A project synopsis ought to give a good summary of the entire project with a minimum number of words. The synopsis gives the gist of the entire project covering the aim of the project, the objectives, and the details of the team involved in the project. Whether you are working on an academic or a professional project, a good synopsis goes a long way in capturing the details of your work.
The synopsis can be a maximum of 2-3 pages touching on the objective and working procedure of the specific project. Some significant things that ought to be included in the synopsis include;
- The project’s title
- The problem
- The context or reason behind a particular topic (Background of a study)
- The objective of a project
- The scope of the project
- The methodology
- The technology used to analyse data
- The testing technologies or methods
- Limitations of the technology used
- The contribution to the knowledge of the project
- The conclusion
The Title
This is the first step in writing a synopsis. The writing of a clear title is significant because it says what your project is all about and shall be based on. The title is short and easy to understand and will hook the interest of your reader. It gives a picture of the content and the context of the work done on a project. The title indicates the dependent and independent variables and describes the nature of the project. The next section would touch on the contributors who might have donated or given moral support to the researcher. If the project is a result of a team effort, then the whole team ought to be acknowledged.The background of the study
This is the context of a study, a researcher will clearly define the background of a study by answering questions such as the broad environment which shall be referred to within research. And if there is any historical perspective that might have contributed to the research of a project.
The Objective of a Study
The aim and objectives of a particular study shall be covered under the objectives section. The motive that drives a researcher to the particular topic of study is clearly described in this section of the hypnosis. At this point, the researcher can also state the target audience he or she wanted to reach and the reason for that. This can arouse the interest of the reader and makes them want to understand the rest of the project and what the findings were. The objective of a project ought to be in line with the background by narrowing down the broad view of background into a concise statement of; What motivates a researcher to take on a particular project? How the title relates to the particular issue or field under investigation.The Reference Books Used
This is the broad problem area to the objective of the project and touches on the past literature review or bibliography that exists in a particular field of study. In the literature review section, the researcher shall explore the topic of the project to the extent that it justifies the pursuit of new research activity. The researcher does this by quoting previous research done on the problem area and different findings made. From the findings, the researcher can state the knowledge gap that drove him or her toward this particular project which he intends to fill. In this part of the synopsis, the researcher can also justify that his topic of the study had not been properly explored by past researchers and that is what drives him to explore it.
Limitations of the Technologies used
It is advisable to mention the resources you have used in designing and developing your project but also the limitations of the technologies you have employed in the collection of data and analysis. This will command more respect among the readers and the authenticity of the project will be enhanced. Other researchers who might be interested in carrying out projects using similar technologies can take precautions if you state the limitations of the different technologies you have used.
Division of the different Modules
The different modules incorporated in the research such as the admin module, and the module intro ought to be explained in detail. The project admin helps the administrators to manage the members of the team, assign roles and assign permission to particular roles.
The Status of the Project
In every synopsis, the current status of the development of a project is properly scribbled in the status section to give the reader the progress of a project. If a researcher is in the beginning stages of a project, then he can mention that the project is in the planning stages and that he or she will, later on, execute the plan. If the project is already in progress, the researcher can clearly state that the development of a project is in progress.The problem statement and the Hypothesis
The problem under study ought to be clearly written and to the point, when the problem is well understood, then it is clear to develop a plan and formulate the hypothesis upon which a researcher shall be benchmarking towards solving the problem. The hypothesis shall consist of the presumed explanation of the many variables at a time.
It is almost impossible to have a successful project without clearly understanding what you are trying to solve as a researcher because that gives you a step-by-step guide on what data to collect and which audience or entity to research.
Be Precise
When writing a synopsis, it is easy to get wordy and lose the reader. Just remember that less is more when it comes to several things and most importantly when it comes to writing a synopsis. If for example, the project is 1000 words, your synopsis can only be 450 words. It is a brief of the whole thing. When writing the synopsis, it is important to prioritize the important aspect of a project and ignore the unnecessary details.
When writing a synopsis, keep in mind that this is the conclusion of the entire project. Write it short and crisp and not several paragraphs that are worth reading through.
The Target Audience
The people whom you are targeting with your project ought to be mentioned. You can further elaborate on whom the project shall benefit in the long run under the subheading section. This is done to get the target audience to go through the project keenly since it might be beneficial to them. You can even write the synopsis in the beginning stages of the project to arouse the audience and motivate them to follow through on the project and what it has for them eventually.
An Outline of the Project
This is the blueprint of your project. It consists of what your project is about, a highlight of the problems you are trying to solve, some of the solutions you are coming up with, and the books and the technologies you used are discussed clearly. This is what simply tells your reader about the project without him or her having to go through the project. If you write it simply and attractively, it will sell the reader on the project. However, if the synopsis is dull, no matter how great the project is, a reader might miss that due to a poor synopsis. Write it professionally and clearly so that everyone gets the idea of what you are doing and the message you want to deliver to the audience.
This is a mirror for the rest of the project, when a person is going through a synopsis, they should have a quick idea of whether the project is for them or not. If a synopsis is explaining something marketing-related and the reader is from an engineering background, then the project might not be of use to them. When the synopsis reflects the whole idea of the project, it saves time for the reader in figuring out what the project is all about and whether it is for them or not.
Get Rid of Errors
While writing a synopsis, it is important to eliminate mistakes such as spelling and grammar. You can fail to pass an important message due to typographical errors in your document. Eliminate errors to better the understanding of your synopsis among readers. If you want many readers to read your synopsis, get rid of the unnecessary errors and have a clear synopsis.
Write in different paragraphs, don’t put everything in one paragraph. It can look attractive, and use different colours and colourful words while writing.
