GUIDE TO THE PREPARATIO

OF THESES

1.0 I TRODUCTIO
A student has to submit the thesis/report twice.

1.1 Before the final presentation - THREE (3) Spiral bind copies.
- Due date: 03-05-2011 (5.00pm) to Tutor Room at Level 2, JKRP
- Supervisor & examiners will evaluate your thesis based on this version. Correction and
suggestion maybe required.
- Format: as below.
- Duplex (two-sided) printings are allowed.
- The thesis shall be spiral bind (or comb binding) for easy reading and evaluation
purpose. The colour of the cover shall be ORA GE (Appendix C).

1.2 After incorporation of all suggested corrections, TWO (2) hard bound copies.
- Due date: TWO (2) weeks from the date of Provision Result (Library & department)
- Supervisor may request extra copy. Refer to your supervisor.
- Format: as below.
- Duplex (two-sided) printings are OT allowed.
- The thesis shall be hard bound within boards of sufficient rigidity to support the work
when standing upon a shelf. The colour of the boards and text shall be MAROO &
GOLD, respectively (Appendix C).

2.0 FORMAT
2.1. Format: A thesis should look like a book.
2.2. All pages from Chapter 1 onward should be fully filled with text or figures/tables.
2.3. All figures or tables must be referred in the text.
2.4. The thesis shall be printed on high quality A4 size paper (80 gm). A high quality laser or
ink-jet printer should be used for the printing.
2.5. Font is Times ew Roman, Size 12 point. Use the same font throughout the text of the thesis
including captions of Figures and Tables.
2.6. The contents in Figures and Tables Font size may be of (lowest) 10 pt.
2.7. Line Margins: Left is 35 mm and others (right, top and bottom) are 20 mm.
2.8. 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 so on.
2.9. Page numbering: (all) page numbers should be printed 1.0 cm from the bottom margin and
be placed at the right hand side without any punctuation. 8-pt size is suggested for page
numbers. Numbers must appear consecutively throughout the text, including those pages
incorporating photographs or diagrams, references, appendices, which are included as whole
pages. Roman numbers (i, ii, iii, etc.) should be used in the PREFACE sections. No number
should be printed on the Title page. Numbering begins on the second page from 'Abstract
with (ii) to Nomenclature'. Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, …) are used on the pages of the text
(starting from Introduction) and supplementary sections.

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2.10. Tables: 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, tables in Chapter 3 are numbered
sequentially: Table 3.1, Table 3.2 and so on. The label should be placed above the table
itself and has the following format:
Table 3.1: Short Title

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 3.7, continued’. If the table contains a
citation, the source of the reference should be placed below the table.
2.11. 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 and so on. 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 (using the same format used for tables)

Figure 3.1: Experimental Setup

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 3.7, continued’. If the figure contains a
citation, the source of the reference should be placed at the bottom, after the label.
2.12. Units of measurement: Generally SI units should be used for all scientific/engineering and
laboratory data. In case of conversion, mention the conversion factor within parenthesis.
2.13. Appendices, if any, should be mentioned in the text and named alphabetically (for example
Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.). Each appendix needs to be listed in the Table of contents.
All appendices are placed, according to their order in the text, after the Reference section.
2.14. Length of thesis: The maximum length (excluding footnotes, appendices, tables and
prefaces) for a submission for examination is 60,000 words.
2.15. References: The use of the American Psychological Association (APA) parenthetical
citation system is highly recommended by the University. Please refer to the ‘APA
Formatting and Style Guide’ prepared by the UM library available at
http://umlib.um.edu.my/contents.asp?tid=32&vs=en

OTE:
- Chapters: must be in CAPITAL (16 points)
- All Headings (Such As 1.1, 1.2, …. 2.5, …. 3.4…… 4.1…. 5.1, 5.2 And 5.3 Must Be In Capital.
- Sub-headings , such as 2.2.1; 2.2.3; 2.2.3.1……. and 4.5.3 should be in such that the first letters
of the main words are CAPITAL and others are lowercase except abbreviations.

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3.0 ORDER OF CO TE TS
The structure of the research report, dissertation or thesis is based on a standard format
which contains the following sections:
- Section 1: Preface
- Section 2: Text
- Section 3: Supplementary

3.1 Preface
(a) Title Page
The title page is the first page after the front cover and should include the research
title, name of candidate according to the registration records, and the statement
“…submission of research report/dissertation/thesis for the fulfilment of the … ” and finally
the year of submission. Refer to Appendix A for example of front cover and Appendix B for
examples of the title page.

(b) Abstract
Generally the abstract is written after the completion of the text of the thesis. It
summarizes the structure of the whole text and the major facts it contains. It should be
written in the language of the thesis and contain not more than 500 words. The abstract
should be placed on the page immediately after the title page.

(c) Acknowledgements
Most research reports, dissertations or theses have their subsection to convey
appreciation to those who have been involved in the study.

(d) Table of Contents

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 e.g., the first
topic in Chapter 1 should be marked 1.1 and the first sub-topic, 1.1.1. The use of letters in
parenthesis for e.g., (a), (b), (c) is appropriate as a means of differentiating sub-topics of the
same topic. This numbering system provides a clear picture of the relationship between
chapters and topics and shows how they are connected.

(e) List of Figures

This list contains the titles of figures, together with their page numbers, which are listed
in the text. For e.g., figures in Chapter 3 are numbered sequentially: Figure 3.1, Figure 3.2.

(f) List of Tables

This list contains the titles of tables, together with their page numbers, which are listed
in the text. The numbering system is according to chapter, for e.g.: tables in Chapter 3 are
numbered sequentially: Table 3.1, Table 3.2.

(g) List of Symbols and Abbreviations

The symbols and abbreviations must be in accordance to international convention.

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 (h) List of Appendices
This list is optional and contains the titles of appendices placed in the supplementary
section.

3.2 Text
Candidates and supervisors should ensure that the text follows the agreed conventions of the
individual department/faculty. Normally, the text consists of the following chapters:

(a) Introduction
This chapter contains the introduction to the issues in which the research is concerned,
the aims and objectives of the study, and the outline of the research approach. E.g.
- 1.1 Introduction /Importance/Rationale / Background of the study /
- 1.2 Research Problem Statement (in points or statement form that will depict the
existence of some real problems/gaps that have been addresses/solved under this study)
- 1.3 Goals and Objectives of the study (state the goal as the aim but objectives in point
form must be in specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based verifiable
forms)
- 1.4 Scope and limitation of the study (the areas/direction that have been covered (scope)
and that couldn’t be covered (limitation))
- 1.5 Methodology of the study: Approach Applied in Carrying out the Research
(systematic steps and methods, in short)
- 1.5 Contribution of the study (in terms of new ideas, new solutions, new products,
publications (if any)
- 1.6 Arrangement/organization of the thesis (very short. Juts mention how the chapters
are placed in an orderly manner)

(b) Literature Review

This chapter surveys previous literature and studies relevant to the field of study. The
literature review should be comprehensive and include recent publications. E.g.
- Introduction (on Literature review – in a summary you mention what you have covered
as literature review, and sources like journal, book, periodical, and Internet))
- Detail Lit Review contents under various headings and sub-headings relevant to your
work (you choose the headings/topics that are appropriate/relevant to your work for
attaining your objectives). From the work different authors, you can put and compare
various ideas/concepts, models and theories/formulas and highlight the advantages and
shortcomings of those theories or models. So there could be a number of
topics/headings.
- Selection of methods/tools/techniques based on Lit review (that you are going to
apply/use for your purpose).

(c) Methodology/Experimental Design/Research Design

This chapter describes and explains 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.
- Introduction (on this chapter): a short statement on the topics of this chapter.
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 - Details on Research Design under different headings and subheadings (Experimental set
up, Framework for Data collection, etc.). Write down the variables, parameters, factors
or issues you have considered and show their connectivity/dependence/ impact upon
other factors or model, etc.
- Show the experimental setup/data collection framework/model in figure (schematic
diagram, process/flow chart) form where you must show the linkage of the various
factors/variables/parameters you have found appropriate. Show the expected
outcomes/results as well.

(d) Data Generation/Collection/Analysis, Results and Discussion/

Results are commonly presented in the form of text, figures and tables, complete with
data analysis. This chapter may contain 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 of the research.
- Introduction (on this chapter): a short statement on the topics of this chapter.
- Data collected (company profile in case of a case study, how have you
collected/generated data, show data in tabular form)
- Data screening (check data adequacy/redundancy/relevancy)
- Data analysis using different tools and techniques (statistical/mathematical or others)
- Presentation (Tabular and graphical)
- Discussion on findings (significance, importance, impact, relevance, etc. of those
findings)

(e) Conclusions
In this section, the findings are summarized and their implications discussed. This
section may include suggestions for future work.
- Summary of the work: you can summarize your main activities in a very brief manner.
- Conclusion (in point forms) (major findings that satisfied your objectives and how those
findings can benefit/merit the practical requirements)
- Recommendation (suggestion to improve the present system and suggestions for further
studies)

3.3 Supplementary
Specific items which were not included in the main body of the text, should be put in this
Supplementary Section. Typically, this section includes the following:

(a) Instrumentation
Research instruments such as questionnaires, maps or computer programmes.

(b) Appendix
Appendices consist of additional illustration of data sources, raw data and quoted
citations which are too long to be placed in the text. The appendix supports the written text
of the thesis. Appendices can be divided into Appendix A, B, C and so on.

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APPE DIX A – Example of the Front Cover

Leave two (size 12, 2 blank

lines from the top

TITLE OF THE THESIS

(CAPITAL letters, size 20,
bold and centred)

Write your name O LY

(CAPITAL letters, size 16,
centre of the page)

Department, Faculty,
University, KL
(CAPITAL letters, size 14)

Month & Year

(CAPITAL letter, size 14, bottom
of the page, Leave ONE (1) blank
line after the name of the
university).

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APPE DIX B – Example of the Title Page

Leave two (size 12, 2 blank

lines from the top

TITLE OF THE THESIS

(CAPITAL letters, size 20,
bold and centred)

- AME
(CAPITAL letters, size 16)
- Matrix umber & Session
(CAPITAL letters, size 14)
Session: when you conduct &
submit thesis.

Statement & Purpose

(CAPITAL letters, size 14)

Department, Faculty & University

(CAPITAL letters, size 14)

Month & Year

(CAPITAL letter, size 14, bottom of
the page, Leave ONE (1) blank line
after the name of the university).

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 APPE DIX C – Example of Cover

Spiral Bind Copies (Draft Version): Cover Shall Be ORA GE

Hard Bound Copies (Final Version):

Colour of The Boards and Text shall be MAROO & GOLD, respectively