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Purpose of this Tutorial

This tutorial is specifically intended to introduce and familiarize the user with MSOE Library resources that can be employed to carry out library research for the MSE Capstone Project. Relevant resources are described and their usage is explained. The format and documentation guidelines for the project deliverable are described and explained, together with a brief overview of plagiarism and copyright issues.


This tutorial is updated annually.


It is hoped that this tutorial can assist all MSE students in meeting some of the expectations of the MSE faculty in the preparation and presentation of the MSE Capstone Project.


Audience

The intended audience of this tutorial includes the following people:

  • MSE students, including:
    • Students who are not familiar with, or who desire a review of, MSOE library resources
    • Students who need to complete library research for the MSE Capstone Project
  • MSE faculty who are not familiar with, or who desire a review of, MSOE Library resources, including:
    • MSE faculty who serve on a MSE Capstone Project Committee

The MSE Capstone Project

The Literature Review

The MSE Capstone Project was made a requirement of the MSE degree in 1993. Initially, the project was referred to as the "MSE essay."


The MSE Capstone Project is intended to serve as an applied design project. It generally focuses on efforts to resolve a technical problem, often in a student's work environment. Generating a solution to the problem may entail a multidisciplinary approach requiring the application of several areas of engineering in reaching a solution.


Given the applied nature of the Capstone Design Project, a literature review is sometimes viewed on the part of students as something that is of secondary importance.


However, significant advantages are associated with a comprehensive literature review. They include the following:

  • Although the MSE Capstone Project has been conceived of as a "commercially-driven" project, it is nonetheless a project that must satisfy academic standards and must feature an "academic component." A thorough literature review can help students satisfy these academic requirements. A literature review, in fact, is featured as a current required element in the format and documentation guidelines for the program.
  • Literature obtained from library research -- or from other sources -- can suggest solutions and answers to problems.
  • Literature obtained from library research -- or from other sources -- can help you to avoid "reinventing the wheel" when determining solutions to problems.
  • Literature obtained from library research -- or from other sources -- can help you to document that your work or your project answers a need, or addresses something not addressed in the literature.
  • Literature obtained from library research -- or from other sources -- can provide a context for your project. Where does you project fit in the "big picture"?
  • Literature obtained from library research -- or from other sources -- is a significant means of demonstrating that the project is a graduate-level piece of work.

Current MSE Capstone Project work tends to feature a large number of references. Some projects have a substantial number of references. MSE students may rely on advisors and committees to suggest appropriate literature. It is also possible to carry out your own research by working with the resources highlighted in this tutorial. Using your list of resources and references, you will be able to produce a satisfactory literature review with the guidance provided in EN 700.


Completed MSE Capstone Projects in the MSOE Library

A list of completed MSE Capstone Projects that are available in the MSOE Library can be accessed on the MSOE Library website. The list is arranged alphabetically by author and features abstracts.


It is also possible to search the MSOE library catalog. The most efficient strategy here is to perfom a subject search on MSE. The catalog record provides the call number of each project.


Intellectual Property Issues

MSOE maintains a Patent Policy. The policy explicitly states that graduate thesis and capstone work may be addressed by provisions in the policy.


Currently, a Thesis / Capstone Report "Noncirculation Status" Request Form must be filled out and submitted to the library in order to restrict access to Capstone Projects that students wish to keep confidential.


The MSE program also requires paperwork for confidential projects.


In the Spring of 2005, the MSOE Graduate Programs Council approved an Intellectual Property Policy for all MSOE graduate capstone and thesis work. The policy addresses copyright issues, patent issues, and trade secret issues associated with thesis and capstone work. Although the policy has been approved, details of its implementation have not yet been determined.