GUIDELINES FOR

THE PREPARATION

OF DISSERTATION

AND THESIS

Faculty of Science@2018

THESIS FORMAT

1) CONVENTIONAL FORMAT

2) PUBLICATION FORMAT (REQUIRE 5 ISI PUBLICATIONS)

Faculty of Science NOT ACCEPTED thesis by ARTICLE FORMAT

Preliminary

TITLE PAGE

ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION

ABSTRACT

ABSTRAK

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF APPENDICES

Main Body

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION

REFERENCES (A CONSOLIDATED LIST OF REFERENCES FOR ALL CHAPTERS)

SUPPLEMENTARY

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS PRESENTED

APPENDICES

CONVENTIONAL FORMAT

The general structure that follows the conventional format. This is the most

common form of research project/dissertation/thesis used by most candidates.

Preliminary

TITLE PAGE

ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION

ABSTRACT

ABSTRAK

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

LIST OF APPENDICES

Main Body

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY (where applicable)

CHAPTER 4: *Published Paper 1

*Published Paper 2

*Published Paper 3

*Published Paper 4

*Published Paper 5

* 3 out 5 Published paper, candidate must be the first author

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION

CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSION

REFERENCES (A CONSOLIDATED LIST OF REFERENCES FOR ALL CHAPTERS)

SUPPLEMENTARY

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS PRESENTED

APPENDICES

PUBLICATION FORMAT

FORMAT SPECIFICATIONS

Paper Quality, Printing and Duplicating

The research project/dissertation/thesis should be printed, single-sided, on high quality white A4

paper (201 × 297 mm; 80 grams). Computer pin-feed printout paper is not permitted.

The research project/dissertation/thesis, in soft- and hardcover copies, must be typed and

duplicated by offset printing or good quality photocopying. All copies must be clean and neat in

order to ensure easy reading.

Typing and Printing Quality

Texts in research project/dissertation/thesis should be typed on one side of the paper only.

They must be typed using font type Times New Roman, font size 12 (except for tables and

figures) and justified, using Microsoft Word version 6.0 or later, or similar word-processing

software. Words in a language that is different from the language of the research

project/dissertation/thesis must be typed in italics. For mathematical texts, the use of Equation

Editor or LaTeX is advisable. Script fonts are not permitted.

A high quality laser or ink-jet printer should be used for the printing.

cont…

Line Spacing:

• The body of the text should be typed with double spacing. Single-spacing is only permitted in

tables, long quotations, footnotes, citation and in the references.

Margins:

• Top : 2 cm or 0.79 inch

• Bottom : 2 cm or 0.79 inch

• Left : 4 cm or 1.57 inch

• Right : 2 cm or 0.79 inch

The last paragraph of the page should contain at least two sentences. If it does not, the paragraph

should begin on the next page.

Page Numbering:

All page numbers should be printed 1.0 cm from the bottom edge of the page and placed at the

right-hand side without any punctuation .

Font type Times New Roman and font size 10 are recommended for numbers.

Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, …) should be used in the Preliminary section. The first page of the thesis

(the title page), is an unnumbered page ‘i’. Numbering begins on the second page with ‘ii’ for the

Original Literary Work Declaration Form.

WORD LENGTH

The maximum word length for a submission for examination:

8

Master’s Programme

Research project

(by Coursework)

Dissertation

(by Mixed mode)

Dissertation

(by Research)

30,000 words 40,000 words 60,000 words

Doctoral Programme

Dissertation

(by Coursework or

by Clinical Coursework)

Thesis

(by Mixed mode)

Thesis

(by Research)

60,000 words 80,000 words 100,000 words

HARD COVER

Title of

research that

has been

approved by

the faculty

Name of the

candidate as

registered with the

university

Faculty where

candidate is

registered

Year of

submission

Gold

lettering,

font Arial

Narrow, size

16, bold,

1.15pt. line

spacing

Example: Hard Cover

TITLE PAGE (Ph.D.)

5 cm

4 cm4 cm

5 cm

Font Times New

Roman, size 16,

bold, 1.15pt. line

spacing

Insert

Department

Title page start with

roman numbering ‘i’ but

should not appear in this

pages. Just blank this

part.

Example 2: Title Page

TITLE PAGE (M.Sc.)

11

Insert

department

5 cm

4 cm4 cm

5 cm

Font Times

New Roman,

size 14, bold,

1.15pt. line

spacing

Title page start with

roman numbering ‘i’ but

should not appear in this

pages. Just blank this

part.

Example 1: Title Page

ORIGINAL LITERARY WORK DECLARATION

Example

Bold and

capital

letter

Start

numbering

with ii

• Student signature

• Supervisor signature

(a MUST !!) NOT other

persons

• Must be on the same

date.

• Stamp from

supervisor

Is a short summary of the research

project/dissertation/thesis.

Should briefly describe the objectives

(problem statement), the significance of

research, research methodology, as well as

the findings and conclusion of the research.

Must not exceed 500 words.

Type in a single paragraph.

Double-spacing.

Written in Bahasa Malaysia and English

language.

The abstract page is assigned Roman

numeral "iii" and the following pages

should be numbered consecutively.

The Abstract page begins with the title of

research project/dissertation/thesis (in

uppercase) that is approved by the faculty

after the submission of 3 Months’ Notice.

Candidates are not allowed to change the

title without the approval of the faculty.

ABSTRACT

[TITLE OF RESEARCH PROJECT/DISSERTATION/THESIS]

ABSTRACT

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla efficitur risus ac

magna malesuada venenatis. Etiam a faucibus metus, at consequat leo. Sed

pulvinar suscipit massa, sit amet pulvinar ligula accumsan sed. Nam sed leo

mollis, feugiat felis in, porta nunc. Maecenas at erat eu augue tristique vestibulum.

Donec ac lobortis nunc. Aliquam laoreet dolor a massa hendrerit, ac bibendum

neque semper. Aliquam id nisi magna.Aliquam ligula orci, congue id dapibus at,

luctus in magna. Maecenas non nulla ac tortor tristique laoreet. Donec porta neque

semper imperdiet pulvinar. Phasellus egestas viverra ornare. Fusce nisi ex,

pharetra eu gravida vel, iaculis quis quam. Mauris placerat sapien sapien, ac

mollis eros imperdiet vel. Morbi nulla ipsum, commodo sed ex eu, pharetra

maximus massa. In et placerat elit. Aliquam porta sem sit amet justo pellentesque

consectetur. Quisque aliquet leo nunc, sed porttitor quam ullamcorper at.

Suspendisse nunc lorem, tempus a feugiat ac, facilisis eu nisi. Donec feugiat

vulputate turpis, at tincidunt ex posuere at. Sed semper ante vitae tincidunt

malesuada. Praesent commodo diam non tortor laoreet, ac volutpat dui

scelerisque. Maecenas elementum rhoncus placerat. Aliquam mollis vel diam ut

imperdiet. Donec in venenatis arcu. Nam pulvinar eros nunc, vel malesuada turpis

vestibulum eget. Aliquam erat volutpat. Vivamus ut euismod augue. Nam semper

risus nec nibh posuere tincidunt. Pellentesque id imperdiet enim, vitae viverra

lectus.

Keywords: proin fringilla, turpis metus, vitae, tincidunt

iii

2 cm

2 cm4 cm

2 cm1 cm

Continue

numbering

with iii

ABSTRACT

14

Examples

Continue

numbering

with iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

15

• Most research projects,

dissertations or theses include a

message to convey appreciation to

those who have been involved and

provided their assistance directly or

indirectly in the preparation of the

study.

• This is optional and should not

exceed a single page, which is

numbered in Roman numeral

accordingly.

0.5 cm Tab

TABLE OF CONTENTS

16

The Table of Contents lists the chapters,

topics and sub-topics together with their page

numbers. Sub-topics and topics should be

labelled according to the chapter, for

example:

CHAPTER 1: TITLE

1.1 Topic 1

1.1.1 Sub-topic 1

CHAPTER 2: TITLE

2.1 Topic 1

2.1.1 Sub-topic 1

This numbering system provides a clear

picture of the relationship between chapters

and topics and shows how they are connected.

Example

Example

LIST OF FIGURES

After

Correction

Figure No. Title Page No.

LIST OF TABLES

After

Correction

Before

Correction

• Title should be capital

letter and bold.

• Table, caption and

number should be

arranged in their own

column.

• Single spacing for the

same caption but double

spacing for the next

caption.

• No need bold.

LIST OF SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS

• Alphabetical order.

• List down the symbols than

follow by abbreviations.

• Double spacing.

LIST OF APPENDICES

• List of appendices should

be used alphabet.

• Single spacing for same

appendix but double

spacing for the next

appendix.

MAIN BODY

Candidates and supervisors should ensure that the text follows the agreed conventions of the

individual faculty. The main text in the research project/dissertation/thesis must be organised

following the guidelines as mentioned below:

Text must be organised in titled chapters.

The titles must reflect the content of the chapter.

Every chapter must begin on a new page.

Chapters can be divided into sub-chapters with corresponding sub-titles.

Titles and sub-titles must be numbered.

Generally, a research project/dissertation/thesis will have the following basic structure:

INTRODUCTION

LITERATURE REVIEW

METHODOLOGY

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Tab should

be 0.5 cm

• Chapter titles should be typed

with capital letters and centred

between the left and right

margins.

• Each chapter must begin on a new

page.

• Chapters and subchapters should

be also titled.

• Titles should be typed in bold

without underline.

LITERATURE REVIEW

A literature review is a description of the literature relevant to a particular field or

topic of study. It consists of a critically written and comprehensive account of the

published works on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. A critical

literature review is a critical assessment of the relevant literature. It is directly

related to the research, providing information on theories, models, materials and

techniques used in the research.

The literature review should be comprehensive and include recent publications

which are relevant to the research.

METHODOLOGY

This chapter describes and explains the materials as well as the research

methodology used in the study. The sub-topics for this chapter include the key

research questions, the research design, and the research procedures adopted. It

may also, where appropriate, indicate sampling methods, research instruments and

statistical methods employed.

The purpose of this is to inform the reader on the methods used to collect the data

and generate the findings reported.

RESULTS

This chapter explains the results which are commonly presented in the form of

text, figures and tables, complete with data analysis.

DISCUSSION

This chapter contains the interpretation of the results. The findings of the research

should be compared and contrasted with those of previous studies presented in the

literature review. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the findings and the

outcomes of the research in relation to the results that have been obtained.

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, the findings are summarized and their implications discussed. This

section may include suggestions for future work.

REFERENCE CITATIONS IN TEXT

For direct quotations or

paraphrases in text:

• Single author: Bernard

(2002)

• Two authors: Thomas &

Peter (1994)

• More than 2 authors:

Wegener et al. (1994)

For summaries the author in text:

• Single author: (Bernard, 2001)

• Two authors: (Thomas & Peter,

1994)

• More than 2 authors: (Wegener

et al., 1994)

• Several authors in a sentence:

(Bernard, 2002; Karnes et al.,

(2001); Thomas & Peter, 1994))

• If the authors have a similar

surname more than one can put

a, b or c.

• Example: (Wang et al., 1994a;

Wang et al., 1994b)

Require the following information:

• last name of the author,

• the year of publication,

• the page number for the reference (direct quotes only).

Example 2: Reference Citation in Text - For direct quotations or paraphrases in text

More than 2

authors

Two

authors

Single author

Only

insert

authors

surname

Several

authors in a

sentence

Example 1: Reference Citation in Text - For summaries the author in text

Two

authors

More than

two authors

Single author

• Equation must be

numbered and

written in

bracket.

• The first number

should be

corresponded to

the chapter’s

number.

• Used Equation

Editor.

All symbol

should be italic.

FIGURES

Figures, like tables are printed within the body of the

text at the centre of the frame and labelled according

to the chapter in which they appear. Thus, for example,

figures in Chapter 3 are numbered sequentially: Figure

3.1, Figure 3.2.

Figures, unlike text or tables, contain graphs,

illustrations or photographs and their labels are placed

at the bottom of the figure rather than at the top.

If the figure occupies more than one page, the

continued figure on the following page should indicate

that it is a continuation: for example:

Figure 3.2, continued.

If the figure contains a citation, the source of the

reference should be placed after the label.

Figure 3.1: ANFIS prediction of distribution of

different sizes of granular structures at certain

annealing temperature

Figure 3.2: FESEM image of gold nanoparticles

TABLES

Heading Heading

1 Text

2 Text

3 Text

Tables are printed within the body of the text at

the centre of the frame (one line) justified (if

more than one line) and labelled according to

the chapter in which they appear. Thus, for

example, tables in Chapter 3 are numbered

sequentially: Table 3.1, Table 3.2 and so on.

The caption should be placed above the table

itself (Table 3.1). If the table contains a

citation, the source of the reference should be

included in the table caption.

If the table occupies more than one page, the

continued table on the following page should

indicate that it is a continuation, for example:

‘Table 3.1, continued.’. The header row should

also be repeated.

Table 3.1: Example of table.

Heading Heading

4 Text

5 Text

6 Text

Table 3.1, continued.

Heading Heading

System 1 Text

System 2 Text

System 3 Text

Table 3.2: Parameters of DSSCs for GPE

samples in the system.

FOOTNOTESThere are differences in the use of footnotes in various disciplines. For example, footnotes are commonly

used in Social Sciences but rarely in Science and Technology. However candidates are advised to limit

the use of footnotes unless they are proved necessary to the document. Footnotes are used to elaborate or

provide additional information regarding matters discussed in that page.

Footnotes are recorded using Arabic numeric and numbered consecutively. Raised superscript numerals

in the text refer to explanatory notes and documented sources appearing either at the bottom of the page

as footnotes or at the end of the thesis as endnotes in a notes section. The advantage of using notes is that

explanatory type of information can be presented along with source citations on the same page or place.

Footnotes should use a smaller font than the text (font size 8).

When using footnote, a number formatted in superscript is inserted following the punctuation mark in the

text. Footnotes should be placed at the bottom of the page on which they appear. Please refer to the

faculty for the recommended convention for writing of footnotes.

Scientists examined, over several years, the fossilized remains of the wooly-wooly yak.1

_______

1 While the method of examination for the wooly-wooly yak provides important insights to this research, this document does not focus on this particular species.

Example of footnote (Source: IPS).

REFERENCES

• All works or studies referred to in the research report/dissertation/thesis in

the form of quotations or citations must be included in the references.

• The references should be written consistently in the American Psychological

Association (APA) format or in another format approved by the Faculty.

• Each reference should be written in single spacing format and a double

space between references.

• The list of references must be arranged in alphabetical order and the

entries should not be numbered. The list must also have a hanging

indentation of 0.5 inch.

Single Author Last name first, followed by

author initials.Berndt, T. J. (2002). Friendship quality and

social development. Current Directions

in Psychological Science, 11, 7-10.

Two Authors List by their last names and

initials. Use the ampersand

(&) instead of "and."

Wegener, D. T., & Petty, R. E. (1994). Mood

management across affective states:

The hedonic contingency hypothesis.

Journal of Personality & Social

Psychology, 66, 1034-1048.

Three to Seven

Authors

List by last names and

initials; commas separate

author names, while the last

author name is preceded

again by ampersand (&).

Kernis, M. H., Cornell, D. P., Sun, C. R.,

Berry, A., White, A., Ganster, D. C., &

Harlow, T. (1993). There's more to self-

esteem than whether it is high or low:

The importance of stability of self-

esteem. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology, 65, 1190-1204.

More Than

Seven

Authors

APA 6th ed. uses “…”

instead, replacing all

authors between the sixth

author and the last author.

Harris, M., Karper, E., Stacks, G., Hoffman,

D., DeNiro, R., Cruz, P., … Berry, A.

(2001). Writing labs and the Hollywood

connection. Journal of Film and Writing,

44(3), 213-245.

Reference List: Publications

Reference List : Books

Basic Format for

Books

Author, A. A. (Year of

publication). Title of work:

Capital letter also for subtitle.

Location: Publisher.

Note: For place of publication

cite includes a country.

Calfee, R. C., & Valencia, R. R. (1991). APA guide

to preparing manuscripts for journal publication.

Washington, DC: American Psychological

Association.

Neftci, S. N. (2009). Principles of financial engineering

(2nd ed.). London, England: Academic.

Lawford, C. K. (2009). Moments of clarity: Voices

from the front lines of addiction and recovery. New

York, NY: William Morrow.

Edited Book Unknown author. Duncan, G. J., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (Eds.). (1997).Consequences of growing up poor. New York, NY:

Russell Sage Foundation.

Edited Book With author / authors. Plath, S. (2000). The unabridged journals (K. V.

Kukil, Ed.). New York, NY: Anchor.

A Translation Note: When you cite a

republished work in your text, it

should appear with both dates.

Laplace, P. S. (1951). A philosophical essay on

probabilities. (F. W. Truscott & F. L. Emory, Trans.).

New York, NY: Dover. (Original work published

1814).

Edition Only for 2nd edition onwards. Helfer, M. E., Keme, R. S., & Drugman, R. D. (1997).The battered child (5th ed.). Chicago, NY: University

of Chicago Press.

Article or

Chapter in an

Edited Book

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B.

(Year of publication). Title of

chapter. In A. Editor & B.

Editor (Eds.), Title of book

(pages of chapter). Location:

Publisher.

Note: When you list the

pages of the chapter or essay

in parentheses after the book

title, use "pp." before the

numbers: (pp.

1-21). This abbreviation,

however, does not appear

before the page numbers in

periodical references,except for newspapers.

Rogoff, B., & Mistry, J. (1985). Memory

development in cultural context. In M.

Pressley & C.J. Brainerd (Eds.), Cognitive

learning and memory in children (pp. 117-

142). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.

Multivolume

Work

Use Vol. for a single volume

and Vols. for multiple

volumes.

Levinson, D. & Ember, M. (Eds.). (1996).

Encyclopedia of cultural anthropology (Vols.

1-4). New York, NY: Henry Holt.

Cont.

Web Reference - https and Retrieval Date

Daniells, J. (2010). Panama disease – details and description.

Retrieved on July 10, 2018 from https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-

priorities/plants/health-pests-diseases/a-z-significant/panama-

disease2/panama-disease#

REFERENCES

38

Examples

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS AND PAPERS PRESENTED

• All published works NOT including the submitted article/article under review

as well as papers presented at conferences, seminars, symposiums etc.

pertaining to the research topic of the research project/dissertation/thesis

should be included in this section.

• The references should be written consistently in the American Psychological

Association (APA) format or in another format approved by the Faculty and

student name must be bold.

• The list also must be separated by Publications and Papers Presented.

• The list of Publications and Papers presented should be written in single

spacing format and a double space between anothers.

• The list of references must be arranged in from current year publications and

the entries should be numbered. The list must also have a hanging indentation

of 0.5 inch.

• The first page of the ISI publication must be attached after the list of

publications and paper presented. No need attachment for presented paper

and award received.

EXAMPLE

41

42

HARD COVER

NAME OF

CANDIDATE

TITLE OF RESEARCH REPORT/

DISERTATION/ THESIS

M.Sc.

2017

2 cm2 cm

NAME OF

CANDIDATE

TITLE OF RESEARCH REPORT/

DISERTATION/ THESIS

Ph.D.

2017

2 cm2 cm

SPINE FORMAT

44

NAME OF

CANDIDATE

TITLE OF RESEARCH REPORT/

DISERTATION/ THESIS…

Ph.D.

2017

2 cm2 cm

If the title

is too long

use 3 dot

Example 1: Spine Format for Master

Example 2: Spine Format for Ph.D

1st SUBMISSION

Documents required for submission for the purpose of

examination are as follows:

• Five (5) printed softbound copies to Dean’s Office;

• One (1) electronic copy (CD in PDF format); and

• First submission form of Thesis/Dissertation.

FINAL SUBMISSION

Documents required for submission for the purpose of

examination are as follows:

• Three (3) printed hardbound copies to Dean’s Office;

• Supervisor/Supervisors (Number of copy depends on

number of supervisor);

• Two (2) electronic copies (CD in PDF format); and

• Final submission form of Thesis/Dissertation.

The submitted electronic copy of the research

project/dissertation/thesis (in PDF format) in a compact disc (CD) or

USB flash drive must be labeled with the following details:

Name

Matric no.

Title of research

project/dissertation/thesis

Faculty/Academy/Institute/Centre

Year of submission (current year)

SUBMISSION FORM

Please ensure submission form must be completed with all

the details as below:

Turnitin : ISM <30% & Non ISM <25% (without Reference List)

Word Count : Follow the guidelines

Supervisor Endorsement : Correction & Submission

HoD Endorsement : Correction & Submission

Preparation for Viva-Voce and

Q&A Session

Read and understand the content of the thesis/dissertation

Understand the scientific principle/fundamental of your works

Prepare slides for a 20 minute presentation

Bring hard copy of the thesis

Save your raw data in the pendrive

Bring selected publications related to your research

Bring copy of your published articles

Present your slides clearly and make sure your voice is heard

Eye-contact with panels

Give clear and quality answers with high confident

Avoid giving unacceptable excuses ( ie. busy working, no time to read the thesis, sick children, not feeling well, busy with wedding preparation, family commitment etc..)

THANK YOU