisors with the following
statement;
“The undersigned certifies that he/she has read and hereby recommend for
acceptance of Computer Science Department in Masinde Muliro University of
Science and Technology a project proposal entitled…<your title here>………”
This shall be followed by the supervisor’s name, signature and date.
See Appendix II for sample of this.

 Abstract
An abstract of the project proposal not exceeding 500 words shall follow starting on a
new page. It must summarize the problem statement, proposal’s objectives, justification
and the intended approach to implement it. Below the last line of the abstract, 3 – 5
keywords of the proposal shall be written. All these should be justify aligned. See
Appendix III.

 Table of contents
A table comprising preliminaries, chapters, bibliography/references and appendices of
contents should follow the abstract, beginning on a new page. The table of contents

3
should let a reader know quickly and clearly how the proposal is organized. There must
be consistency in the use of headings and sub-headings in both the tables of contents and
the text.

 List of Tables (optional)

A list of tables should follow the table of contents, beginning on a separate page. Note
that this is only necessary if there exists some table(s) in your document.

 List of Figures (optional)

A list of figures should be on a separate page immediately after the list of tables if any
exists

 List of Abbreviations and Acronyms (optional)

A list of abbreviations and acronyms should immediately follow the list of figures on a
separate page if any

4
Main Body
The main body encompasses the context under which the developer arrived at the decision of
implementing such a project. It can mainly be divided into the following three chapters;

 Chapter One: Introduction

In this chapter a number of key areas must be addressed in order to build up the
need for the implementation of the project. Note that it needs to be clearly written,
concise and coherent in its flow. A captivating language needs to be embraced in
order to give the reader a reason to turn the pages without any prejudice.
The following subsections numbered as shown as expected herein;
- 1.1 Background Information
Here, the background under which the project was initiated need to be clearly
explained in prose form. It is good practice to cite other people’s works that
have motivated you to settle on such a project. Try as much as possible to write
what is only necessary while avoiding lots of copy pasting irrelevant stories.
Do not exceed two (2) A4 sized pages.

- 1.2 Problem Statement

This is one of the most important parts of any proposal. A problem statement
should provide an appropriate description of the specific problem(s) the project
seeks to address. It must not exceed a paragraph.
Due to its importance, it is always expected that a single statement can fully
explain the proposed project hence there is a dire need for clarity here. Avoid
ambiguous statements.

- 1.3 Objectives
The rule of thumb here is that objectives must be SMART; an acronym that
signifies Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound. Since
this is a project based work, the following four objectives shall be expected;
1. To analyze the …..
2. To design ….
3. To implement ……

5
4. To test the ……

- 1.4 Problem Justification

This section is expected to provide avid reasons why the system is a worth
investment to implement.

- 1.5 Scope of the Project

Clearly define what the system can/will do and what it can’t.

 Chapter Two: Literature Review

This chapter aims at acknowledging the works of other developers, researchers and
academicians who have provided literature in that specific domain. An appropriate
referencing style should be adopted. It is recommended that one starts from the
general concepts and narrows down to the specific areas. The strengths and
weaknesses of existing but related systems must be clearly explained. Like text,
any images and figures borrowed from other sources must be acknowledged.
A minimum of four (4) pages is expected.

 Chapter Three: Project Methodology

This chapter presents the intended approach for the implementation of the project.
The following subsections are expected;
- 3.1 Introduction
This is a single paragraph that provides a synopsis of the chapter.

- 3.2 Development Paradigm

Explain the software development approach adopted for the proposed works
and justify why that choice. These include such paradigms as waterfall model,
prototyping, spiral models, extreme programming among others.

- 3.3 System Requirements Specifications

6
Clearly explain the specific requirements that the proposed system will
implement. Document all the expected non-functional and functional
requirements of the system and present them using an appropriate requirements
specification approach like Use Cases. Further, the expected system’s data input
and output need to be clearly articulated for each module.

 References

Provide a list of all sources that you have cited in your work adopting the referencing
style utilized in the document

7
Appendices
Each of the appendices must be presented on a separate page. For a project proposal, at least two
appendices must be provided namely;

1. Appendix I: Budget
2. Appendix II: Project Schedule

8
Appendix I: Sample Title Page

SAMPLE PROJECT PROPOSAL TITLE

Student Name1 Name2

Under Supervision of:

Title Supervisor Name

“A project proposal submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor
of Science in Computer Science of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology”.

- Month, Year(yyyy) –

9
Appendix II: Sample Declaration/Certification Page

DECLARATION AND CERTIFICATION Commented [m1]: This shall be the page title

I declare that this proposal is my original work prepared with no other than the indicated sources
and support and has not been presented elsewhere for a degree or any other award.

Name: Sample Candidate Name Sign.:_______________________

Reg. No: xxxxx Date: ______________________

Certification

The undersigned certifies that he/she has read and hereby recommend for acceptance of Computer
Science Department in Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology a project proposal
entitled “Project Proposal Title”

Supervisor Name: His/Her Name Sign.:______________________

Date: ______________________

10
Appendix III: Sample Abstract Page

This is a sample project proposal abstract. Whereas students have written project proposals since
the inception of the department, there lacks a standard document to guide students on how to write
this important document. Consequently, this has resulted in a myriad of formats which renders it
difficult for assessors during the evaluation process. The goal of this document is to breach this Commented [m2]: Problem Statement and somehow
gap by providing a guideline that can be aid the students while easing the evaluation process. To justificatoin

ensure, the project coordinator herein proposes a document entitled ‘Computer Science Projects Commented [m3]: Solution to the problem
Proposal Writing Guideline’ for adoption in the department of Computer Science of Masinde Commented [m4]: Way to solve the problem
Muliro University of Science and Technology. Commented [m5]: Kindly note the justifcation

Keywords: Proposal, Guideline, Formats ….. Commented [m6]: Keywords

11