POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

PROGRAMME

THESIS GUIDELINES

JUNE 2017
 THESIS GUIDELINES: STYLES AND FORMATS

FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES PROGRAMME

by

POSTGRADUATE STUDIES OFFICE

Prepared as a guide to all postgraduate students and supervisors of

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS in meeting the requirement

of the thesis submission for

the Degree of

MASTERS OF SCIENCE

or

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

June 2017

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 PREFACE

The primary goal of thesis submission is to present to the reader, i.e. the examiners
and other parties, the academic contributions and achievements accomplished by the
candidates pursuing the advanced degree. Failure to present the material in the most
appropriate style and approach may lead to confusion and frustration to the reader. Over
the years, it has been noted that there has been large variations of styles and formats
adopted by the students submitting their thesis/dissertations. For the most part, these
variations have not hindered the main objectives of thesis submissions. However, it has
been noted that some of the examiners and even supervisors have some disagreements
of the style and format for the students to adopt, causing unnecessary anxiety and
confusion.

This thesis/dissertation handbook has been developed to guide the postgraduate

students pursuing advanced degrees in Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS in preparing
their thesis/dissertation in partial fulfilment of their degrees. This handbook should be
used as the main reference in determining the style and format to be followed. As such
this handbook contains a wealth of information on the format of the presentation of the
thesis/dissertation as well as references to other works and to other related materials. It
is our hope that this handbook will provide a structured guide and style to follow in
order to reduce the possibility of miscommunications.

The original version of this handbook was developed by Haslina Nor Hasni under
the guidance of Prof. Ir. Dr. Ahmad Fadzil Mohamad Hani. The original version was
then revised by Dr. Nidal Kamel and Azrina A Aziz. The current version of the Thesis
Styleguide with the Reference Style Manual is prepared by the Thesis Styleguide
Committee comprising of the following persons:

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Noh Karsiti (Advisor)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Indra Sati Hamonangan Harahap (Chair)
Dr. Fawnizu Azmadi Hussin (Coordinator/Member)
Dr. Shahrina Bt M Nordin (Member)
Dr. Murni Melati Bt Ahmad (Member)
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Puteri Sri Melor (Member)

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Dr. Dayang Rohaya Bt Awang Rambli (Member)
Prof. Dr. Mariyamni Bt Awang (Member)
Rabiatul Ahya Bt M Sharif (Member)
Haslina Bt Noor Hasni (Member)
Kamaliah Bt Mohd (Member)

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Table of Contents
THESIS GUIDELINES ............................................................................................................................................. 1
CHAPTER 1 .......................................................................................................................................................... 2
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR A THESIS AND DISSERTATION ....................................................... 2
1.1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.2 SPECIFICATIONS FOR FINAL THESIS (FINAL BOUND THESIS) ............................................................................................ 3
1.2.1 Candidate’s Name .................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.2 Number of Copies ..................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.3 Length of Thesis........................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2.4 Language of Thesis ................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.5 Printing ..................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.2.6 Paper ........................................................................................................................................................ 3
1.2.7 Typeface and Font Size ............................................................................................................................. 4
1.2.8 Corrections ............................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.9 Margins .................................................................................................................................................... 4
Odd-numbered pages ........................................................................................................................................ 4
Even-numbered pages ....................................................................................................................................... 4
1.2.10 Spacing ................................................................................................................................................... 5
1.2.11 Body Text Formatting ............................................................................................................................. 5
1.2.13 Pagination .............................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2.14 Covers and Binding ................................................................................................................................. 6
1.2.15 Photographs ........................................................................................................................................... 6
1.2.16 Equations................................................................................................................................................ 7
1.2.17 Non-paper formats ................................................................................................................................. 7
CHAPTER 2 .......................................................................................................................................................... 8
THESIS PREPARATION ......................................................................................................................................... 8
2.1 Typing Requirements ................................................................................................................................... 8
2.2 Sections in Thesis ......................................................................................................................................... 8
CHAPTER 3 ........................................................................................................................................................ 11
PRELIMINARY PAGES ........................................................................................................................................ 11
3.1 Status of Thesis.......................................................................................................................................... 11
3.2 Approval Page ........................................................................................................................................... 11
3.3 Title Page ................................................................................................................................................... 11
3.4 Declaration ................................................................................................................................................ 12
3.5 Dedication (if any) ..................................................................................................................................... 12
3.6 Acknowledgement (if any) ........................................................................................................................ 12
3.7 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................................... 12
3.8 Copyright Page .......................................................................................................................................... 13
3.9 Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................... 14
3.10 List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................... 14
3.11 List of Figures .................................................................................................................................... 15
3.12 List of Symbols, Abbreviations, Nomenclature.................................................................................. 15
3.13 Preface .............................................................................................................................................. 15
CHAPTER 4 ........................................................................................................................................................ 16

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BODY TEXT ........................................................................................................................................................ 16
4.1 Contents .................................................................................................................................................... 16
4.2 Chapters and Sections ............................................................................................................................... 17
4.3 Appendices ................................................................................................................................................ 19
4.4 List of Publications .................................................................................................................................... 19
4.5 References ................................................................................................................................................. 19
4.6 Glossary .................................................................................................................................................... 20
4.7 Footnotes .................................................................................................................................................. 20
4.9 Page Headers ............................................................................................................................................ 20
4.10 Charts, Graphs, Maps ....................................................................................................................... 21
4.11 Oversized Pages ................................................................................................................................ 21
4.12 Overlays ............................................................................................................................................ 21
4.13 Multiple-Volume Theses ................................................................................................................... 21

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APPENDICES
A. Front Cover
B. Spine of Thesis
C. Status of Thesis
D. Approval Page
E. Title Page
F. Declaration Page
G. Dedication and Acknowledgement
H. Abstract
I. Copyright Page
J. Table of Contents
K. List of Tables
L. List of Figures
M. List of Abbreviations
N. Referencing Style

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 CHAPTER 1
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT REQUIREMENTS FOR A THESIS AND
DISSERTATION
1.1 Introduction

This is a guide for the preparation of a postgraduate thesis of Universiti Teknologi

PETRONAS. It covers information on the format of the thesis, arrangement of the
chapters in the thesis, design and layout of the cover and preliminary pages, pagination
and use of font size and font type.

This guide also contains samples of the important preliminary pages as well as an
extensive bibliography style guide to be used. This document has been prepared in “MS
Word document” format that can be used as a template for the preparation of the thesis.
Candidates may simply “copy & paste” the required format accordingly.

If a thesis is not presented in the form required in this guide, it will not be accepted.
It is the responsibility of the student and the supervisor to ensure that the thesis
complies in all respects to these guidelines.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to read this guide thoroughly before

proceeding in preparing the final manuscript of the thesis/dissertation. Candidates are
advised against using other thesis as a reference as they not fully adhere to the formats.
Whenever there are questions in regards to style, mechanics or formats that have not
been addressed by this handbook, the candidate should consult his/her supervisor, Head
of Department or other representatives that are responsible for graduate studies within
the department.
In order to help authors visualize what the overall thesis should look like, this thesis
guideline has been prepared to follow the formatting described in this document.

The order of precedence for combining manuals and department format guidelines
is:
1. Thesis Guideline: Styles and Templates

This guideline takes precedence over all other thesis preparation guidelines.
2. Departmental style guides
3. Thesis manual, publication manual or journal format
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1.2 Specifications for Final Thesis (Final Bound Thesis)

1.2.1 Candidate’s Name

Throughout the thesis/dissertation, the candidate must us his/her full legal name. This
legal name shall be the name as that which appears on his/her official university record
as well as other legal documents such as the National Identification Card (NIC) or
international passport.

1.2.2 Number of Copies

A candidate is required to submit five bound copies of the thesis and 2 CDs of softcopy
thesis in PDF format to Postgraduate Office. One copy of the thesis will be placed in
the Information Resource Centre (IRC).

1.2.3 Length of Thesis

Master Thesis should normally be less than 50,000 words. Ph.D. thesis should normally
be no longer than 80,000 words.
1.2.4 Language of Thesis

Thesis may be written in American or British English, as long as it is used consistently

throughout. Final oral defense is also be conducted in English.

1.2.5 Printing

Thesis must be printed using laser quality printer or better. Inkjet printer is not to be
used for final thesis submission as the quality tends to degrade over time.

1.2.6 Paper

High quality bond paper A4 size, (8.27” x 11.69” or 21.0 cm x 29.7 cm) and weight 80
g/m2 must be used for the bound copies, except for such charts and diagrams.

This paper should be white in colour, acid free and “non-erasable”.

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1.2.7 Typeface and Font Size

Typeface to be used is 12 point Times New Roman. The same typeface should be used
throughout the thesis including the title page, approval page, acknowledgements,
bibliography and appendices. The same font with its italic and bold variants may be
used wherever necessary, for instance scientific names should be written in italic fonts.
Exception to this can be made for footnotes, subscripts and superscripts, and for tables,
figures or illustrations imported from other sources.

1.2.8 Corrections

Corrections of typographical errors, or changes in the text, figures or tables, must be

made as cleanly and invisibly as possible. Correction fluid is not to be used. Corrections
should be made on the original before recopying or reprinting the corrected page.
1.2.9 Margins

The thesis must be printed on both sides of A4 papers (i.e. double-sided printing).
Therefore, the margins for even and odd numbered pages are slightly different as
explained below.

Odd-numbered pages
The left margin must be 1.5 inch (40 mm) while all the other sides (right, top and
bottom) margins must be 1 inch wide (25 mm) except for the first page of each chapter
and other major sections where the top margin must be at least 2 inches (50 mm).

Even-numbered pages
The right margin must be 1.5 inch (40 mm) while all the other sides (left, top and
bottom) margins must be 1 inch wide (25 mm) except for the first page of each chapter
and other major sections where the top margin must be at least 2 inches (50 mm).

In MS Word, this setting is called “Mirror Margins”, where the oddnumbered

pages’ margins mirror that of the even-numbered pages. When printed on both sides of
the paper, the mirrored margins would match exactly. To do this in MS Word, in Page
Setup, select Mirror Margins under the Multiple Pages setting.

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1.2.10 Spacing

Text should be typed 1.5-spaced, on both sides of the paper. All information excluding
page numbers must be within the text area. All typing, print, illustrations, etc. should
be on both sides of the paper. Single-sided printing is not allowed.

Two line spacing is required between the word CHAPTER and the title of the
chapter. If the title requires more than one line, the lines must be double-spaced and
centred with inverted pyramid justification.
Notes should be typed, single-spaced, and double-spaced between entries. Abstract
should be typed, 1.5-spaced, and must be double-spaced between entries. Single
spacing may be used in extensive quotations within the body of the text and in extensive
Table of Contents, List of Tables, or List of Figures - as long as there is double or 1.5
spacing between entries.

1.2.11 Body Text Formatting

Under Format, the Chapter text’s Font settings are 12-point font size, Regular font style
and Times New Roman font and no Effects boxes are checked. In MS Word,
Under Format, the Chapter text’s Paragraph settings are Alignment set to “Justified”,
Outline Level set to “Body Text”, Indentation set to “0” for both Left and Right,
Spacing set to “12 pt” for Before and “0 pt” for After, and Line Spacing set to “1.5
lines”. For the first paragraph of every section and subsection, under the Paragraph
setting, Special set to “None” to remove the first-line indentation for the first paragraph.

For the other paragraphs in the section or subsection, the first line of each paragraph
(such as this one) should have a 0.66 cm or 0.26” left indentation. In MS
Word, under the text’s Paragraph setting, Special set to “First Line”, By set to 0.66 cm
or 0.26”.

1.2.12 Justification

The thesis must be fully justified (i.e., have even left- and right-hand margins).

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1.2.13 Pagination

Page numbers are to be placed at least 1 inch from the edge of the page at the bottom
centre of the page. Every page except the title page must be numbered. Preliminary
pages are to be numbered in lower case Roman numerals (iv, v, vi etc). Status Page,
Approval Page and Title Page are numbered “i–iii” but the numbers are not to be
printed on the page.

The content pages are to be numbered in Arabic numerals (e.g. 1, 2, 3, …) and all
pages must be numbered consecutively and continuously, irrespective of volumes.

1.2.14 Covers and Binding

The final thesis must be hard bounded according to the following colours:
 MSc – Dark Green with Gold Lettering
 PhD – UTP Blue with Gold Lettering

Typeface to be used on the front cover and spine of the thesis is Times New Roman.

Font size to be used for:

 Front Cover of the Thesis (Appendix A)

Title of thesis, name of candidate, degree awarded, name of university, and

month & year of thesis submission: 18

 Spine of the Thesis (Appendix B)

Name of candidate, title of thesis, degree awarded and year of thesis

submission: 14. Direction of lettering: run from the top of spine.

1.2.15 Photographs

Photographs should be black and white whenever possible. Pages containing

photographs should be numbered as regular pages. The photographs used are to be

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scanned, using a minimum of 300×300 dpi resolutions. It is not acceptable to tape, glue
or use any type of adhesive to insert photographs.
1.2.16 Equations

Equations are not indented. They should be numbered consecutively and the
corresponding number should be placed at the end of the line between parentheses.
Equations are called by these numbers within the manuscript. It is important to
remember that only equations that are called should have a number.

1.2.17 Non-paper formats

All non-paper materials must be properly labelled. Labels should include at least
 Author’s name
 Degree date
 Copyright notice

Specific label is also expected for the following materials:

1. Videotapes
 length of videotape (in minutes)
 silent or sound
 colour or black and white
 width of tape (e.g. 19 mm or 13 mm)
 programme segments
 format (e.g. NTSC, PAL, SECAM)

2. Computer disks
 operating system
 density
 hardware required (if appropriate)
 all disks should be write-protected.

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 CHAPTER 2
THESIS PREPARATION
2.1 Typing Requirements

In preparing the thesis/dissertation, the following guidelines must be observed

throughout. In most cases, most word processing software will automatically format
the text accordingly. However it is the responsibility of the author to know and ensure
these guidelines are adhered to.

1. A heading appearing at the bottom of the page must be followed by a minimum

of two lines of text, or otherwise pushed to the following page.

2. Hyphenated words may be divided only at the hyphen. The last word in a
paragraph should not be divided in separate pages. The last word must appear
entirely in the following page.

3. When a paragraph begins at the bottom of the page, it must consist of at least
two lines of text. Otherwise, the entire paragraph must be placed in the
following page.

4. When a last paragraph of a chapter appears at the top of a page, it must consist
of at least two lines of text. One word or one line appearing at the top of a page
should be avoided.

5. Figures and tables should appear entirely in a single page and properly labelled
with an appropriate caption. Long tables must be divided into separate tables
with their own captions. Large illustrations that require foldout must adhere to
the guidelines to be described at a later section.
2.2 Sections in Thesis

A thesis should normally have three sections: the preliminary pages or the front matter,
the text or the body matter, and the references or back matter.

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2.2.1 Preliminary Pages

The Preliminary Pages include:

a. Status of Thesis
b. Approval Page
c. Title Page
d. Declaration
e. Dedication (optional)
f. Acknowledgements (optional)
g. Abstract
h. Copyright Page
i. Table of Contents
j. List of Tables (if any)
k. List of Figures (if any)
l. List of Plates (if any)
m. List of Symbols, Abbreviations, Nomenclature (if any)

2.2.2 Body Text

The Body Text should be divided into chapters that properly present the work
completed. A typical arrangement of the chapters should include the following:
a. Introduction
b. Review of Literature
c. Method of Investigation (Methodology)
d. Analysis of Data, Discussion of Results
e. Conclusions
2.2.3 References

The References consist of:

a. References or Bibliography
b. Appendices (if any)
c. Glossary
9
d. Endnotes
e. Index (optional)

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 CHAPTER 3
PRELIMINARY PAGES
3.1 Status of Thesis

Status of the thesis must be clearly indicated as either confidential or otherwise. If the
thesis is to be classified as confidential, reason for the requested status must be
indicated and approved by the respective supervisor. Please refer to Appendix C for
sample of the status page. The status of thesis page is counted as page “i”, however,
the number is not to be printed.

3.2 Approval Page

Approval page must contain the exact title that will appear in the Title Page as well the
endorsement of the supervisor verifying that all corrections have been made and that
the thesis is ready for submission. Please refer to Appendix D for sample of the
approval page. The status of approval page is counted as page “ii”, however, the
number is not to be printed.

3.3 Title Page

The form and contents of the title page must follow the format of the example given in
Appendix E. Title should be capitalized and double-spaced. The title of the thesis as it
appears on the Title Page MUST BE IDENTICAL to the title found on the
Approval Page including the capitalisation and punctuation. The name of the author
must be the author’s legal name as it appears in the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
records. The full name of the degree and programme must be written out. The month
and year cited on the title page are the month and year of thesis submission. The title
page is counted as page “iii”, however, the number is not printed.

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3.4 Declaration

The declaration form must contain the author’s declaration on the originality of the
thesis and must be duly signed by the author. Please refer to the format in Appendix F.
Its page is numbered with a consecutive lower-case Roman numeral.

3.5 Dedication (if any)

This section is optional. Similar format is to be used for this Dedication and
Acknowledgement sections. Please refer to Appendix G for reference. Its page is
numbered with a consecutive lower-case Roman numeral.

3.6 Acknowledgement (if any)

This is a brief acknowledgement of assistance given to the author in researching and

writing the thesis. Its page is numbered with a consecutive lower-case Roman numeral.

3.7 Abstract

This is a summary of the thesis, which will state the problem, the motivation for the
work, the methods of investigation, results and the general conclusion. A sentence at
the end with the major conclusion is useful. Since abstract is normally used in an
abstracting service or search database, it should be informative and complete on its
own to be of use to others seeking material within the area of interest.

An abstract should only be one-page long. Line spacing is one and half spacing and
double-spacing between paragraphs. Typeface to be used is Times New Roman and the
font size is 12. Hyphenated words or words separated by a slash are considered as two
words. (Appendix H).

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3.8 Copyright Page

Since thesis and dissertation is a form of publication all procedures relating to copyright
related laws must be adhered to. This is necessary that the work is protected by the
copyright law as well as ensuring the use of other people’s work meets legal
requirements. Students and supervisors are advised to refer to the UTP Copyright
Manual for clarification on unresolved issues relating to copyrights.

Generally, work undertaken at postgraduate level may qualify under the doctrine
of “Fair-Use” as the work may be classified as for educational purposes in which the
reference to other people’s work would relate to either

 Based on facts obtained from published or unpublished work of the author or

other authors,

 A form of criticism, analysis, quoted passages or reworded piece with proper

acknowledgement and citation placed in the text,

 Illustration or data presented with proper acknowledgement to the original

source and copyright owner.
Written permission to reprint sections of fewer than 500 words or few tables and
figures is not required as it qualify under the doctrine of fair-use as long as proper
acknowledgement and citation to the source is clearly indicated in the text. For the use
of sections more than 500 words and extensive reproduction of the figures and other
materials, written permission from the copyright owner must be obtained and filed with
the Office of Postgraduate Studies.

Acknowledgement and citation to the original source must be indicated in the

section containing the reprinted material in one of the following form

 Place the section in quotation followed by citation to the author of the original
source

 Insert the phrase “reprinted with permission” in the caption of figures or title
of tables followed by citation to the author of the original source

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  Indicate the contribution in the acknowledgement section or the copyright
page.

All thesis and dissertation resulting to works undertaken in the university and under
the supervision of UTP staff is subjected to the IP policy of the university. The
university claim the IP rights of all properties created under this context and must be
properly indicated properly. The copyright page must indicate the original author,
followed by the legal name of the university and the year the material is submitted as
indicated in Appendix I.

3.9 Table of Contents

This table must include the entries for preliminary pages (copyright, abstract,
dedication, and acknowledgement, lists of tables and figures, and preface), text (main
divisions and subdivisions of the thesis), appendices, notes, references and index.
Typeface to be used is Times New Roman and the font size is 12. (The format is given
in Appendix J). The title TABLE OF CONTENTS must be placed at 1.5 inches from
the top centre of the new page and capitalised.
3.10 List of Tables

This list provides the list of table numbers, full title and page numbers. Tables must be
numbered consecutively in order of appearance in Arabic numerals (Table 1.1, 1.2, 1.3
or 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc). The title of the table must appear on the top section of the table
and centred. A table is not to appear in more than one page. For the table that requires
more than one page, it must be sectioned properly with separate headers and titles.
Typeface to be used is Times New Roman and the font size is 12 (as shown in Appendix
K). The title LIST OF TABLES must be placed at 1.5 inches from the top centre of the
new page and capitalised.

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3.11 List of Figures

Figures, i.e. graphs, photographs and other illustrative material are to be listed on a
separate page. Number, title and page are to be given. Figures must be numbered in
Arabic numerals consecutively (Fig. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 or 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, etc) in order of
appearance and captioned. The title of the figure must appear at the bottom section of
the table and centred. The entire figures must appear within the margin of a page.
Illustrations that require space larger than allowed by the margin must adhere to the
guideline on the oversized material. Typeface to be used is Times New Roman and the
font size is 12. (Appendix L). The title LIST OF FIGURES must be placed at 1.5 inches
from the top centre of the new page and capitalised.

3.12 List of Symbols, Abbreviations, Nomenclature

This list provides the list of symbols, abbreviations, and nomenclature used in the
thesis. The list must be sorted alphabetically Typeface to be used is Times New Roman
and the font size is 12 (as shown in Appendix M). The title LIST OF
ABBREVIATIONS must be placed at 1.5 inches from the top centre of the new page
and capitalised.
3.13 Preface

This is a brief explanatory statement of why the author came to study the subject of the
thesis. Typeface to be used is Times New Roman and the font size is 12.

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 CHAPTER 4
BODY TEXT
4.1 Contents

Body text contains the chapters of the thesis, in logical order, and should be written in
a third person voice and past tense. For example, instead of “We did this study…” it
should be written as “The purpose of this study was to…”. However, active voice can
be used if the message of the sentence is somehow altered or becomes ambiguous.

Even though the organisation of the text may vary slightly, the body text should
include at least the following items:
a. Introduction
This section should include background of the research, definition of the
problem, brief history leading to the problem, justification for the research,
scope and key assumptions, and outline of the thesis.
b. Review of Literature
Review should contain critical evaluation and discussion of other related
researches. It should include discussions of what has been done along the line
of the problem, the issues and challenges faced by the other researchers and the
summary of the general body of knowledge.
c. Method of Investigation
Method of investigation vary from problem to problem, thus this section
generally should describe the general framework of the problem being
addressed. It may also discuss the research methods, instrumentations and
equipments being used in the study with sufficient precision so that a skilled
person could set up similar work that would be able to duplicate the research if
necessary and desirable.
d. Analysis of Data and Discussion of Results
These sections should include detailed description of the results obtained,
followed by discussions, analysis, and interpretations of the data obtained.
Tables, charts and figures should be used wherever suitable to present the data
in a more concise manner and easy to understand.
e. Conclusion

16
 As the final section in the thesis, the conclusion should summarise the results
of the research reported in the thesis as based on the factual finding. It is a good
practise to recap the scope of work and research method, summarise the results
and findings, and recap the main contributions of the work completed. It should
not add new information that has not been presented earlier or attempt to
generalise the finding beyond the scope of the work. In many instances, the
work done may uncover many interesting and valuable allied problems that
could be considered for future research. It is thus recommended that
suggestions for future work be included for possible improvements or new
directions that may extend the current work to other related areas.

4.2 Chapters and Sections

To provide coherent presentations, the thesis must be divided into separate chapters
that contain major topic to be discussed. It is recommended that the organisation of the
chapters be discussed and agreed by the supervisor to meet the departmental
requirement.

Each chapter must begin on a new page. The chapter title must be placed at two
inches from the top centre of the new page and capitalised. If the title requires more
than one line, the lines must be double-spaced and centred with inverted pyramid
justification.

Each chapter is usually segmented further into separate sections and subsections as
necessary. Each section must be numbered accordingly (e.g. 2.1., 2.1.1, etc). Each of
these sections must begin with section headings.
Each chapter begins with a chapter overview and ends with a chapter summary.
The will ease the reading of the thesis.

E.g. 1.0 Chapter overview – introduce the contents of the chapter.

1.n Chapter summary – summarize the contents of the chapter.

17
 The objectives and contributions of the research should be clearly stated in the first
chapter. The conclusion chapter should include making references to the objectives of
research stated earlier in the thesis and suggesting recommendations for future work.

4.2.1 Subsection Title

If your work needs to be subdivided into separate sections to provide clarity, make sure
that the subsections do not become too deep. Section depth should be limited to
maximum of three levels. Thus, prepare your outline well and your reader would find
it easy to follow your report.

In each chapter, the first level section is numbered X.X. For example, a section that
is numbered with 1.1 is the first level, 1.1.1 is the second level, and 1.1.1.1 is the third
level. The use of subsequent level subsections (e.g. 1.1.1.1.1, etc.) is not allowed.

The subsection title and the corresponding text are not indented as shown in this
thesis formatting guideline. Only the table of contents are properly indented to illustrate
the hierarchy of the chapters, sections and subsections (See Appendix J).

Each of these sections and subsections must begin with section headings as
described below.
4.2.1.1 First-level Heading

The first level heading should be formatted as follows. Typeface is 12 point Times New
Roman, boldface, left-aligned with no left indentation. One-and-a-half line spacing,
36-point and 6-point top and bottom spacings, respectively.

4.2.1.2 Second-level Heading

The second level heading should be formatted as follows. Typeface is 12 point Times
New Roman, boldface, left-aligned with no left indentation. One-and-a-half line
spacing, 36-point and 6-point top and bottom spacings, respectively.
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4.2.1.3 Third-level Heading

The third level heading should be formatted as follows. Typeface is 12 point Times
New Roman, italic, left-aligned with no left indentation. One-and-a-half line spacing,
36-point and 6-point top and bottom spacings, respectively.

4.3 Appendices

The pages should be numbered continuously with the rest of the text. Numbering
Appendices page A1, B1, etc. is not acceptable. Typeface to be used is Times New
Roman with the font size of 12 and 1.5 line spacing.

Each appendix must be referred to in the body of the text. Materials that are not
referred to cannot be included in the appendix. Any list of publications resulted from
the research may be included in the Appendix.
4.4 List of Publications

Publications resulting from the current work should be listed and classified accordingly
either in the form of journal publication, conference proceedings or other form of
publications.

4.5 References

Every reference quoted or cited in the thesis must be included in the list of references
and numbered accordingly. References should be ordered alphabetically. Typeface to
be used is Times New Roman with the font size of 12 and 1.5 line spacing.

There must be a single, unified list of references in the thesis. It is not permissible
to put individual listings at the end of each chapter in lieu of full references. Refer to
your department’s referencing guideline for specific requirements on the
approved/recommended referencing style.
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 The general referencing style guide is given in Appendix N. It is generally expected
that the publication resulting from the current research be listed as a list of publication
and not listed in the list of references.

4.6 Glossary

The pages should be numbered continuously with the rest of the text. Typeface to be
used is Times New Roman with the font size of 10 and one-and-a-half line spacing.
4.7 Footnotes

The footnotes may be numbered consecutively throughout the thesis, or throughout

each chapter. Footnotes may be placed at the foot of the page (footnotes proper), in a
group at the end of a chapter (called “Notes”), or grouped at the end of the thesis before
the bibliography (called “Endnotes”). If notes or endnotes are collected at one place in
the thesis, their location must be shown in the table of contents by title and page.
Typeface to be used is Times New Roman and the font size is 8. Single spacing with a
double spacing between entries.

4.8 Translation

When long passages of translation are necessary, use a side-by-side columnar format.

4.9 Page Headers

These may be used as long as there is a line across the entire page to separate the
headers from the text.

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4.10 Charts, Graphs, Maps

The use of charts, graphs, maps and tables that are larger than the standard page should
be avoided. Photographically reduced pages are acceptable if they are clearly legible.
If oversized pages are used, they will be microfilmed in sections so that they read from
left to right and top to bottom.
4.11 Oversized Pages

Oversized pages can be included in the thesis as fold-outs, but they must be folded to
no more than eight inches (21.5 cm) wide to avoid being cropped in the bindery.

Oversized pages may be placed in a pocket at the end of the thesis. They must then
be referred to in the body of the thesis as being in a pocket, and listed as such in the
Table of Contents.

4.12 Overlays

Overlays must be carefully aligned with underlying maps or charts. In order to produce
the most legible image, the underlying sheet is filmed alone. The overlay is then placed
on the underlying sheet and both are filmed together.

4.13 Multiple-Volume Theses

For very long theses, for which more than one bound volume is required:

Each volume must have its own prefatory pages.

• The Title Page, Approval Page and Abstract must be in the first volume.
• Each additional volume must contain a Table of Contents, a List of Tables, and
a List of Figures, etc., that lists the portion of work found in that particular
volume.

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• Page numbering of the body of the thesis must flow consecutively from one
volume to the next.
• When the appendices are bound in a separate volume, this volume must have a
title page duplicating that of the main volume, but with the addition of the word
“Appendix” or “Appendices” just below the title of the thesis. The word
“Appendix” or “Appendices” as well as the short title must then appear on the
spine. Numbering of the appendices must flow in sequence from the first
volume.

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