Project Handbook for Master of Science – Earth System Science

The project-based route provides an opportunity for the MSc ESS student to pursue an investigation of professional, personal or academic interest that culminates in an original contribution to the field of Earth system science (ESS). This pathway combines coursework and project components, requiring completion of two core courses (6 credits), six elective courses (18 credits), and three project courses (6 credits).

The project should emphasize independent research, critical thinking, and problem-solving, while strengthening key professional skills such as data analysis, scientific writing, and effective communication of results. It integrates learning and research by enabling the student to apply concepts and theoretical knowledge from coursework to address specific scientific questions, including real-world challenges. Through this process, the student develops a deeper understanding of Earth systems and their complex interactions.

The research project is conducted under the guidance of a supervisory committee and is typically completed at the end of the program. It should involve practical and novel research problems and/or methodologies that can be completed within a reasonable scope of time and effort. The project is expected to demonstrate competencies in applying interdisciplinary approaches, using quantitative methods, managing and analyzing data with appropriate digital and ethical practices, and communicating scientific findings effectively to an interdisciplinary audience.

To complete the project requirements, the student must successfully complete all the following courses:

• ESSC 697 (3 credits): The student may register for ESSC 697 after completing the required core and elective courses. This course focuses on developing a research proposal, establishing a project supervisory committee, and initiating project work.
• ESSC 698 (3 credits): The student should enrol in ESSC 698 in the term in which they anticipate completing the project work. By the end of this course, the student should submit the final project report for evaluation.
• ESSC 700 (0 credits): Following submission of the final report, the student would enrol in ESSC 700, which is dedicated to the final evaluation process. During this course, the student delivers an oral presentation of the project, and the supervisory committee reviews and evaluates both the final project report and the oral presentation.

Note: The project courses are not conventional courses; however, they are treated similarly for administrative purposes. The student must register for these courses in sequence and will receive a grade of Pass or Fail based on the evaluation of their supervisory committee at the conclusion of each course.

Phase 1: Selecting a Research Topic and Supervisor

Research work formally begins after the student has completed their core and elective courses. However, the student is encouraged to begin the process of identifying a research focus area, topic, and prospective supervisor when they enter the program. A research topic may arise from professional experience, personal interest, interactions with the FST faculty members, or the program’s research topics list. To initiate this process, the student should prepare a mini-proposal using the template provided in Appendix A.

The student should submit the mini-proposal to their prospective supervisor, if identified. The prospective supervisor reviews the submission and decides whether to supervise the project. If the supervisor agrees and approves the mini-proposal, it is forwarded along with the agreement to supervise to fstgrad@athabascau.ca. Following approval by the program director, the student may register in ESSC 697.

If the prospective supervisor declines, the student may revise the mini-proposal based on feedback (if resubmission is invited), submit it to another potential supervisor, or prepare a new mini-proposal.

If the student is unable to identify a supervisor, the mini-proposal should be submitted to the program director, who will assist in identifying an appropriate supervisor.

Notes:

1. The effort involved in preparing and presenting the mini-proposal, including literature review, consultations with the program director, and submission to prospective supervisors, does not influence its acceptance or rejection.
2. The mini-proposal, and all subsequent stages of the project, are the responsibility of the student, who must demonstrate the merit and feasibility of the proposed research.
3. After approval, the content of the mini-proposal, including methods, tasks, and goals may be revised with the mutual agreement of the supervisor and the student.
4. A prospective supervisor is not obligated to accept a mini-proposal or agree to supervise a project. Decisions may be based on factors such as alignment of expertise, the quality and feasibility of the proposal, or existing supervisory commitments.

Phase 2: Research Proposal Writing and Implementation (ESSC 697)

Proposal Writing

In this phase, the student develops a project proposal that defines the research questions and outlines the implementation plan. The proposal should clearly describe the problem to be examined, articulate the research questions, describe supporting literature, identify data sources, and lists potential participants.

The student is expected to follow the Project Proposal Template in Appendix B, which details the requirements of the proposal. The final proposal should not exceed twenty (20) letter-size pages, including references but excluding supporting appendices.

The student is expected to review Ethics Policies, Guidelines, and Permissions and the Student Academic Misconduct Policy with their supervisor, to ensure compliance throughout the research process.

The student is encouraged to present and discuss the project proposal with peers on the ESSC 697 discussion board. This peer review may take the form of formal and informal presentations and discussions (e.g., poster presentations, abstracts, or draft proposals).

If the project involves a sponsor, the student must ensure that the proposal reflects the sponsor’s priorities and constraints. This can be achieved by involving the sponsor in the proposal development. All areas that involve the sponsor, their subordinates or superiors, or processes that may potentially be out of the ordinary for the normal workflow should be reviewed with the sponsor before the project proposal is submitted and approved. The project sponsor can serve as a co-supervisor.

Supervisory Committee Formation

After the project proposal has been reviewed and approved by the supervisor (and sponsor, if applicable), the supervisor establishes the project supervisory committee consisting of the supervisor, the sponsor (if applicable), and one or two additional members.

The supervisor initiates the Project Supervisory Committee Form (see Appendix C), which should be completed by all the committee members and approved by the Program Director. As part of this process, the Program Director verifies that no conflicts of interest or significant personal or professional conflicts exist among committee members.

The draft project proposal must be reviewed by the supervisory committee. During this stage, the student must ensure that

• all committee members approve the project proposal.
• the resources and funding required to complete the project are available.
• the sponsor (if applicable) is committed to supporting the project in accordance with the project schedule.

Following this review, the student incorporates feedback from the committee and prepares the final version of the project proposal. The final proposal must conform to applicable AU policies and should be submitted to the supervisory committee members and the MSc ESS program advisors.

If a sponsor is involved in the project, the student and sponsor must sign a Letter of Agreement (see Appendix D) before starting ESSC 698. The Letter of Agreement acts as an informal contract between the student, the organization participating in the study, the sponsor, and AU. These commitments should be described in the Letter of Agreement signed by all parties. An original signed copy must be forwarded to the Program Director, supervisor, sponsor, and program advisors at fstgrad@athabascau.ca.

In some cases, final approval of the project proposal and signing of the supervisory committee form may occur after the completion of ESSC 697. In this case, the student must obtain formal project approval as soon as possible, and no later than one month after completing ESSC 697.

Implementation

The implementation stage ensures that the student effectively manages the successful completion of the research project in accordance with the approved proposal and produces a project that satisfies the program and university requirements.

Typical activities during this stage include

• conducting initial meetings with research participants.
• determining and setting up the required hardware, software, and any relevant tools.
• developing and implementing testing or analysis plans.
• evaluating and interpreting results.
• submitting the project proposal to the Research Ethics Board (REB) for review and revise it as required if ethics approval is needed.
• consulting with the supervisory committee to review the draft report.

Phase 3: Implementation and Final Project Report Writing (ESSC 698)

This intermediate phase focuses on completing the research project and producing the final report. Where applicable, the student should present the draft findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the project sponsor and any study participants and incorporate their feedback before submitting the final project report.

Once the project report has been submitted for examination, no changes may be made unless requested by the supervisory committee.

Working with the Project Sponsor

As the project concludes, the student should ensure that the sponsor is informed of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations in advance of reviewing the draft report. The sponsor should not encounter unexpected results.

As project outcomes are refined, the student should discuss them with the sponsor to confirm accuracy and context. These discussions are intended to ensure that conclusions are well supported, not to alter the independence of the research. Any additional insights from the sponsor should be clarified and incorporated as appropriate before submission of the final report.

Phase 4: Research Review and Examination (ESSC 700)

Following a preliminary review of the project final report and approval by the supervisory committee, the supervisor, in consultation with the committee, arranges the final oral examination.

Oral Presentation and Project Assessment

The student is required to present the project in an oral presentation to the supervisory committee. The presentation is organized by the supervisor, and the student should consult with the supervisor in advance to become familiar with the procedure, format, and expectations.

During the presentation, the student may refer to the project report and supporting materials, such as data collection instruments. Committee members may ask questions to clarify, evaluate, or challenge the findings, conclusions, and recommendations, as well as broader questions related to program competencies.

After the oral presentation, each member of the supervisory committee evaluates both the project report and the presentation using the evaluation form in Appendix G. For more information, refer to the Assessment section in this handbook.

Project Report Revision

The student is responsible for revising the project report in response to feedback from the supervisory committee. If minor revisions are required, the revised report must be submitted to the supervisor for review and confirmation that the revisions have been satisfactorily completed. If the committee requests major revisions, the revised report must be submitted to the supervisory committee for review and validation. The student will not be recommended for graduation until the revised project report has been approved.

Project Report Submission

The final project report must be formatted in accordance with the MSc ESS Project Report Style Guide and Template (see Appendix E).

A PDF copy of the approved project report, along with any supporting materials, must be submitted to the MSc ESS Graduate Program Advisors before the student can be approved for graduation. The submission will be reviewed by the Program Director and forwarded to the Athabasca University Digital Thesis and Project Room (DTPR) services for processing.

Application to Graduate

Once all program requirements have been met, the student must contact MSc ESS program advisors for information on the process to apply for graduation.

The Student

The student is responsible for planning, implementing, and completing the research project.

The student is expected to

• review and follow the requirements outlined in this handbook.
• be familiar with the registration procedures and other requirements associated with the project-based route of the MSc ESS program.
• identify a research problem that will meet the program learning outcomes.
• conduct the research project in accordance with the approved project proposal and applicable AU policies.
• maintain regular communication with the supervisor and, where applicable, the project sponsor, including reporting progress and any challenges.
• prepare and submit a draft of the research report to the supervisor for review.
• produce a final project report that complies with the MSc ESS Project Report Style Guide and Template (see Appendix E).
• Deliver an oral presentation of the project to the supervisory committee.

The Project Supervisory Committee

The project supervisory committee is responsible for supporting and evaluating the student throughout the research process. Its role is to

• provide guidance, assistance, and professional feedback during all stages of the project.
• review project documents to ensure they meet the academic standards of Athabasca University.
• evaluate the student’s achievement of MSc ESS program learning outcomes using the Project Assessment Form (see Appendix G).

The Supervisor

The supervisor is charged with the responsibility of mentoring the student throughout the project process. The supervisor must be a permanent faculty member at AU with relevant expertise in the student's area of research interest. The supervisor provides direction and support to help ensure that a committed and capable student can successfully complete the project.

The supervisor is expected to

• establish the project supervisory committee by completing and submitting the Project Supervisory Committee Form to fstgrad@athabascau.ca.
• serve as chair of the project supervisory committee.
• confirm that the project sponsor (if applicable) supports the project as described in the proposal.
• review and approve the project proposal.
• meet regularly with the student to provide guidance and monitor progress.
• inform the project sponsor of their role and responsibilities as a project supervisory committee member.
• ensure the application of appropriate and rigorous research methodologies.
• review and provide feedback on all project drafts.
• circulate the approved draft of the project report to the other committee members for review and comments.
• in consultation with the committee, evaluate the student’s achievement of the competencies described in the project contract.
• record and maintain documentation of committee meetings.
• report the final outcome of the project to the program director.

As chair of the committee, the supervisor is expected to:

• resolve disputes among committee members, as required.
• reassign or appoint committee members, if necessary.
• ensure that the project supervisory committee’s review of each project report meets or exceeds the academic standards of AU.
• act as the final reviewer of the project report if the supervisory committee recommends that the report is not acceptable.
• approve the final project report upon recommendation of the supervisory committee.

The Sponsor or Co-Supervisor

If the project requires external support such as funding, equipment, or data, the student should identify a sponsor. The sponsor may be a workplace mentor, subject-domain expert, community-based mentor, or practitioner with relevant practical experience. In some cases, the sponsor and the supervisor can be the same person.

The sponsor is expected to

• assist the student in identifying and clearly defining the research problem.
• agree to provide the resources and support described in the Letter of Agreement (see Appendix D).
• review and provide feedback on the project proposal.
• provide the resources, facilities, funding, and/or personnel required to support the successful completion of the project as described in the project proposal.
• facilitate timely access to data or participants, where applicable.
• review and discuss the project’s findings, conclusions, and recommendations with the student.
• complete the project assessment form at the conclusion of the project.

The sponsor may be any one of the following:

• an academic with a well-defined research project.
• a workplace supervisor or an individual responsible for the problem to be examined.
• an individual or organization seeking support with problem solving, performance improvement, or applied research requiring external expertise.

Selecting a Project Sponsor

To qualify as a project sponsor, an individual must be willing to sponsor the student's research and provide assistance as needed. The program director must approve the assignment of the sponsor.

When selecting a sponsor, the student should choose an individual who will

• demonstrate strong interest and support for the project.
• possess authoritative expertise, comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the project topic.
• have the necessary resources, time, and/or funding, and be willing to make them available as appropriate, to support the project goals and objectives.

Sponsor Letter of Agreement

The Letter of Agreement serves as an informal contract between the student and the project sponsor. The student is responsible for preparing this document using the Letter of Agreement Template (see Appendix D). The student and the sponsor must sign the Letter of Agreement after the sponsor has agreed to support the research project and before the project proposal is approved by the supervisory committee. A signed copy must be forwarded to the supervisor, the sponsor, and the program director.

The Letter of Agreement should clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the student, the sponsor, and the supervisor. It should also specify the resources, expenses, and other forms of support the research project requires, along with the responsibilities for providing them. The content of the letter should be tailored to meet the specific requirements of the project.

Important: The Letter of Agreement functions as a commitment, and its content should be considered carefully.

Manager-Employee Relationships

If a manager-employee relationship exists between the student and a potential sponsor, the student must feel confident that the project can be conducted objectively and without bias or undue influence arising from the prior working relationship.

Managing Project Sponsor Expectations

The student must establish and maintain a professional and trusting rapport with the project sponsor. The student should understand and respond to the sponsor's expectations for the project outcome while maintaining the integrity of the research. The student should also recognize that sponsor expectations may evolve over the course of the project and address any changes through ongoing communication.

Supervisory Committee Members

Committee members can be drawn from within or outside the Faculty of Science and Technology. Normally, a supervisory committee member holds a PhD or an equivalent qualification in a field relevant to the research topic.

A supervisory committee member is expected to:

• complete and sign the MSc ESS Project Supervisory Committee Form.
• review the draft project proposal and provide feedback to the student.
• review the draft project report and provide feedback.
• attend supervisory committee meetings.
• attend the student’s oral presentation.
• complete the MSc ESS Project Assessment Form and submit it to the program advisors.

Changing Committee Members

A committee member, the student, or the program director may initiate changes in the project supervisory committee at any time.

A change in committee members may occur for the following reasons:

• A change in the student’s research direction requiring different expertise.
• irreconcilable academic, intellectual, or personal differences, or inability to maintain a productive working relationship between the student and one or more committee members.
• inability of a committee member to collaborate effectively with the other members of the supervisory committee.
• extended illness or unavailability of a committee member.
• inability of a committee member to effectively perform their responsibilities.
• Other circumstances identified by the program director that necessitate a change.

Potential Impact of Changing the Supervisor or the Project Sponsor

A change in the project sponsor may require significant revisions to the research question or methodology. In such case, the student should assess the potential impact and consult with the supervisor. The supervisor will advise on how to minimize disruption and address any resulting gaps in the project.

Changing the supervisor should have minimum impact on the research project, provided the new supervisor has comparable expertise and research interests.

The MSc ESS program director must be informed of any changes in the supervisory committee. Where necessary, the program director will review the situation and, if required, appoint new members and reconstitute the committee.

Final Project Report Quality Standards

The project report must meet or exceed the content, layout, and production standards set by the MSc ESS program and Athabasca University. The student should consider the following quality criteria when preparing the report:

• The literature review is comprehensive and incorporates relevant sources.
• The research question(s) are addressed using appropriate and valid methods.
• The methodology and research process are clearly described and aligned with the approved proposal.
• Testing techniques, experimental settings (e.g., participants), and data collection techniques, where applicable, are clearly described or included.
• Findings, conclusions, and recommendations are well supported by evidence and relevant literature.
• The student’s contributions are clearly articulated, and any use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools is fully disclosed, including how they were used, to enable accurate assessment of the student’s original work.
• The project complies with the research ethics policies of AU. The research demonstrates appropriate academic rigour and withstands critical evaluation.
• The report layout, citations, references, and formatting conform to the selected APA Style.
• The report is written in clear, academic language and free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Assessment Criteria

The project report and supporting materials are evaluated based on the student’s ability to meet the program learning outcomes by demonstrating

• application of interdisciplinary approaches to address intricate issues attendant to increasing intersections of scientific disciplines.
• employment of scientific numeracy and quantitative methods to investigate and address Earth system issues.
• effective communication of Earth system issues to an interdisciplinary audience.
• advanced skills in data collection and analysis, information handling, digital literacy, and communication.
• adoption of ethical and environmentally responsible professional practices.

University Assessment Criteria

The project report must represent a sustained, creative, independent, and original piece of applied work that meet the following criteria:

• Follow sound research and inquiry methods.
• Be open to critical examination and review by peers, scholars, and practitioners in the relevant field.
• Defensible by the author and present claims, observations, or recommendations that are well supported by appropriate theoretical and practical constructs.
• Provide access to underlying empirical evidence and methods used to analyze the problem and develop recommendations for review upon request.
• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the program learning outcomes.
• Be presented in a format that is suitable for evaluation and cataloguing.

Project Supervisory Committee Assessment Criteria

The project supervisory committee bases its assessment of the report on the criteria outlined in the Project Assessment Form (see Appendix G).

Following a final review of the report and the oral presentation, the supervisory committee determine the outcome based on majority agreement. One of the following grades will be assigned:

• Acceptable: No revisions are required. The student may submit the final report and apply for graduation.
• Acceptable with Minor Revisions: Minor revisions are required. The student must complete the revisions and submit the updated report to the supervisor for review. If the revisions meet the committee’s expectations, the student may submit the final report and apply for graduation.
• Acceptable with Major Revisions: Significant revisions, further justification, or additional research are required. After completing the revisions, the student must submit the report to the supervisor for initial review. If satisfactory, the report is circulated to all committee members for further evaluation. The committee will determine whether an additional oral presentation is required. If the revised report is approved by a majority of the committee, the student may submit the final report and apply for graduation.
• Not Acceptable/Rejected: If the supervisory committee does not reach majority approval, all evaluation materials, including the report, assessment documents, and supporting materials, will be forwarded to the Program Director for review. The Program Director will determine whether the student may continue in the program or should withdraw. If withdrawal is required, the student will receive formal notification outlining the reasons for the decision.

Student Appeal Procedures

If the report is deemed Not Acceptable/Rejected, the student may appeal the decision by submitting a Letter of Appeal to the Chair of the Centre for Science. The letter must outline the grounds for the appeal and request a review of the decision. It must be submitted within 60 days of receiving notification of the decision. A formal decision from the Chair is normally provided within 30 days of receipt of the appeal.

Research Ethics

Guidelines for using Human Subjects in Research

Should the project involve research that involves human subjects, the project must conform to the AU policy governing research involving human subjects. Examples of use of human subjects include but are not limited to:

• interviews with individuals or groups.
• on-site job observations that involve human subjects who must provide personal data.
• review of personnel files or assessment reports.
• psychological testing.
• lab work, evaluation, or testing programs involving targeted subjects.

Research Ethics Policy and Research Ethics Board

Students whose projects involve human subjects must follow the research ethics policies of AU. These policies may require that the student submit their project proposal to the Research Ethics Board (REB) for review and potential revision. The student should discuss the research ethics policies and the role of the REB with the supervisor from the outset of the project. The research ethics policies and related application forms for ethical reviews are available on the university website.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality in Research

The student must adhere to corporate, government, or nonprofit organization confidentiality guidelines and should become thoroughly cognizant of these guidelines before producing a project proposal. Potential projects that require the student to restrict their investigative or reporting methods should be avoided, per the Publication of Research Policy.

Policies Governing Confidentiality

Some organizations may require nondisclosure agreements, which restrict the use and/or dissemination of specific information that may provide outside organizations with an insight into an organization’s competitive advantage or corporate strategies.

Restrictive Practices

Issues of confidentiality and non-disclosure must be thoroughly explored with the project sponsor. Nondisclosure agreements or restrictive practices that curb the ability of the student to complete the applied project should be avoided. Some examples of restrictive practices are as follows:

• An organization reserves the right to restrict the type of data that is reported in the final project report.
• An organization limits distribution of the final project report, thereby restricting other researchers’ ability to use the essay.
• An organization does not permit the student to describe productivity data or financial information in the project report.

Intellectual Property (IP)

The student and committee members can refer to the Faculty of Graduate Studies' guidelines. The completion of an applied research project may result in the creation of new knowledge, processes, or tools.

The ownership of the new knowledge, process, or tools can often be complicated, especially if the outcome of the research has potential commercial applications. In most cases, the owner of the new knowledge, process or tool is the originator of the idea (e.g. the AU master's degree candidate). Some examples of intellectual property are

• a written report and its supporting data.
• a set of evaluation instruments produced to gather data.
• a database used to collate and analyze data.

Note: Ideas are not considered intellectual property until they have been recorded in some medium that others can read, review, touch, and/or see.

Ownership of Intellectual Property

The issue of intellectual ownership becomes difficult when the person conducting a research study is either a paid employee or a paid contractor of the firm that the research project is being completed for. In these situations, the ownership of any intellectual property should be clarified before the research is undertaken.

Clarifying Ownership

The method of clarifying ownership before a study is completed could be as simple as a statement in the Letter of Agreement or as complicated as a legally binding research contract. Research contracts often stipulate that intellectual property (which could be copyrighted) may be jointly owned, and the agency or company participating in the research effort has the authority to exploit the knowledge, process, or tool for commercial gain.

AU and Intellectual Property

AU holds no claim on the intellectual property produced as a result of the research project but may be willing to assist in the patent process. The university will only approve projects that protect the rights of the student to freely publish and defend the results of the research.

Copyright and the University

Copyright is the right to copy, distribute, publish, and/or sell all or part of an academic, artistic, or commercial product.

The author of an AU project or research product owns the rights to the product and should claim copyright on the title page of the project report.

AU Conditions of Copyright

As a condition for being awarded the degree, the student is required to sign a form giving permission to the university to make the project report available for inspection, to copy and circulate the project report for scholarly purposes, and to make use of the material and ideas in the project report in the preparation of papers for publication.

Copyright Protection

At the request of the author and/or where circumstances warrant, a project report or research product may be withheld from circulation for up to one year to allow such activities as patent protection or other legal steps to be completed.

Copyright Permission

Copyright permission is required when the student wants to include a substantial amount of someone else's work in the project report. Examples include

• a chapter or substantial excerpt from a book or journal.
• material copied from a website.
• screen captures from a website.
• charts and tables.
• images.
• audio or video clips.

For a more comprehensive description of copyrighted material and when permission should be sought, see the Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) resource A Guide to Copyright.

Copyright permission is not required for

• anything you write or create.
• short passages or quotes.
• items in the public domain.
• links to websites.
• ideas.
• titles.

Note: Open access materials, such as items licensed under a GNU General Public License or a Creative Commons License, are usually less restrictive and can often be reproduced for non-commercial purposes, provided you acknowledge the source. Carefully review any such license or agreement attached to the works, as copyright requirements can vary. If in doubt, contact the rights holder of the work.

Requesting Copyright Permission

• For works from published books or journals, the student submits the request to the publisher.
• For materials taken from a website, the student submits the request to the website administrator.
• For unpublished works, the student submits the request to the author.
• For photographs, the student submits the request to the photographer.
• For artistic works, the student submits the request to the museum or archive that houses it.
• For videos or audio, the student submits the request to the producer or distributor of the work.

If you have difficulty locating a rights holder, contact a copyright collective or the Copyright Board of Canada.

If available, the student completes and submits the copyright permission form provided on the publisher's website. The student should fill out the form as completely as possible; incomplete forms or missing information will delay the request. If the student is submitting a copyright permission form online, they should remember to make and keep a copy for their files. If no online form is available, use the Copyright Permission Request Letter shown in Appendix F as the template.

Pending Copyright Permission Requests

Before including the cited material in the project report, the student must receive written consent from the rights holder. Obtaining rights holder permissions can be a lengthy process. The student needs to ensure sufficient time to complete the project with or without the material to reproduce. Following up on the student's initial request often helps to expedite a response from the rights holder. Keep in mind that many publishing houses may not respond to requests for several weeks.

Note: If the student is adapting the rights holder's material in any way, the permission request letter must describe how the student intends to modify the material.

Negotiating Copyright Permissions

Copyright permissions can range from fairly inexpensive to quite costly. However, because the student’s request is for non-commercial use, the rights holders may waive or significantly reduce any copyright fees. If the student is denied permission to reproduce the requested material, the student may want to follow up with the rights holder by requesting further details, elaborating the intended use, or offering to provide a draft for review. If the denial is absolute, the student must remove the item from the project report.

Inserting Copyright Acknowledgments

All copyright acknowledgement statements (i.e., credit lines) must appear on the first page where the reproduced material appears in the project report. If the rights holder has not provided such a statement, then the student must include a complete bibliographic citation, plus the phrase "Reproduced with permission".

Submitting Copyright Agreements

All written responses from copyright holders granting permission for the inclusion of their materials in the project report must be submitted to the MSc IS program advisors along with the final version of the project report.

MSc ESS Mini-Proposal Template

MSc ESS Project Proposal Template

Project Supervisory Committee Form

Letter of Agreement Template

MSc ESS Project Report Style Guide and Template

Copyright Permission Request Letter Template

Project Assessment Form