MRes Nanomaterials Course Booklet 2014 15

MRes in Nanomaterials
The Department of Chemistry

Imperial College London
Academic Year: 6th October 2014 30th September 2015
Some Important Dates

Some Important Dates
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Monday 6 October 2014

09.00 Onwards
MRes postgraduate welcome pack can be collected from Student
services centre, Room 258, Level 2, Chemistry building
14.00 14.45
Welcome Talk by Rector, Director of Graduate School and GSA Chair

(Great Hall, Level 2, Sherfield Building)
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Tuesday 7 October 2014

11.00 16.00
Freshers Fair (Student Union, South Kensington campus)
14.00 15.30
Welcome & Introduction to the Course (Postgraduate Common Room

231, Level 2, Chemistry)
16.00 onwards
Freshers Fair afterparty (Student Union, South Kensington Campus)
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Wednesday 8 October 2014

09.00 17.00
Sports Team Trials (Student Union, South Kensington campus)
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Thursday 9 October 2014

11.30 12.00
Hazard Explosion Lecture (Pippard Lecture Theatre, Level 5,
Sherfield Building)
Attendance Compulsory
12.00 13.00
Safety Talks - Primary Induction (Pippard Lecture Theatre, Level 5,

Sherfield Building)
14.00 16.30
Safety Talks Basic Laboratory Safety (Pippard Lecture Theatre,

Level 5, Sherfield Building)
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Friday 10 October 2014

14.00 17.00
Department of Chemistry Welcome Induction for all new MRes
Postgraduates (Room 231, Level 2, Chemistry)
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Saturday 11 October 2014

19.00 22.00
Postgraduate Mingle (Student Union, South Kensington campus)
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From Monday 13 October 2014

Lecture Courses begin (See timetable for specific times and locations)
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Friday 24 October 2014

Deadline 14.00
Hand in Project Preference Form to the MRes programme coordinator
Dr. Mike Ray (Room 258, Level 2, Chemistry)
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Week commencing Monday 27 October 2014

Projects confirmed and start
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Friday 5 December 2014

Deadline 14.00
Submit:
1) One electronic copy of Literature Report by email to Dr Mike Ray
by email (michael.ray@imperial.ac.uk)
2) One electronic copy of your Literature Report (as word or pdf
format) on Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment
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Monday 12 Friday 16 January 2015

Exam Week Exam dates and times to be confirmed.
MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15
Spring Term 2015

(Journal club; dates and times to be confirmed)
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Monday 6 Friday 10 April 2015

Materials Research Society (MRS) meeting, San Francisco,
California, USA. Followed by visits to research laboratories and
institutes.
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Monday 27 May 2015

Materials Characterisation Exam Exam time and venue to be
confirmed.
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Tuesday 5 Friday 8 May 2015

Exam Week Exam dates and times to be confirmed.
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Monday 24 August 2015

Deadline 14.00
Submit:
1) One electronic copy of Literature Report by email to Dr. Mike Ray
by email (michael.ray@imperial.ac.uk)
2) One electronic copy of your Literature Report (as word or pdf
September 2015 (Date and venue to be confirmed)
All day
MRes Symposium project presentations (date and venue to be
announced)
September 2015 (Date and venue to be confirmed)
External Examiners meeting (date and location to be confirmed)
You may be called to a viva by the external examiners so you must be
present in college for the whole day.
Important note: All dates and times can be subject to change at short notice and you
are thus well advised to check your college email account regularly (daily), as we will
use this to notify you of any changes to the above arrangements. The timetable is also
available through the outlook NM calendar.
CONTACTS
Those responsible for the general organisation of the course are;
Prof. Nicholas Harrison
Course Director & Chair Board
of Examiners
Dr. Saif Haque

Course Co-Director
Dr. Mike Ray

MRes Programme Coordinator
Room B339,
Bessemer Building
Ext 45884
nicholas.harrison@imperial.ac.uk
Room 164b, Level 1,

Chemistry Building
Ext 41886
s.a.haque@imperial.ac.uk
Room 258, Level 2,

Chemistry Building
Ext 50694
michael.ray@imperial.ac.uk
USEFUL WEBSITES
www.mrs.org
www.imperial.ac.uk/chemistry
www.london-nano.com
OTHER USEFUL LINKS

Assessment
Link to Academic and Examination regulations:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/proceduresandregulations/regulations
Link to religious obligations in assessments:

https://workspace.imperial.ac.uk/registry/Public/Exams/Exams%20and%20religious%20obligations.pdf
Procedures
The Colleges Regulations for Students:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/proceduresandregulations
Mitigation / extenuating circumstances policy and procedures:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/proceduresandregulations/policiesandprocedures/examinationassessment
Complaints and Appeals procedures:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/proceduresandregulations/policiesandprocedures/complaintsappeals
Academic integrity:
https://workspace.imperial.ac.uk/registry/Public/Procedures%20and%20Regulations/Policies%20and%20Proced
ures/Examination%20and%20Assessment%20Academic%20Integrity.pdf
Cheating offences policy and procedures:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/proceduresandregulations/policiesandprocedures/disciplinary
Employment
Link to the Policy on employment during studies:
https://workspace.imperial.ac.uk/registry/Public/Procedures%20and%20Regulations/Policies%20and%20Proced
ures/Student%20Employment%20During%20Studies.pdf
Welfare and Support

Information for students with disabilities, including the Disability Advisory Service:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/disabilityadvisoryservice
Other welfare and pastoral care /support resources both Departmental and College-wide
(e.g. College Tutors, Dean of Students, Counselling Service, Health Centre, NHS Dentist,
Student Hub, Chaplaincy, support for International Students inc. ELSP):
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/humanities/englishlanguagesupport
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/students/welfareandadvice
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/students/international
Information about the Library:

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/library
Student representation how to become a student representative:

https://www.imperialcollegeunion.org/representation
Details of Departmental/College Committees, including Staff-Student Committees.

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry/proceduresandregulations/qualityassurance/goodpractice
Other support services (e.g. Registry, Careers Advisory Service):

http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/registry
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/careers
Course synopsis:
Nanotechnology represents a fundamental change in the way we interact with the natural
world, and is set to deliver some of the major scientific and technological advances of the
new century. The massive global investment in nanotechnology means that scientists who
are trained to work effectively in an interdisciplinary environment bridging the diverse fields
of chemistry, physics, materials science and engineering will play a vital role in shaping the
future.
Combining interdisciplinary teaching with cutting edge research, Imperial College's flagship
Masters Degree in Nanomaterials is designed to train the next generation of
nanotechnologists. Imperial College is a world class research institution with internationally
leading expertise and facilities. Its nanomaterials course is a demanding one and
competition for places is intense. Academic excellence and a willingness to work in an
interdisciplinary environment are a prerequisite. You will carry out a major year long research
project, visit state-of-the-art research laboratories in industry and academia, and discuss
their work at a fully funded conference in the USA
Educational aims of the provision

1- Learning outcomes
The programme aims/objectives are to:
Produce physical sciences postgraduates equipped to pursue careers in
nanomaterials science in academia, industry, the public sector and nongovernmental organisations;
Develop the ability to undertake research in multidisciplinary teams at this interface;
Develop a knowledge of a range of basic and advanced nanomaterials concepts;
Develop research and analytical skills related to nanomaterials research;
Develop oral and written scientific presentation skills;
Attract the most motivated physical sciences graduates, both from the UK and
overseas;
Develop new areas of teaching in response to the advance of scholarship and the
needs of vocational training.
Considering the above aims, the main outcome of the programme is to provide opportunities
for postgraduate students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding,
qualities, skills and other attributes in the following areas:
A) Knowledge and understanding of:
1. Core concepts in nanomaterials semi conductor nanostructures,
supramolecular chemistry, optical and electrical properties, nanotubes and
computational techniques.
2. Specialised concepts in nanomaterials molecular nanobiotechnology, colloidal
semiconductors, advanced materials characterisation techniques, patterning
techniques, photonic and optoelectronic applications, theory modelling and
simulation of nanomaterials.
3. Research techniques, including information retrieval, experimental design and
statistics, modelling, materials characterisation techniques, and laboratory safety.
4. Detailed knowledge and understanding of the essential facts, concepts, principles
and theories relevant to the students project.
5. Management and communication skills, including problem definition, project

design, decision processes, teamwork, written and oral reports, scientific
publications
Teaching/learning methods and strategies
Acquisition of A1 to A5 is through a combination of lectures, seminars, coursework and
research. Throughout the course, the students are encouraged to undertake independent
reading both to supplement and consolidate what is being taught/learnt and to broaden their
individual knowledge and understanding of the subject. Assessment of the knowledge base
is through a combination of unseen written examinations, (A12), coursework exercises and
assessed project work (A35).
B) Intellectual skills. To be able to:
1. Analyse and solve problems in nanomaterials science using an integrated
multidisciplinary approach.
2. Integrate and evaluate information.
3. Formulate and test hypotheses using appropriate experimental design and
analysis of data.
4. Plan, conduct and write-up a programme of original research.
Intellectual skills are developed through the teaching and learning methods outlined above.
Experimental design skills are developed in lectures and subsequently in the individual
research project. Individual, formative and summative feedback is given to students by the
project team. The feedback on the project synopsis / research plan submitted in November
provides important summative feedback on student progress. Assessment is through
research project plan, unseen written examinations and the individual research project.
C) Practical skills
1. Plan and execute safely a series of experiments.
2. Use laboratorybased methods to generate data.
3. Analyse experimental results and determine their strength and validity.
4. Prepare technical reports.
5. Give technical presentations.
6. Use the scientific literature effectively.
7. Use computational tools and packages
Practical skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme outlined above.
Practical experimental skills (C1 to C3) are developed through project work. Skills C4 and C5
are taught and developed through feedback on reports written and presentations made as
part of the coursework assignments. Skill C6 is developed through the project
synopsis/research plan, presentation workshops and supervised research project. Skill C7 is
taught and developed through project work. Practical skills are assessed through the project
synopsis / research plan and the research project dissertation and talk.
D) Transferable skills
1. Communicate effectively through oral presentations, computer processing and
presentations, written reports and scientific publications.
2. Apply statistical and modelling skills.
3. Management skills: decision processes, objective criteria, problem definition,
project design and evaluation, risk management, teamwork and coordination.
4. Integrate and evaluate information from a variety of sources.
5. Transfer techniques and solutions from one discipline to another.
6. Use information and communications technology.
7. Manage resources and time.
8. Learn independently with open-mindedness and critical enquiry.
9. Learn effectively for the purpose of continuing professional development
Transferable skills are developed through the teaching and learning programme outlined
above and in section 11. Skill D1 is taught through coursework and developed through
feedback on assessed reports and oral presentations. Skill D2 is taught through lectures and
practical work and developed, as appropriate, during individual research project. Skill D3 is
developed in the research team meetings (eg biweekly) and by putting together a project
synopsis/research plan. Skill D4 is developed through feedback on a research project plan.
Skill D5 is a core activity of the research projects and is additionally taught in lectures. Skill
D6 is taught in lectures developed through project work and individual learning. Skill D7 is
developed throughout the course within a framework of staged coursework deadlines.
Although not explicitly taught, skills D8 and D9 are encouraged and developed throughout
the course, which is structured and delivered in such a way as to promote this. An example
is the student participation in an international research conference during the course.
2 MRes in Nanomaterials programme structure, features and assessment

The programme is only offered as a fulltime, oneyear course and leads to the MRes
degree. The taught element of the course begins with a lecture programme of core courses
mostly in the first term (OctoberDecember) and continues in the second term
(JanuaryMarch) with advanced lectures. The core courses are examined in January and the
advanced lectures are examined in February. For skills development, the students are
required to make (unassessed) oral presentations on research in the scientific literature. In
October students choose a 10 month (NovemberAugust) multidisciplinary research project.
They present an assessed literature report and project plan on the topic of their research in
November, a final report in August and an assessed talk on their research at the MRes
Symposium in September. The pass mark for taught and research elements, and the overall
pass mark, is 50%. The research and taught elements contribute 60% and 40% to the total
mark, respectively; students are required to pass both taught and research elements for a
successful completion of the course. There are grade boundaries for pass (50%), merit
(60%) and distinction (70%). Students obtaining marks within 2.5% of a grade boundary may
be called to an oral viva by the external examiners at their discretion.
2.1 Autumn Term (October-December):

Students choose 3 possible research projects after discussion with academic staff in the first
three weeks. They are allocated a project from this selection at the end of October. Under
the supervision of their project team they start researching and writing their project
synopsis/research plan, to be submitted in November. Students start their core courses,
which cover the following topics, given in 5 lecture modules: (i) Theory of Nanoscale
Structures; (ii) Characterisation of Nanomaterials; (iii) Biological Chemistry of Nanomaterials;
(iv) Nanomaterials for Solar Energy; (v) Nanotubes and Nanorods. The students will have
the opportunity to present scientific work from the literature at presentational workshops.
2.2 Spring Term (January-March):

At the beginning of the second term students are examined in two papers on the core lecture
courses. Students will by this time already have spent time on their research projects. The
will also attend a laboratory course and assessment on nanomaterials characterisation. The
students will attend eight two hour advanced lectures on the following topics:
Cellular Nanobiotechnology (A. Cass)
Colloidal Semiconductors (J. de Mello)
Organic electronic Materials (S Haque)
Nanofluidics (N. Quirke)
Single Molecule Detection (J. Edel)
Nanomechanics (F. Giuliani)
New Tools to measure Microscopic Viscosity (M. Kuimova)
Design & Synthesis of Semiconducting Polymers (M. Heeney)
2.3 Summer Term (April-September):

Project assessment in September is based on a written dissertation and a scientific talk in
early September. Students obtaining marks within 2.5 % of a grade boundary may be called
to viva by the external examiners at their discretion.
2.4 Assessment
The assessment rules & degree classification for the programme will be:
Minimum standards in each element and assessed component will be required

with an overall pass mark of 50%.
To qualify for the award of MRes, students will have to complete all the course
requirements and must achieve an overall pass mark in each assessed component.
This includes the combined taught elements (written examinations) and research
elements (literature report & project plan, research project report, project oral
presentation) of the course.
The percentage weighting of marks contributing to the degree are given in the
following table:
Taught Element
(40 %)
Core Courses
(Exams)
Assessed
Component
Materials
Characterisation
Course (Course
work & Exam)
Advanced
Lectures Journal
Club
Percentage
weighting of
marks
contributing to
degree
Research
Element
(60%)
Percentage
weighting of
marks
contributing to
degree
20 %
Literature
Report &
Project Plan
9%
5%
Research
Project Report
42 %
15 %
Project Oral
Presentation
9%
Summary of grades, marks and their interpretation for the MRes degree classification:
GRADE
Distinction
Merit
Pass
Fail
MARKS
70% - 100%
60% - 69.9
50% - 59.5%
0% - 49.9%
INTERPRETATION
Marks represent a distinction performance
Marks represent a merit performance
Marks represent a pass
Marks represent a fail performance at MRes level
Distinction: to be awarded where a candidate has achieved:

either: an aggregate mark of 70 per cent or greater across the programme as a
whole, comprising a mark of 70 per cent or greater in each element;
or a mark of 70 per cent or greater across the programme as a whole, with a mark of
70 per cent or greater in each element with the exception of one element, for which a
mark of 60 per cent or greater must have been obtained.
Merit: to be awarded where a candidate has achieved:
either: an aggregate mark of 60 per cent or greater across a programme as a whole,
comprising a mark of 60 per cent or greater in each element;
or: has obtained a mark of 60 per cent or greater across a programme as a whole,
with a mark of 60 per cent or greater in each element with the exception of one
element, for which a mark of 50 per cent or greater has been obtained.
Pass: to be awarded where a candidate has achieved an aggregate mark of 50 per
cent or greater across a programme as a whole, comprising a mark of 50 per cent or
greater in each element.
Fail: to be awarded where a candidate has achieved an aggregate mark of 49.9 per
cent or less across a programme as a whole, comprising a mark of 49.9 per cent or
less in each element.
At the end of the course an external examiner will assess the examination process. The date
of this meeting is TBC, but all students must be present for this day. Students that are
either at boundaries between grades (i.e. pass/failure or pass/distinction) or have failed one
or more components of the course are likely to get an additional oral examination (viva). A
prize will be awarded to the highest performing student.
3 Research Components of Course

The major element of the research component of this course is a 10-month long
multidisciplinary research project. A literature report & project proposal will be presented at
the end of November, a summary of your research written in the form of a Research Project
Report will be submitted in August and a research talk will be given at the MRes
nanomaterials symposium shortly after this submission date (see above). All these assessed
elements make up the research component of the course (see below for further details of the
weighting of these elements).
3.1 Literature Report & Project Plan (submission deadline: 2pm, Friday 5th
December 2014)
The literature report is to be written in the first two months of the course. It is expected to be
a detailed and realistic project plan including a literature review. Your aim is to produce a
piece of publishable original research. The report can be a maximum of 30 pages and
include headings as follows:
Background
o Place the problem in context.
o Why is it worth doing?
o Likely impact of solution.
Current State of the Art
o What has been done, is known etc.?
o Who are the major groups worldwide?
o What are the major gaps in knowledge?
o Available methodologies.
Detailed Project Plan
o Objectives.
o What will you do, how will you do it?
Gantt Chart
o Tasks and timelines.
o Milestones to the end of August 2014
The literature report and project plan will be marked by both supervisors and moderated by
the course directors. The written style, standard of presentation, completeness of literature
survey and analysis of literature are assessed. The rationale for the proposed research will
also be marked, to ensure an understanding of the aims and objectives of the proposed
research.
The Department and College take plagiarism very seriously. Do not plagiarise. You must
read and comply with the Chemistry Department Policy on Plagiarism:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/chemistry/teaching/undergraduateteaching/materials/plagiarism
A copy of the Plagiarism Form (included at the end of this booklet) should be submitted with
your Literature Report.
Students are required to submit the following by the specified deadline:
1)
One electronic copy (pdf) of Literature Report by email to the MRes
programme coordinator Dr. Mike Ray (michael.ray@imperial.ac.uk)
2)
One electronic copy of your Literature Report (as word document
Failure to do so will result in a penalty. 5% of the awarded mark will be deducted
for each day of delay.
3.2 Research Project Report (submission deadline: 2pm, Monday 24th August 2015)
The research project report should be a succinct, but complete account of your
achievements up to a maximum of 60 pages in length. Your report should follow the
guidelines laid out below:
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Introduction
o Place your research in the context of the current state of the art.
o Identify the significant advance(s) in knowledge you are aiming for.
Methodology
o Explain and justify the approach you have chosen.
o Ensure that your work can be repeated.
Results/Discussion
o Summarise your key results.
o Discuss your results in the context of previous work.
o Identify the advances in methodology and knowledge that have been made.
Conclusions & Future Work

o Summarise your key findings.
o Outline the next steps to extend or exploit your research.
The research project reports will be marked by both supervisors as well as by one other
independent marker, moderated by the course directors. The purpose of the project proposal
is to test independent work. The written style, standard of presentation, completeness of
literature survey and analysis of literature are assessed. The rationale for the proposed
research will also be marked, to ensure an understanding of the aims and objectives of the
proposed research.
A copy of the Plagiarism Form (included at the end of this booklet) should be submitted with
your Literature Report.
Students are required to submit the following by the specified deadline:
1)
One electronic copy (pdf) of manuscript by email to the MRes
programme coordinator Dr. Mike Ray (michael.ray@imperial.ac.uk)
2)
One electronic copy of your manuscript (word format) on Blackboard
Virtual Learning Environment (instructions on how to upload are given
towards the end of this booklet)
Failure to do so will result in a penalty. 5% of the awarded mark will be deducted
for each day of delay.
3.3 Oral presentation at MRes symposium (September 2015)

The oral presentation will further test understanding of the research undertaken. Each
student will be examined by an independent marker and at least one (but preferably two) of
their supervisors. The MRes symposium is a meeting for all the students attending the MRes
in nanomaterials. It provides an opportunity to present the work carried out during the
research project (in the form of a presentation with 5 minutes questions), and also the
opportunity to hear about research carried out by your fellow cohort.
4 Taught Components of Course

4.1 Core Lectures
Solar Energy (4.P1)
8 lectures
Prof. Durrant (j.durrant@imperial.ac.uk)
This course will address the use of solar energy as a renewable energy source. The course
will start with a brief comparison of different renewable energy technologies. It will then cover
11
three different approaches to solar energy conversion: photovoltaics, the conversion of

sunlight to electrical power, focusing in particular upon molecular based solar cells;
photocatalysis, the use of sunlight in environmental remediation; and finally on
photosynthesis, the use of sunlight to generate chemical fuels, focusing primarily on plant
photosynthesis but also covering chemical approaches to artificial photosynthesis.
Particular attention will be paid to recent research in these areas, including in particular the
use of nanostructured materials, and consideration of photosynthetic enzymes as molecular
machines.
Nanotubes (4.I4)
8 lectures
Prof. Shaffer (m.shaffer@imperial.ac.uk)
This course will discuss the structure, synthesis, properties and applications of a range of
high aspect ratio nanoparticles. The focus will initially be on carbon nanotubes but will move
on to discuss other types of tubular materials, based both on carbon (such as nanopeapods) and other layer materials (eg BN, WS2), as well as solid nanorods of metals and,
in particular, compound semiconductors.
Biological chemistry (3.O2)

7 lectures plus 1 hour of problem class
Prof. Cass (t.cass@imperial.ac.uk)
The structures of biological molecules, illustrating how analytical and spectroscopic
techniques help us to understand the nature of these complex systems. The primary,
secondary, tertiary and quaternary structures of proteins, DNA, and RNA. Complex
oligosaccharide architecture and (briefly) lipids and their complex phase behaviour. This
course is a foundation for the final year of Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry as well as an
invaluable biological chemistry background for students wishing to enter synthetic organic
chemistry as their main study option.
The theory, modelling and simulation of nanoscale systems (4.P3)

8 lectures
Prof. Harrison (nicholas.harrison@imperial.ac.uk)
One of the fascinating features of nanoscale systems is the pervasive impact of quantum
phenomena. This course will give an introduction to the important conceptual models used to
understand electronic states at the nanoscale and to explore how new chemistry emerges
from them. Topics covered will include the quantization of conductance, interaction of
molecules with surfaces, the operation of scanning tunneling microscopes and the
behaviours of quantum optical devices. This material will help to fill the gap between basic
course work and the current research literature.
And..
Materials Characterisation (MSE 302) Materials Department

24 lectures
Dr. Stephen Skinner, Dr. Michelle Moram, Mr. Richard Chater and Mr. Richard
Sweeney
This course is designed to give students a firm foundation in the fundamentals of Materials
Characterisation required in particular for their research project. The mission of Materials
Characterisation is to explain the use of advanced techniques for the study of structureproperty relationships in materials. The course builds on the basic knowledge of materials
chemistry and physics and details the theory and practical application of key techniques:
Electron Microscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, Scanning Probe
Microscopy and Thermal Analysis.
12
4.2 Advanced Lectures Journal Club
Cellular Nanobiotechnology (A. Cass)

Colloidal Semiconductors (J. de Mello)
Organic electronic Materials (S Haque)
Nanofluidics (N. Quirke)
Single Molecule Detection (J. Edel)
New Tools to measure Microscopic Viscosity (M. Kuimova)
Design & Synthesis of Semiconducting Polymers (M. Heeney)
This lecture course is taught in the Spring term and is assessed by the advanced Journal
Club which will take place in March 2015. The students would be divided into groups of 3
and provided with a seminal high impact paper from the advanced lectures and expected to
work together as a group and produce a presentation no longer than 30 mins, with up to
10 mins questions to follow. Each group member is expected to present a roughly equal
proportion of the material. You will be expected to read all papers in advance of the session
regardless of whether you are presenting or not. As one group presents, another is expected
to prepare some questions in advance and lead the Q&A session.
In addition to the key content of the paper (results, methods, etc.) you will be expected to
present the background and put the paper into context in its field (e.g. unique features,
advance on previous work, competing techniques, conflicting data, papers that have
cited the paper since it was published, etc.), as well as critically assess the conclusions and
data.
This is an assessed transferable skills course, which aims to develop presentation skills,
whilst encouraging scientific debate, and providing the opportunity to broaden scientific
knowledge. You will be assessed on:
Presentation: organisation of material, quality of slides, delivery, keeping to time.
Science: Selection of material, clarity of explanation at a level that can be
understood by the MRes student audience, insight into the paper and evidence of
reading around the subject.
Integration: flow and complementarity to other sections of the presentation delivered
by the other group members.
Questions: this mark is awarded to the presenting group as a whole according to
how well questions from the audience are answered.
5 Additional compulsory, non-assessed components of the course:

5.1 Monthly Project Meetings (Throughout the year, Nov 2014 July 2015)
The whole cohort will be expected to gather once a month for brief oral reports and
discussion of the research projects. These meetings are designed to be informal allowing all
of you to share your experiences. One of the course directors will usually be in attendance.
5.2 External Examiners Meeting (September 2015)

Important: You may be called to a viva by the external examiners on the day of the external
examiners meeting (exact date to be arranged) so you must be in college on this day.
5.3 Research seminars and colloquia (Throughout the year, Oct 2014 Jul 2015)
Regular research seminars given by leaders in particular fields are organised by the
Chemistry department, and attendance is expected. Details will be sent via email.
6 Professional Development for Masters students

6.1 Introduction
13
An Imperial College Masters degree provides students with high quality, discipline specific
training. To complement this we wish to ensure that all Masters students obtain generic
skills training with a view to providing skills relevant both for their degree and for future
employment. It is recognised that there is excellent practice with respect to professional
development skills embedded within many Masters courses. In addition, many Masters
courses make use of the current MasterClasses provided by the Graduate School while
others benefit from the professional development skills courses developed for our doctoral
students. However what is currently lacking is a formalised College-wide approach to the
generic skills training for all our Masters students. Following the recent College review of
transferable skills it has been decided that all Masters students at Imperial should receive
professional development training with a view to particularly developing:
Reflective independent learning

Critical thinking
Communication of complex ideas
Interdisciplinary awareness
Project and time management
Flexibility and ability to manage complexity
Networking skills
6.2 MasterClasses
Currently the Graduate School runs a series of MasterClasses at the South Kensington,
Hammersmith and Silwood Park Campuses. These are normally in the form of 90 minute
lectures held over lunchtime. The current MasterClasses are :
o Note-taking and Efficient Reading
o Research Skills and Reference Management
o Preparing and Writing a Literature Review
o Stress Management
o Academic Writing
o Developing your Career through Networking
o Interview Skills
o Job Search with a Difference
o Informational Posters - Layout and Design.
o Interpersonal Skills
o Negotiating Skills
From October 2012 courses will also be run at the St Marys Campus, and will be reviewed
in order to incorporate sufficient emphasis on Personal Effectiveness, Networking and
Verbal Communication.
6.3 E-learning tools

The Graduate School is in the process of setting up a dedicated website for Masters
students. This will contain information on the courses available to Masters students as well
as links to information on the support and advice available for Course Directors. This site will
also contain links to existing e-learning tools which are of relevance to at least some of our
Masters students. There is an excellent on-line maths and statistics tool which will be
available on Blackboard and additional courses are being developed. In addition the Masters
e-learning technologist will be developing specific tools on plagiarism. New e-learning tools
may be developed in consultation with specific Course Directors. We also have two DVDs
covering presentation skills and oral examination skills.
Although the PDU is able to help substantially in the development and delivery of generic
skills course, it will be the responsibility of the Course Director to arrange training in skills
specific to a particular Masters programme.
6.4 Careers Advisory Service (CAS)

14
Each year in October and again in January, the CAS hold a lunchtime talk aimed mainly at
incoming Masters students on Working in the UK. In addition, there are some specific
whole day workshops for Masters students to provide last minute help and advice on job
hunting. The CAS also provides bespoke careers advice sessions to individual Masters
courses which are delivered at different College campuses. If a Course Director feels their
students could benefit from such a course then they can contact the CAS directly to arrange
a session.
Students are strongly encouraged to take transferable skills courses given by the Graduate
School at Imperial College London. For more information on the courses available please
see:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/gseps/transferableskillscourses
15
Student responsibilities
The MRes course is a postgraduate assignment and as such is not following undergraduate
timing. There is no term-free time in this course. Students should be aware that their bursary
is for a full-time employment up to the end of September 2014. Any holidays or sick-leave
will have to be taken at the discretion of the supervisors, but should under no
circumstances be taken in the examination periods of January 2015, March May
2015.
It is mandatory to attend all scheduled lectures, seminars, courses and exams. Missing an
exam without any support by a doctors notice for the day of the exam will count as failure. It
is the responsibility of the student to ensure that sufficient time is allocated for the exam and
write-up preparation.
Students will be assigned to a personal tutor, who should be the first contact in all matters
concerning problems with the supervision of the projects or other pastoral difficulties. The
administrator of the MRes course, Dr. Mike Ray, will be the point of contact for all
administrative or logistic issues. Once these channels have been exhausted matters should
be raised with the MRes course directors, Prof. Nicholas Harrison and Dr. Saif Haque.
Students are expected to organise, conduct and present their research project in an
independent fashion. The supervisory role is to guide and advise the student intellectually as
well as technically, but it is not the supervisors responsibility to do the thinking or the work
for the student. All projects should have at least two project supervisors. Both supervisors
should be approached for guidance. It is the students responsibility to make an effort and
seek contact with their supervisors on a regular basis.
In order to pass the course successfully students have to pass all assessed components of
the course. This includes the written exams, the literature report & project plan, the final
research project report and the oral presentation. Failing in one of the components could
lead to a failure of the whole course.
At the end of the course an external examiner will assess the examinations process. All
students have to be present for this day. Students that are either at boundaries between
marks (i.e. pass/failure or merit/distinction) or have failed one or more components of the
course are likely to get an additional oral examination (viva) that will determine their final
mark.
Students should seek guidance with respect to their research project report and literature
report & project plan from their corresponding supervisors, since they will be involved in the
marking. After completion of the literature report & project plan students should seek
feedback from their corresponding supervisors to foster the improvement of their final
research project report.
Students are required to submit an electronic version of the final report to their supervisors.
Additionally, they must hand over all notes, lab-books, results, computer programmes etc to
their supervisors.
16
Imperial College London

Criteria for Assessment of Exam answers
The assessment will take into consideration the teaching of the subject and the type of problems and
tasks set. Allowance is made for what is reasonably achievable under examination conditions.
Percentage
Grade
Criteria
85-100
Exceptional. Originality, critical/analytical ability ** and evidence of

outside reading is expected. The presentation of the subject
combines conciseness and exemplary understanding of all relevant
concepts and facts.
70-84
Excellent. As for Exceptional, but not fully achieving one of them.
60-69
Very Good. Provides a clear and accurate account of the relevant

knowledge, concepts and facts. Evidence of some outside reading
and critical/analytical ability **.
55-59
Good. Provides a mainly accurate account of the basic concepts

covering at least half of the relevant taught material, but is marred by
significant errors.
50-54
Adequate. Provides only a minimal account of the basic concepts

covering at least a third of the relevant taught material, but is marred
by major errors.
35-49
Unsatisfactory. Provides only a vague account covering less than a

third of the relevant taught material and indicates a confused
understanding of the subject.
20-34
Provides only a vague understanding of some concepts and facts

covering about a quarter of the expected material. Presentation is
dominated by inaccurate or irrelevant material.
10-19
A maximum of three relevant facts (sentences) are presented.
1-9
0
Answer includes at most one relevant fact (sentence)

Answer contains nothing correct that is relevant to question. Mark to
be given where the work is discovered not to be that of the candidate
(plagiarised). Further disciplinary action is usually taken in cases of
plagiarism.
** Analytical = assessing a hypothesis or statement by breaking it down into its elements

and examining their inter-relationships and contribution to the whole; cf. Critical = judging
a hypothesis or conclusion by examining the validity of the evidence adduced for it.
17
Guidelines for Marking MRes Literature Report & Project Plan

th
The following should be submitted on or before 14.00 Friday 5 December 2014:
1)
One electronic copy (pdf) of Literature Report by email to the MRes programme
coordinator Dr. Mike Ray (michael.ray@imperial.ac.uk)
2)
One electronic copy of your Literature Report (as word document format) on
Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment (instructions on how to upload are given
later in this booklet)
Reports will be marked independently by both supervisors and the independent marker. The
purpose of the project proposal is largely to test the student's ability to work independently.
The report should be at a postgraduate level. Reports should have a minimum of 15,000
words and not exceed 20,000 words excluding figures and references and not exceed 40
word processed pages including figures and references (equivalent to Arial, 11pt, 1.5 lines
spaced). The report should include an abstract, bibliography, literature survey and a
proposal for the work to be carried out during the research project. The word count of the
thesis should be given on the title page.
When writing the following marking criteria should be borne in mind.
Written style/Presentation
Is the project well written and presented (typewritten, bound, organisational figures,
formatting etc) and clearly explained?
The report should be concise and complete (thorough and informative)
Are the references listed actually referred to or discussed in the text? Is the abstract
an accurate description of the contents?
Is the project the candidates own work, written in their own words?
Is the format up to publication standard?
Literature survey
Is the literature survey thorough and complete?

Are important references missing?
Are all relevant subjects (biological context and physical/technical aspects)
sufficiently covered?
A mechanical copy of existing material is not acceptable.
Analysis of literature
The student should show ability to compare and contrast the relevant literature in all
subject areas.
The student should present a coherent story throughout the report.
Has the student made a good selection of material where choices exist or where the
sources are voluminous?
For a first class proposal, original input is expected
Rationale of proposal
Is the proposed works relationship to other work in the literature clear?

Aims and objectives should be clearly justified.
Is the choice of methodology clear and is it justified?
A copy of the Plagiarism Form (found at the end of this booklet) should be submitted with
your Literature Report. Any evidence of plagiarism will have serious consequences
according to College rules.
18
Imperial College London The Department of Chemistry

MRES Literature Report & Project Plan ASSESSMENT: 2014-15
Student's Name:
Title of Report:
Report Due:
Received:
Supervisor(s):
MARKS:
Criterion
Supervisor 1 Mark
Supervisor 2 Mark
Literature review
/40
/40
Project plan and Gant chart
/40
/40
Prose and Presentation
/20
/20
Total Mark
/100
/100
Signed:
Date:
MRES Directors Review

Agreed Mark:
Final Mark:
Comment:
Signed:
Notes
Literature Report & Project Plan to be assessed out of 100%. Where the supervisors disagree about the
merit of the report the Course Director (Prof Nic Harrison) and/or Co-ordinator (Dr Saif Haque) will
adjudicate. Final marks are issued by the Course Director.
Comments to Examiners (Please write comments overleaf for feedback to students)
Comments for Student
19

Criteria for Assessment of Literature Report & Project Plan
Account is taken of the nature of the work proposed, critical analysis of the relevant
literature, the proposed work and what is reasonably achievable in the timescale of the
course.
Percentage
Grade
Criteria
85-100
Exceptional. Outstanding analysis of the relevant literature showing publishing

standard in quality and quantity. Evidence of originality, high critical/analytical
ability.** Competent assessment of the limitations of the proposed research and
the significance of research (putting the work in context).
70-84
60-69
Very Good. Complete and accurate presentation of the literature and research
proposal showing a clear understanding of the background by. Demonstrates
critical/analytical ability** including an assessment of the limitations of the
proposed work and the significance of the research.
55-59
Good. Accurate account and presentation of most of the background and

proposed work. Demonstrates critical/analytical ability** including an assessment
of the potential limitations of the proposed work and the significance of the
research, but has significant errors of interpretation.
50-54
Adequate. Basic account and presentation of the background, experimental

procedures and proposed research. Demonstrates some critical/analytical ability**
including an assessment of the significance of the research, but has major errors
or omissions.
35-49
Unsatisfactory. Confused and incomplete account and presentation of the

background, limited understanding of the proposed work. Presence of errors of
interpretation or factual mistakes.
20-34
Vague and seriously inadequate account and presentation of the proposed work
with substantial omissions and errors. Very poor review of literature.
10-19
Mainly incorrect and incompetent literature survey and research proposal

demonstrating only few relevant thoughts.
1-9
Incorrect and incompetent literature survey and research proposal containing

nothing of relevance.
Work not handed in. Mark given where the work presented is discovered not to be
that of the candidate (plagiarised). Further disciplinary action is usually taken in
cases of plagiarism.

20

Research Project Report Guidelines
Please read all the following guidelines carefully.
The following should be submitted on or before 14:00 Monday 24th August 2015.
One signed Plagiarism Form
An electronic copy of your manuscript (PDF) sent via email to the the MRes
programme coordinator Dr. Mike Ray.
An electronic copy of your manuscript (in Word format) uploaded onto Blackboard
virtual learning environment.
Report format
The report should present your MRes project research achievements (both positive and
negative). The report should not be any longer than 60 pages in length.
Note that you are expected to consult your supervisors for advice on preparing your research
manuscript; your supervisors and their groups have long experience of preparing reports and
papers for publication, so take advantage of their expertise early in the process. You have
read many papers during your MRes to date, so you should be very familiar with how data
and information are presented.
The Report should include the following sections (further divided into subheadings wherever
needed to enhance readability):
Title
The manuscript should have a concise title directed at the general reader. Please note that
abbreviations in the title should be avoided.
Author names
As author of this manuscript, you should be the first author listed. Full names should be
given. Please also list your supervisors as the co-authors.
Abstract
The paper must include an abstract which is a summary (50-350 words) setting out briefly
and clearly the main objects and results of the work; it should give the reader a clear idea of
what has been achieved. The summary should be essentially independent of the main text;
however, names, partial names or linear formulae of compounds may be accompanied by
the numbers referring to the corresponding displayed formulae in the body of the text.
Please do not cite references in the abstract.
Keywords
You should list three to ten keywords representing the main content of the article.
Introduction
This should give clearly and briefly, with relevant references, both the nature of the problem
under investigation and its background.
Methodology
Descriptions of experiments should be given in detail sufficient to enable experienced
experimental workers to repeat them.
Descriptions of established procedures are unnecessary. Standard techniques and methods
used throughout the work should be stated at the beginning of the section. Apparatus should
be described only if it is non-standard; commercially available instruments are referred to by
21
their stock numbers (e.g. Perkin-Elmer 457 or Varian HA-100 spectrometers). The accuracy
of primary measurements should be stated.
Results and Discussion
It is usual for the results to be presented first, followed by a discussion of their significance.
You are marked both on the clarity and conciseness of your report. Therefore only relevant
results should be presented and figures, tables, and equations should be used for purposes
of clarity. This can include the use of flow diagrams and reaction schemes. Supporting
information and data should be included in the supplementary section of your submission.
Conclusions & Future Work
This section should state the main conclusions of your research project, and give a clear
explanation of their importance and relevance. It should be used to highlight the novelty and
significance of the work and how it sits relative to the state of the art in the field.
Acknowledgements
Contributors other than co-authors (i.e. supervisors) may be acknowledged in a separate
paragraph at the end of the paper; acknowledgements should be as brief as possible. All
sources of funding should be declared.
Bibliographic references and notes
These should be listed at the end of the report in numerical order.
Details regarding the format of the bibliography are given below. Note that the names of
journals or their abbreviations should be written in italics.
Style and presentation

Brevity
Your report should be written clearly and concisely. Repetition or embellishment with
unnecessary words or phrases should be avoided. Excessive use of diagrams and
duplication of data in text, tables and figures is discouraged.
Grammar and spelling
Standard English or American spelling may be used but consistency should be maintained
throughout the document.
Abbreviations
The use of common or standard abbreviations is encouraged. If non-standard abbreviations
must be used these should be defined at the first use.
Illustration and figures
Preparation of graphics
Graphics to be embedded in the report should fit within either single column (8.3 cm) or
double column (17.1 cm) width, and must be no longer than one page.
Schemes and structures should be drawn to make best use of single and double
column widths. Lettering used in graphics should be legible at the required size (e.g.
7 point Arial font or Helvetica if Arial is unavailable)
The format of units in graphics should conform to IUPAC convention and be
consistent with those used in the paper
Insets in images should be avoided where possible. However, if insets are used there
is no need to shrink down the size of the text, axes labels and symbols in the inset.
These should be the same size as in the main graph so that they are readable.
Chemical Structures
Structural formulae should ideally be prepared with chemistry drawing software (e.g.
ChemDraw, ChemWindows, ISIS/Draw).
Figure Legends
22
Figure legends should be included underneath each figure. Each legend should include a
figure number (in sequence using Arabic numerals i.e. Figure 1, 2, 3 etc); short title of the
figure (maximum 15 words); detailed legend, up to 300 words.
Tables and Table legends
Each table should be numbered and cited in sequence using Arabic numerals (i.e. Table 1,
2, 3 etc). Tables should have a title (above the table) that summarises the whole table; it
should be no longer than 15 words). Detailed legends may then follow, but should be
concise.
Bibliographic references
You are assessed on your command of the literature. Therefore you should ensure that you
adequately cite the relevant literature throughout your report. Around 50 references might be
expected for a report of this length, with further references included in the supplemental
data.
You are required to make use of reference managing software (e.g. EndNote) to standardise
your bibliography. All references must be numbered consecutively, in brackets, in the order
in which they are cited in the text (including those in tables and figure captions, which should
be numbered according to where the table or figure is designated to appear).
The references themselves should be listed at the end of the text, as indicated in the
template. The names and initials of all authors are always given in the reference; they must
not be replaced by the phrase et al. Examples of the report reference style are given below,
and must be adhered to.
Journals
The style of journal abbreviations to be used here is as defined in Chemical Abstracts
Service
Source
Index
(CASSI).
See
http://www.cas.org/expertise/cascontent/caplus/corejournals.html
If you cannot locate an authoritative abbreviation for a journal, and if it is not obvious how the
title should be abbreviated, please cite the full title.
Bibliographic details should be cited in the order: year, volume, page. Where page numbers
are not yet known, articles should be cited by DOI (Digital Object Identifier), e.g. A. R.
Jones, Dalton Trans., 2005, DOI: 10.1039/B503459J.
Article within a journal
Koonin EV, Altschul SF, Bork P., Nat Genet 1996, 13: 266-267
Books
J. Barker, in Catalyst Deactivation, ed. B. Delmon and C. Froment, Elsevier, Amsterdam,
2nd edn., 1987, vol. 1, ch. 4, pp. 253-255.
Patents
Br. Pat., 357 450, 1986. US Pat., 1 171 230, 1990.
Reports and bulletins, etc.
R. A. Allen, D. B. Smith and J. E. Hiscott, Radioisotope Data, UKAEA Research Group
Report AERE-R 2938, H.M.S.O., London, 1961.
Material presented at meetings
H. C. Freeman, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference on Coordination
Chemistry, Toulouse, 1980.
Theses
A. D. Mount, Ph.D. Thesis, University of London, 1977.
Reference to unpublished material
23
For material presented at a meeting, congress or before a society, etc. but not published, the
following form is used: A. R. Jones, presented in part at the 28th Congress of the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Vancouver, August 2001.
For material accepted for publication, but not yet published, the following form is used: A. R.
Jones, Angew. Chem., in press.
For material submitted for publication but not yet accepted the following form is used: A. R.
Jones, Angew. Chem., submitted.
For personal communications the following is used: G. B. Ball, personal communication.
Footnotes
Footnotes may be used to present material which, if included in the body of the text, would
disrupt the flow of the argument but which is, nevertheless, of importance in qualifying or
amplifying the textual material. Footnotes are referred to with the following symbols: , , ,
, etc.
Please note that any material exceeding the conciseness of a footnote, but which is relevant
to the report conclusions should be placed in the supplementary material.
24

MRES Final Project Report ASSESSMENT 2014-15

Students Name:
Title of Report:
Report due from student: 24th August 2015
Received:
Supervisors Names:
Marker:
Criterion
Performance
Supervisors
Mark
Performance
Criterion
Report
Supervisor
Mark
Report
Independent
Mark
Report
Skill
/30
Background
/20
/20
Originality
/10
Understanding
/30
/30
Achievement
/30
Experimental
/30
/30
Commitment
/10
Presentation
/20
/20
Record keeping
/20
---
---
---
/100
/100
Total Mark
/100
Signed:
Date:
MRES Directors Review:

Agreed Supervisor Mark:
Agreed Report Mark:
Final Mark (90% Report + 10% Performance):
Comment:
Notes:
Circle as appropriate.
Where the independent assessor and supervisor disagree about the merit of the report, the Course
Directors will commission a third assessor and/or arbitrate.
th
Return this form with the report to: Dr. Mike Ray, room 258, Chemistry, by Friday 4 September
2015
Supervisors, please also state as part of your report, how much support you gave the student
Overall comments should be written overleaf and will be passed to students as feedback.
Any brief confidential comments to the examiners should be written here (or on a separate sheet):
25

Criteria for Assessment of Research Project Report
Account is taken of the nature of the work, endeavour in the laboratory, the instructions
provided and what is reasonably achievable.
Percentage
Grade
Criteria
85-100
Exceptional. Outstanding presentation of results showing publishing standard in

quality and quantity. Evidence of originality, high critical/analytical ability ** and
substantial outside reading. Competent assessment of the limitations of the
experimental procedures and the significance of results.
70-84
60-69
Very Good. Accurate account and presentation of results and experimental

procedures showing a clear understanding of the background by providing
evidence of sufficient outside reading. Demonstrates critical/analytical ability**
including an assessment of the limitations of the experimental procedures and the
significance of results.
55-59
Good. Accurate account and presentation of most of the background,

experimental procedures and results. Demonstrates critical/analytical ability**
including an assessment of the limitations of the experimental procedures and the
significance of results, but has significant errors of interpretation.
50-54
Adequate. Basic account and presentation of the background, experimental

procedures and results. Demonstrates some critical/analytical ability** including
an assessment of the significance of results, but has major errors or omissions.
35-49
Unsatisfactory. Confused and incomplete account of the background,

experimental procedures and results marred by substantial errors or omissions.
20-34
Vague and seriously inadequate account of the experiments with substantial

omissions and errors.
10-19
Mainly incorrect and incompetent account and presentation of experimental work

demonstrating only few relevant thoughts.
1-9
Incorrect and incompetent account of experimental work containing nothing of

relevance
Experiment not attempted or work not handed in. Mark given where the work
presented is discovered not to be that of the candidate (plagiarised). Further
disciplinary action is usually taken in cases of plagiarism.

26

MRES Symposium Presentation ASSESSMENT: September 2015

Student's Name:
Title of Talk:
SUPERVISORS / Markers Name

MARKS:
Criterion
Course Director
Mark
Course Co-ordinator
Mark
Intro, General Background &

Context
/25
/25
Results & Scientific Content
/50
/50
Future Work & Foresight
/25
/25
/100
/100
Total Mark
Signed:
Date:
MRES Directors Review

Agreed Mark:
Final Mark:
Comment:
Signed:
Comments on presentation
27

Criteria for Assessment of MRes project oral presentation performance
Percentage
Grade
85-100
70-84
60-69
55-59
50-54
35-49
20-34
10-19
1-9
0
Criteria
Exceptional. Presentation is comprehensive and well structured,
displays an excellent understanding of the relevant concepts and facts
and contains exceptional detail.
Excellent. Presentation gives an accurate account of all the main

points, displays a clear understanding of the material and includes a
high level of detail.
Very Good. Presentation gives an accurate account of all the main

points and displays a clear understanding of the material, but is slightly
flawed in organisation or detail.
Good. Presentation shows a clear grasp of relevant concepts and facts
and gives a mainly accurate account of the main points and their
significance, but lacks detail.
Adequate. Presentation shows a grasp of the basic concepts and facts

and (ii) includes the major points, but (iii) does not go beyond that, or
goes beyond that but is then marred by significant errors or flawed
organisation
Fail. Presentation shows a relatively weak grasp of the subject and (ii)
is marred by major errors or brevity, but (iii) by presenting at least a
third of the material expected,
Fail shows a confused understanding of the question, and (ii) presents

less than a third of a material expected.
Fail. Presentation is too inaccurate, too irrelevant, or too brief to
indicate more than a vague understanding of the question and (ii)
presents, at most, only about a quarter of the material expected
Fail. Presentation contains only two or three concepts or facts that are
correct and relevant.
Fail. Presentation contains nothing correct that is relevant. Mark given

where the work presented is discovered not to be that of the candidate
(plagiarised). Further disciplinary action is usually taken in cases of
plagiarism.
28
Instructions on submitting your Literature Report & Project Plan or

Research project report on Blackboard Learn
1.
Go to Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment homepage https://bb.imperial.ac.uk

and log in using your College username/password
2.
Select your MRes course, i.e Chemical Biology of Heath & Disease from the
Course List shown.
29
3.
Select Course Content and left click the view/complete link (circled) for the report
you need to submit, in this example MRes final manuscript 2014. This will take you
to Turnitin UK.
4.
Ensure single file upload is selected under Choose a paper submission method.
Enter your first and last name
Enter the submission title this is your Literature Report or Manuscript Title
Select Browse and locate your Manuscript and select it
Press Upload
30
5.
Press submit once your report has been uploaded onto the system.
6.
You will receive a notification if the document has been successfully submitted.
7.
You can now log out of Blackboard.
31
Please read this carefully. You will be required to submit a signed copy of
this form to cover all the work submitted for the MRes in Nanomaterials
course.
The Department of Chemistry, Imperial College Plagiarism Policy

The Department of Chemistry and College take plagiarism very seriously. All work submitted
as part of the requirements for any examination (including coursework) of Imperial College
London must be expressed in your own words and incorporate your own ideas and
judgments.
Plagiarism is the presentation of another persons thoughts, words or graphics/art work as
though they were your own. This includes e.g. copying text, figures, schemes and graphs
from another source such as a book, an academic article/paper or the internet without
acknowledging it explicitly. Plagiarism must be avoided, with particular care in coursework,
essays and reports written in your own time. Note that you are encouraged to read and
criticise the work of others as much as possible. You are expected to incorporate this in your
thinking and in your coursework and assessments. But you must acknowledge and label/cite
your sources.
Direct quotations (i.e. anything that is copy-pasted) from the published or unpublished work
of others, from the internet, or from any other source must always be clearly identified as
such. A full reference to their source must be provided in the proper form and quotation
marks used This means you must provide the reference directly after information is given
and, in the case of figures/schemes/graphs indicate explicitly in the caption that this has
been taken from the literature: e.g. Figure taken from ref. X or Scheme adapted from ref.
Y. Remember that a series of short quotations from several different sources, if not clearly
identified as such, constitutes plagiarism just as much as a single unacknowledged long
quotation from a single source. Equally, if you summarise another persons ideas or
judgments, figures, diagrams or software, you must refer to that person in your text (and in
the case of figures/schemes/graphs in the caption of the corresponding graphic), and include
the work referred to in your bibliography/reference list. If in doubt, ask for advice from
academic staff in the Department about the appropriate use and correct acknowledgement
of other sources in your own work.
The direct and unacknowledged repetition of your own work which has already been
submitted for assessment can constitute self-plagiarism (see also addendum 1: Plagiarism
in the context of MRes Research Reports, below). Where group work is submitted, this
should be presented in an approved manner. You should therefore consult the supervisor of
the group assignment, your tutor or another member of academic staff if you are in any
doubt about what is permissible. You should be aware that you have a collective
responsibility for the integrity of group work submitted for assessment.
The use of the work of another student, past or present, constitutes plagiarism. Where work
is used without the consent of that student, this will normally be regarded as a major offence
of plagiarism.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in the Department and if it is detected in a student's work
presented for assessment, it will be reported, together with the evidence, to the course
directors and the Director of MRes Studies who will take appropriate action which may result
in an allegation of plagiarism/cheating. Cases of suspected plagiarism/cheating will be dealt
with by the College Registry under the Colleges Examination Offences Policy. The penalty
for proven cases can vary from loss of marks to expulsion from the College.
NB. This policy is adapted from the Imperial College Student Handbook:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/studenthandbook/advice/plagiarism/ (accessed 15.07.2010).
32
ADDENDUM 1: Plagiarism in the Context of MRes Research project report:

We recognise that your Introduction and Aims and Objectives sections may have substantial
overlap in terms of content with your Literature Report & Project Plan. Consequently, for
these sections, a reasonably lenient threshold for self-plagiarism (which will be picked up by
the electronic plagiarism scans that we perform on both documents, see later) will be
allowed (e.g. some identical sentences and paragraph constructions). However, wholesale
verbatim transcription of multiple paragraphs should be avoided. If you think this is
necessary then place the relevant text in inverted commas and insert a reference to your
Literature Report & Project Plan. In general, it is expected that your understanding of the
project will have matured substantially during the course of the year and that such verbatim
transcription will not be appropriate.
ADDENDUM 2: How to Correctly Reference Material
In a research publication or reference work you will almost always find a
bibliography/reference section included. The aim of this is three fold, to act as a source of
background information for the interested reader, to provide original sources for specific
pieces of information vital to your scientific case, and to acknowledge the efforts of others on
whom you have drawn for ideas and inspiration. The most usual way of referencing a paper,
book, figure or quotation in the text is to use a superscript number,1 or number in
parenthesis [1], or an author name in parenthesis (Spivey, 2001), clearly associated with the
item you want to reference. The first mentioned convention (i.e. using superscripted
numbers) is employed in most chemistry journals and is illustrated below, but this is varies
with academic discipline. If you select RSC style within the reference manager Endnote
then the superscripted number style of referencing will be implemented automatically. In the
bibliography/reference section you must then give the full source. The source should be
completely specified such that it can be located without ambiguity by the reader. Therefore,
the bibliography should generally contain static references such as journal papers and
books; citing dynamic reference sources such as websites is discouraged as they may
disappear.
If you need to cite material from a website and you cannot trace the primary source, then
you should quote text directly from the website, using quotation marks around the text in
question. The text must then be referenced, in the manner indicated above, to the full
website URL with the date on which you viewed it indicated in parenthesis. Similarly, if you
copy figures from the web, you must clearly state so in the figure caption and this should
also be referenced, in the manner indicated above, to the full website URL with the date on
which you viewed it indicated in parenthesis.
Always ensure that you make it clear where your work stops, and copied material starts, and
that you give a sufficiently detailed reference to allow the source to be identified clearly and
uniquely.
Useful additional College sources of information re-Plagiarism see:
Department of Physics:
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/physics/students/ug/info/guidance/
I have read and understood the above and am willing for the Course Directors
to submit any piece of my work to the TurnitinUK Plagiarism Detection Service.
Signed..Date..
Print Name..
33

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MRes in Nanomaterials

The Department of Chemistry

Academic Year: 6th October 2014 30th September 2015

Some Important Dates

Monday 6 October 2014

Welcome Talk by Rector, Director of Graduate School and GSA Chair

Tuesday 7 October 2014

Welcome & Introduction to the Course (Postgraduate Common Room

Freshers Fair afterparty (Student Union, South Kensington Campus)

Wednesday 8 October 2014

Thursday 9 October 2014

Safety Talks - Primary Induction (Pippard Lecture Theatre, Level 5,

Safety Talks Basic Laboratory Safety (Pippard Lecture Theatre,

Friday 10 October 2014

Saturday 11 October 2014

From Monday 13 October 2014

Friday 24 October 2014

Week commencing Monday 27 October 2014

Friday 5 December 2014

Monday 12 Friday 16 January 2015

MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15

Spring Term 2015

Monday 6 Friday 10 April 2015

Monday 27 May 2015

Tuesday 5 Friday 8 May 2015

Monday 24 August 2015

Dr. Saif Haque

Dr. Mike Ray

MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15

Room 164b, Level 1,

Room 258, Level 2,

OTHER USEFUL LINKS

Link to religious obligations in assessments:

Mitigation / extenuating circumstances policy and procedures:

Complaints and Appeals procedures:

Cheating offences policy and procedures:

Welfare and Support

Information about the Library:

Student representation how to become a student representative:

Details of Departmental/College Committees, including Staff-Student Committees.

Other support services (e.g. Registry, Careers Advisory Service):

MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15

Educational aims of the provision

MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15

5. Management and communication skills, including problem definition, project

MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15

2 MRes in Nanomaterials programme structure, features and assessment

2.1 Autumn Term (October-December):

2.2 Spring Term (January-March):

2.3 Summer Term (April-September):

Minimum standards in each element and assessed component will be required

MRes in Nanomaterials 2014/15

Distinction: to be awarded where a candidate has achieved:

3 Research Components of Course

Conclusions & Future Work

3.3 Oral presentation at MRes symposium (September 2015)

4 Taught Components of Course

three different approaches to solar energy conversion: photovoltaics, the conversion of

Biological chemistry (3.O2)