Capstone Report Checklist

• •  Has the proper style guide been employed?  Refer to the style guide to clarify items in this checklist.
 
• •  Is the title page correctly formatted?  Does it contain the proper elements?  The title page should not feature extraneous material (e.g., borders, images, etc.).
• •  Is the order of elements correct?  The "elements" refer to the sections of the report, including the title page, abstract, acknowledgments, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, nomenclature, body of the report, references, appendices, and so on.  Do elements appear that are not permitted in the style guide?
• •  Are the margins correct?
• •  Is the pagination correct?  With the exception of the title page, are all of the pages numbered?  Are page numbers correctly placed?
• •  Do the headings in the table of contents precisely match the headings as they appear in the text?  Are all chapter titles, major headings, and section headings included?  Are the page indications accurate in the table of contents?  Are headings and accompanying pagination placed in such a manner that a clear correspondence exists?
• •  Is the List of Figures correct?  Does the list appear on its own page?  Do the figure captions in the list precisely match the captions as they appear in the text?  Are all figures included in the list?  Is pagination accurate?  Are captions and accompanying pagination placed in such a manner that a clear correspondence exists?
• •  Is the List of Tables correct?  Does the list appear on its own page?  Do the table captions in the list precisely match the captions as they appear in the text?  Are all tables included in the list?  Is pagination accurate?  Are captions and accompanying pagination placed in such a manner that a clear correspondence exists?
• •  Are the figures and tables clear, legible, and well placed?  Are figures and tables referred to correctly in the text?  In other words, in referring to figures and tables, does the student employ a consistent style?  Are figure axes clearly labeled?
• •  Are general format requirements fulfilled?  That is, with the exception of the abstract and appendices, does the report feature double-spaced type?  Is it single-sided?  Is it unbound?  Is it neatly printed?  Except for large figures and tables, is the orientation portrait (i.e., not landscape)?  Is the typeface correct?  Is the font correct?  Do other layout problems exist?  For example, does sufficient white space exist between captions and text?
• •  Does the abstract contain the three required elements?
• •  Is the Acknowledgments section correct?  A consistent mistake here is that "acknowledgment" in America is without an "e" after the "g."
• •  Even though they may be defined in the Nomenclature or Glossary section of the document, are abbreviations and acronyms clearly defined when they first appear in the text?
• •  If a report features an appendix or appendices, all material in this section should be related to the project.  As a general rule of thumb, material in an appendix is material that would unnecessarily "clutter" the text with too much detail.  For example, a report might feature an investigation carried out by means of a survey.  The text of the report would be more concerned with the results of the survey, but it would be appropriate (in fact, it would be necessary) to place the survey instrument itself and the raw data in appendices.
• •  Are all equations numbered, except for those equations where the guidelines stipulate that it is not necessary to number?  Is the numbering consecutive and correct?  Is the format of the numbering correct?  Are equations punctuated in the same manner as a sentence?
• •  Have common mistakes been avoided?  Common mistakes include:
• •    The word "data" is plural, not singular.
• •    Periods and commas should be within quotation marks.
• •    Do not use the word "alternatively" for "alternately," unless the meaning of something that alternates is intended.
• •    Do not use the word "essentially" to mean "approximately" or "effectively."
• •    Do not use the word "since" to mean "because."
• •    Be aware of the different meanings of the homophones "affect" and "effect," "complement" and "compliment," "discreet" and "discrete," "principal" and "principle," and others.
• •    Do not confuse "its" with "it's."
• •    Generally, numbers should be spelled out if less than 10, with numerals used for 10 and above. Numerals should not begin sentences.
• •    Use a reference resource to identify other common mistakes (for example, Errors in English and Ways to Correct Them by Harry Shaw).
• •  Does the report contain a References section?
• •  Do reference entries feature the correct format?  Can references be verified?  Are they accurate and complete?  Are authors' names spelled correctly?  Are the full titles of works employed?  Is the correct punctuation employed for entries?
• •  If the report features a Bibliography, are the bibliographic entries in the correct format?  Can the bibliographic entries be verified?  Are they accurate and complete?  Are authors' names spelled correctly?  Are the full titles of works employed?  Is the correct punctuation employed for entries?
• •  Is the use of references correct?  For example, if a student employs a reference to verify a fact, does the reference actually state the fact?  If a reference is employed to verify a quotation, does the reference in fact contain the quotation?
• •  Do reference numbers in the text feature corresponding reference entries?  Do reference entries feature corresponding reference numbers in the text of the report?
• •  Are reference numbers properly employed in the text?  Do any reference numbers appear out of order? Do reference numbers follow the correct sequence?
• •  Is the text of the report properly documented?  The following things should be documented: direct quotations; paraphrases; equations and formulas not recognizable to the common reader and not created by the student; quantifiable data not generated by the student's investigation; visual material not belonging to the student; opinions and ideas not belonging to the student.
• •  Does the report include a Project Report Approval Form?
• •  Is the style of the report formal?  A formal style avoids personal pronouns, contractions, jargon, clichés, and colloquialisms. Avoid poor style mistakes such as "there are" and "there is" sentence construction, and vague modifiers, such as "very" and "extremely."
• •  Does the report contain misspelled words?
• •  Does the report contain grammatical errors?  Common grammatical errors include: incomplete sentences; run-on sentences; and problems with punctuation.  Other problems to check include sentence structure and word usage.
• •  When visuals – including figures, tables and maps -- are referred to in the text, is the internal reference correct?  For example, a student may refer to "Figure 17" in the text, but in fact, the student meant to write "Figure 19."
• •  Check the report for plagiarism.  At MSOE, plagiarism is defined as "the knowing or negligent use of the ideas, expression or work of another with intent to pass such materials off as one's own."  In the case of direct verbatim quotations, it is not enough to reference a resource.  In addition to supplying a reference number in this case, students must also place the verbatim material in quotation marks; for lengthy quotations, material should be single spaced and indented from both margins.