BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

BAHIR DAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES

Thesis Writing Guideline Format

TABLE OF CONTENTS1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................2

2 FORMAT GUIDELINE &TECHNICAL REGULATION FOR THESIS SUBMISSION...........................4

2.1 Order and Components 4

2.1.1 Cover Page..............................................................................................................5

2.1.2 Title Page................................................................................................................5

2.1.3 Declaration Page.....................................................................................................6

2.1.4 Copyright Page.......................................................................................................6

2.1.5 Approval page.........................................................................................................6

2.1.6 Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface (Dedication and Preface are optional)....6

2.1.7 Abstract...................................................................................................................7

2.1.8 Table of Contents....................................................................................................8

2.1.9 List of Abbreviations..............................................................................................9

2.1.10 List Figures and Tables...........................................................................................9

2.1.11 List of Symbols.....................................................................................................10

2.1.12 Main Body of the Thesis.......................................................................................11

2.2 Formatting Guideline 11

2.2.1 Margins.................................................................................................................11

2.2.2 Font Type and Size...............................................................................................12

2.2.3 Spacing and Indentation........................................................................................12

2.2.4 Pagination.............................................................................................................13

2.2.5 How to Caption Tables and Figures......................................................................14

2.2.6 Footnotes...............................................................................................................14

2.2.7 References.............................................................................................................15

2.2.8 Appendix...............................................................................................................21

2.3 Approval of documents 23

3 THESIS EXAMINATION...........................................................................................................24

3.1 MSc Thesis Examination 24

3.2 Grading 24

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1 INTRODUCTION

Graduate programmes usually consist of a period of course study and a period of original

research work undertaken by candidates in any discipline. During their study period,

graduate students must demonstrate that they are capable of carrying out a scientific

research project independently; the graduate thesis which makes a contribution to

scientific knowledge. Graduate theses are evaluated in a public examination in which

candidates present and defend their research to a panel of examiners who, can ask

questions about any aspect of the research work presented: the research method used, the

sources, the results, and the final report.

Universities must establish standard procedures for guaranteeing the quality of both the

production and the evaluation of graduate theses. Research and Graduate Office of BiT

has taken the initiative of drawing up this guideline in order to provide graduate students

with new tool. The BDU-BiT style guide for graduate theses is not a list of image or

format rules with which theses must comply; rather it is a series of guidelines that

describe the minimum style thresholds that all theses bearing the stamp of the BDU-BiT

must share.

The aim of this format is to provide guidelines not only on the minimum requirements

but also on the acceptable elements of style that all graduate theses submitted to the

Research and Graduate office must have fulfilled if they are to be approved by the

Research, and Graduate office and subsequently defended at the BDU-BiT as well as

providing some printing criteria that encourage the sustainable use of resources.

Despite being the work of individual authors, graduate theses are texts that are heavily

influenced by the traditions that have prevailed for decades in the disciplines of the

various branches of scientific knowledge. Therefore, theses can take the form of

monographs or of compilations of articles published in high-impact journals and each

discipline must remain faithful to their uses and traditions. Nevertheless, some criteria

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can be applied to all graduate theses, independently of the scientific area to which they

belong: for example, the information that must be provided in the front matter and the

information that is not appropriate to a graduate thesis and which, therefore, should not

be included. This section, the main guideline format, deals with the fundamental aspects

of the cover and the front matter of the thesis, as well as how the text should be structured

so that non-expert readers will find the content clearly presented

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2 FORMAT GUIDELINE &TECHNICAL REGULATION FOR

THESIS SUBMISSION

2.1 Order and Components

The following order is required for components of thesis: [See Appendix for sample

templates].

1. Cover Page

2. Title Page

3. Declaration

4. Copyright Page (optional)

5. Approval page

6. Dedication (optional)

7. Acknowledgements

8. Abstract

9. Abstract (In Amharic, optional)

10. Table of Contents

11. List of Abbreviations (if applicable)

12. List of Figures

13. List of Tables

14. List of Symbols (if applicable)

15. Main body of the Thesis, including:

1. Introduction

1.1. Background,

1.2. Statement of the problem

1.3. Objective of the study

1.4. Scope of the study

1.5. Significance of the study

2. Literature review

3. Methodology( Materials and Methods)

4. Result and Discussion

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5. Conclusion and recommendation

References

Appendices (if applicable)

2.1.1 Cover Page

The cover page should be informative and consist of the names of the university (Bahir

Dar University), the institute (Bahir Dar Institute of Technology), the name School of

Research and Graduate Studies, the name of the program (the academic degree sought),

the title of the Thesis, the name of the graduate student, The month and year followed by

the location are the last items on the cover page. The cover page case letters of the

University, Institute of Technology, School of Research and Graduate Studies,

Faculty, Research Title, Author name, Date and Place which indicated on the cover

page should be in bold capital with golden color and font size 14. For the Binding

cover, the color should be brown and the student name and Date-Year should be

printed on the folding edge (on the Spine of the thesis).

Note: for more please use the Cover page as it is indicated in the Msc thesis writing

sample document

2.1.2 Title Page

The title page of a thesis must include the following information:

1. The title of the thesis in all capital letters font sized 12 and centered 2″ below the

top of the page.

2. Your name, centered 1″ below the title. Do not include titles, degrees, or

identifiers.

3. The following statement, centered, 1″ below your name: “A [thesis] submitted to

Bahir Dar Institute of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

degree of [insert degree] in the [insert department or program name] in the

[named faculty].” End this statement with a period.

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4. The logo in the title page must be color printed

Notes on this statement:

o When indicating your degree in the second bracketed space, use the full

degree name.( For example don’t writ MSc, it should be written as

MASTERS)

o List your faculty, or curriculum rather than your subject area or specialty

discipline in the third bracketed space. You may include your subject area

or specialty discipline in parentheses.

5. One single-spaced line below that, center the city and the year in which your

committee approves the completed thesis. This need not be the year you graduate.

2.1.3 Declaration Page

This page should declare that the thesis comprises one’s own work. In compliance with

internationally accepted practices, it should acknowledge and refer all materials used in

the work.

2.1.4 Copyright Page

Include a copyright page with the following information: single-spaced and centered 2″

above the bottom of the page. This page immediately follows the title page. It should be

numbered with the lower case Roman numeral.

2.1.5 Approval page

Before submission the thesis should be approved by an advisor, examiners and also by a

faculty dean.

2.1.6 Dedication, Acknowledgements, Preface (Dedication and Preface are

optional)

If you choose to include any or all of these elements, give each its own page(s).

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A dedication is a message from the author prefixed to a work in tribute to a person,

group, or cause. Most dedications are short statements of tribute beginning with “To…”

such as “To my family”. The dedication must be listed in the Table of Contents. In

Microsoft Word, to get "Dedication" to show up in the Table of Contents without

appearing here, change the color of the word "Dedication" to white.

Acknowledgements are the author's statement of gratitude to and recognition of the people

and institutions that helped the author's research and writing.

A preface is a statement of the author's reasons for undertaking the work and other

personal comments that are not directly germane to the materials presented in other

sections of the thesis. These reasons tend to be of a personal nature.

Any of these pages must be prepared according to the following guidelines listed below:

1. Do not place a Heading on the dedication page.

2. The text of short dedications must be center of the page.

3. Headings are required for the “ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS” and “PREFACE”

pages. Headings must be in all capital letters and centered 2″ below the top of the

page.

4. The text of the acknowledgements and preface pages must begin one double-

spaced line below the heading and be aligned with the document's left margin

with the exception of indenting new paragraphs.

5. Subsequent pages of text return to the 1″ top margin.

6. The page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case Roman numerals.

2.1.7 Abstract

Include an abstract page according to the following guidelines:

1. Include the heading “ABSTRACT” in all capital letters, and center it 2″ below the

top of the page.

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2. The text of your abstract must be similar fonts with the body of the text and

aligned with the document's left margin with the exception of indenting new

paragraphs. Do not center or right-justify the abstract.

3. Abstracts cannot exceed one page for a thesis.

4. Number the abstract page with the lower case Roman numeral.

5. Avoid mathematical formulas, diagrams, references and other illustrative

materials in the abstract. Offer a brief description of your thesis and a concise

summary of its conclusions. Be sure to describe the subject and focus of your

work with clear details and avoid including lengthy explanations or opinions.

2.1.8 Table of Contents

Include a table of contents following these guidelines:

1. Include the heading “TABLE OF CONTENTS” in all capital letters, and center it

2″ below the top of the page.

2. Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry.

3. The table of contents must list all parts of the thesis that follow it.

4. If relevant, be sure to list all appendices and a references section in your table of

contents. Include page numbers for these items but do not assign separate chapter

numbers.

5. Entries must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the right of

the left page margin using consistent tabs.

6. Major subheadings within chapters must be included in the table of contents. The

subheading(s) should be indented to the right of the left page margin using

consistent tabs.

7. If an entry takes up more than one line, break up the entry about three-fourths of

the way across the page and place the rest of the text on a second line, single-

spacing the two lines.

8. Page numbers listed in the table of contents must be located just inside the right

page margin with leaders (lines of periods) filling out the space between the end

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of the entry and the page number. The last digit of each number must line up on

the right margin.

9. Information included in the table of contents must match the headings, major

subheadings, and numbering used in the body of the thesis.

10. Subdivisions of headings should not exceed three levels.

11. The Table of Contents page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case

Roman numerals.

2.1.9 List of Abbreviations

If you use abbreviations extensively in your thesis, you must include a list of

abbreviations and their corresponding definitions following these guidelines:

1. Include the heading “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS” in all capital letters, and

center it 1″ below the top of the page.

2. Arrange your abbreviations alphabetically.

3. Abbreviations must align with the document's left margin or be indented to the

right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.

4. If an entry takes up more than one line, single-space between the two lines.

5. Include one double-spaced line between each entry.

6. The List of Abbreviations page(s) must be numbered with consecutive lower case

Roman numerals.

2.1.10 List of Symbols

If you use symbols in your thesis, you may combine them with your abbreviations, titling

the section “LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS”, or you may set up a

separate list of symbols and their definitions by following the formatting instructions

above for abbreviations. The heading you choose must be in all capital letters and

centered 1″ below the top of the page.

2.1.11 List Figures and Tables

If applicable, include a list of table and list of figures, following these guidelines:

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1. Include the heading(s) in all capital letters, centered 1″ below the top of the page.

2. Include one double-spaced line between the heading and the first entry.

3. Each entry must include a number, title, and page number.

4. Assign each table, figure, or illustration in your thesis an Arabic numeral. You

may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2,

etc.), or you may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number

designating the chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a

second number to indicate its consecutive placement in the chapter (e.g., Table

3.2 is the second table in Chapter Three).

5. Numerals and titles must align with the document's left margin or be indented to

the right of the left page margin using consistent tabs.

6. If an entry takes up more than one line, break up the entry about three-fourths of

the way across the page and place the rest of the text on a second line, single-

spacing the two lines.

7. Page numbers must be located just inside the right page margin with leaders (lines

of periods) filling out the space between the end of the entry and the page number.

The last digit of each number must line up on the right margin.

8. Numbers, titles, and page numbers must each match the corresponding numbers,

titles, and page numbers appearing in the thesis.

9. All Lists of Tables, Figures, and Illustrations page(s) must be numbered with

consecutive lower case Roman numerals.

2.1.12 Main Body of the Thesis

In the main body of the thesis, the author presents the narrative argument. The text is

divided into major divisions (Chapters), each presenting a main point in the argument.

Each major chapter usually contains subdivisions that will aid the reader in understanding

the given information.

In a longer thesis, the following main chapters should be included, but not limited,:

1. Introduction

1.1. Background

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1.2. Statement of the Problem

1.3. Objective of the study

1.4. Scope of the study

1.5. Significance of the study

2. Literature Review

3. Methodology( Materials and methods)

4. Result and discussion

5. Conclusion and Recommendation

Refer the sample page for what to be included in each chapter. and sub divisions

2.2 Formatting Guideline

The thesis should be written and printed with A4 paper size. Many of the thesis

components following the title and copyright pages have required headings and

formatting guidelines, which are described in these subsections.

2.2.1 Margins

All copies of a thesis must have the following uniform margins throughout the entire

document:

Left: 1.5″ (3.81cm):ensure sufficient room for binding the work if desired

Right: 1″

Bottom: 1″ (with allowances for page numbers)

Top: 1″

Exceptions: The first page of each chapter (including the introduction, if any) begins 2″

from the top of the page. Also, the headings on the title page, abstract, first page of the

dedication/ acknowledgements/preface (if any), and first page of the table of contents

begin 2″ from the top of the page.

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2.2.2 Font Type and Size

The body of the text should be 12 points in size and Times New Roman in font. Heading

font type should be: HEADING 1TIMES NEW ROMAN, font size 14 and BOLD

CAPITALS, Heading 2 Times New Roman, font size 13 and bold, Heading3 Times

New Roman with font size 12. The caption of Figures and Tables should be 2 points

smaller than the body of the text and should be bold. Superscripts and subscripts (e.g.,

formulas, or footnote or endnote numbers) should be no more than 2 points smaller than

the font size used for the body of the text. The cover page of the thesis is presented in 14-

point font size. A thesis will also have an additional title page where 12-point font size

shall be used.

2.2.3 Spacing and Indentation

Space and indent your thesis following these guidelines:

1. The text must appear in a single column on each page and be double-spaced

throughout the document. Do not arrange chapter text in multiple columns.

2. New paragraphs must be indicated by a consistent tab indentation throughout the

entire document.

3. For blocked quotations, indent the entire text of the quotation consistently from

the left margin.

4. Ensure headings are not left hanging alone on the bottom of a prior page. The text

following should be moved up or the heading should be moved down. This is

something to check near the end of formatting, as other adjustments to text and

spacing may change where headings appear on the page.

Exceptions: Blocked quotations, notes, captions, legends, and long headings must be

single-spaced throughout the document and double-spaced between items.

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2.2.4 Pagination

The minimum and the maximum number of pages for thesis work is 60 and 120

respectively (Starting from Introduction to Conclusion). Paginate your thesis following

these guidelines:

1. Use lower case Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.) on all pages preceding the first

page of chapter one. The title page counts as page i, but the number does not

appear. Therefore, the first page showing a number will be the copyright page

with ii at the bottom.

2. Arabic numerals (beginning with 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) start at chapter one or the

introduction, if applicable. Arabic numbers must be included on all pages of the

text, illustrations, notes, and any other materials that follow. Thus, the first page

of chapter one will show an Arabic numeral 1, and numbering of all subsequent

pages will follow in order.

3. Do not use page numbers accompanied by letters, hyphens, periods, or

parentheses (e.g., 1., 1-2, -1-, (1), or 1a).

4. Center all page numbers at the bottom of the page, 1/2″ from the bottom edge.

5. Pages must not contain running headers or footers, aside from page numbers.

6. If your document contains landscape pages (pages in which the top of the page is

the long side of a sheet of paper), make sure that your page numbers still appear

in the same position and direction as they do on pages with standard portrait

orientation for consistency. This likely means the page number will be centered

on the short side of the paper and the number will be sideways relative to the

landscape page text.

2.2.5 How to Caption Tables and Figures

Tables, and figures, vary widely by discipline. Space permitting, headings and captions

for the associated table, or figure must be on the same page. The name of the figure

should be below the figure whereas the name of the table should be above the table.

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The use of color is permitted as long as it is consistently applied as part of the finished

component (e.g., a color-coded pie chart) and not extraneous or unprofessional (e.g.,

highlighting intended solely to draw a reader's attention to a key phrase).

Each table and figure inserted in the report should be explained and analyzed explicitly.

Figures and tables that are not essential to the smooth reading/understanding, but which

still are of significant interest should be put in main Appendix.

2.2.6 Footnotes

Format footnotes for your thesis following these guidelines:

1. Footnotes must be placed at the bottom of the page separated from the text by a

solid line one to two inches long.

2. Begin at the left page margin, directly below the solid line.

3. Single-space footnotes that are more than one line long.

4. Include one double-spaced line between each note.

5. Most software packages automatically space footnotes at the bottom of the page

depending on their length. It is acceptable if the note breaks within a sentence and

carries the remainder into the footnote area of the next page. Do not indicate the

continuation of a footnote.

6. Number all footnotes with Arabic numerals. You may number notes

consecutively within each chapter starting over with number 1 for the first note in

each chapter, or you may number notes consecutively throughout the entire

document.

7. Footnote numbers must precede the note and be placed slightly above the line

(superscripted). Leave no space between the number and the note.

8. While footnotes should be located at the bottom of the page, do not place

footnotes in a running page footer, as they must remain within the page margins.

2.2.7 References

You are required to list all the references you consulted. Your reference pages must be

prepared following these guidelines:

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1. Always begin references on a separate page either immediately following at the

end of your entire document.

2. Select an appropriate heading for this section based on the style manual you are

using ( “REFERENCES”)

3. The heading in all capital letters, and center it 1″ below the top of the page.

4. References must be single-spaced within each entry.

Citations of Print Sources

Whenever you include another person's information or wording in a document, you must

acknowledge the source and include a citation that will tell the reader where you obtained

it. If you do not do so, you deprive your reader of the ability to locate information that he

or she might want to explore further. In addition, you may be committing intellectual

theft, plagiarism. Therefore, you should carefully list all references used (both in a

reference list at the end of the document and throughout the text as quoted; for proper

referencing, you can use APA referencing style. The tables (

Table 2:1,Error: Reference source not found,Table 2:3,Table 2:4,Table 2:5,Table

2:6,Table 2:7,Table 2:8) show examples for citation and referencing of different sources,

but for detail information check http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx .

Table 2:1 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Book and eBook)

Material TypeIn-Text Citation Reference ListBook and eBook

Book: Single author

(Pegrum, 2009) Pegrum, M. (2009). From blogs to bombs: The future of electronic technologies in education. Crawley, W.A: UWA Publishing.

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Book: Two authors

(Page & Stritzke, 2015)But when outside parenthesis:Page and Stritzke (2015) suggested that ...

Page, A. C., & Stritzke, W. G. K. (2015). Clinical psychology for trainees: Foundations of science-informed practice (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Book: 3-5 authors First citation: (Ranzijn, McConnochie, & Nolan, 2009)Subsequent citations: (Ranzijn et al., 2009)

Ranzijn, R., McConnochie, K., & Nolan, W. (2009). Psychology and indigenous Australians: Foundations of cultural competence. South Yarra, Vic: Palgrave Macmillan.

Table 2:2 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Journal Articles)

Material Type In Text-Citation ReferencesJournal ArticlesJournal article in print: 8 or more authors

(Sohrabi et al., 2011)Sohrabi, H. R., Weinborn, M., Badcock,

J., Bates, K. A., Clarnette, R., Trivedi, D., … Martins, R. N. (2011). New lexicon and criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Lancet Neurology, 10(4), 299-300.

Journal article online: With direct quotation or paraphrase

(Gagné et al., 2015, p. 185)OrGagné et al. (2015) reported that “Results showed that the MWMS had an invariant configuration in the three languages” (p. 185), ...

Gagné, M., Forest, J., Vansteenkiste, M., Crevier-Braud, L., van den Broeck, A., Aspeli, A. K., . . . Westbye, C. (2015). The Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale: Validation evidence in seven languages and nine countries. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(2), 178-196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2013.877892

Table 2:3 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Conference Proceeding)

Material Type (Game, 2001) Game, A. (2001). Creative ways of

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being. In J. R. Morss, N. Stephenson & J. F. H. V. Rappard (Eds.), Theoretical issues in psychology: Proceedings of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology 1999 Conference (pp. 3-12). Sydney: Springer.

Conference ProceedingsPaper in conference proceedings in print

Paper in conference proceedings online: Electronic database

(Balakrishnan, 2006) Balakrishnan, R. (2006, March). Why aren't we using 3D user interfaces, and will we ever? Paper presented at the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/vr.2006.148

Table 2:4 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Report)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference List

Reports

Government reports

(Western Australia. Department of Health Nursing and Midwifery Office, 2013).

Western Australia. Department of Health Nursing and Midwifery Office. (2013). Aboriginal Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan 2011-2015. Retrieved from http://www.nursing.health.wa.gov.au/projects/

Non-government reports

(Kendall, 2011) Kendall, C. (2011). Report on psychological distress and depression in the legal profession: Prepared for the Council of the Law Society of Western Australia. Retrieved from http://www.mhlcwa.org.au/wp-content/uploads

Table 2:5 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Standards and Patents)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference ListStandards and Patents (Standards

Australia/New Zealand Standard, 1994)

Standards Australia. (1994). Information Processing - Text and office systems - Office Document Architecture (ODA) and Interchange format: Part 10: Formal Specifications (AS/NZS

Standard: Print

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3951.10:1994). Homebush, NSW: Standards Australia.

Standard online: Electronic database

(Standards Australia, 2008)

Standards Australia. (2008). Personal flotation devices – General requirements (AS 4758.1-2008). Retrieved from Standards Online.

Patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,641,424.7, 1996)

Hornak, P. (1996). Resonator for magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle. U.S. Patent No. 5,641,424.7

Table 2:6 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Theses)

Material Type In-Text Citation

Reference List

Theses(Lockhart, 2009)

Lockhart, E. (2009). The physical education curriculum choices of Western Australian primary school teachers (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Western Australia.

Thesis in print: Unpublished

Thesis in print: Published

(May, 2007) May, B. (2007). A survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud. Bristol, UK: Canopus Publishing.

Thesis online: Electronic database

(Rich, 1989) Rich, P. D. (1989). The rule of ritual in the Arabian Gulf, 1858-1947: The influence of English public schools (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - UK & Ireland. (AAT 8918197)

Thesis online: Institutional repository

(Brydges, 2014) Brydges, C. (2014). The development of executive functions: Evidence from behavioral and electrophysiological perspectives. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA). Retrieved from http://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/the-development-of-executive-functions-evidence-from-behavioural-and-electrophysiological-persepctives(6dce2f55-4ab2-4bfe-85c7-5fba8545f186).html

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Table 2:7 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Web Pages)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference ListWeb PagesWeb page (Australian Psychological

Society, 2008)Australian Psychological Society.

(2008). Substance abuse: Position statement. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/statements/substance/

Table 2:8n Citation and Referencing APA Format (Tables and Figures)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference ListTables & Figures

Figure 6. Adapted from “A Conceptual Validation Study of the Texture Response on the Rorschach, " by A. Marsh and D. J. Viglione, 1992, Journal of Personality Assessment, 58(3), p. 576. Copyright 1992 by Society for Personality Assessments. Adapted

Marsh, A., & Viglione, D. J. (1992). A Conceptual validation study of the texture response on the Rorschach. Journal of Personality Assessment, 58(3), 571-579.

Republished or adapted tables, figures or data must be clearly marked and the original source provided in text and appended to the caption of the table or figure.

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with permission.

2.2.8 Appendix

Appendices should be placed at the end of the thesis. They represent important material

to support your hypothesis, but too large to fit in the main frame of the text. Generally,

they contain detailed background data tables, detailed formulas, maps etc. You can also

provide interesting illustrations. Although appendices do not contain any text

information, a title could be provided for each appendix.

If your thesis has appendices, they must be prepared following these guidelines:

1. Appendices must appear at the end of the document and not the chapter to which

they pertain.

2. When there is more than one appendix, assign each appendix a number or a letter

heading (e.g., “APPENDIX 1” or “APPENDIX A”) and a descriptive title. You

may number consecutively throughout the entire work (e.g., 1, 2 or A, B), or you

may assign a two-part Arabic numeral with the first number designating the

chapter in which it appears, separated by a period, followed by a second number

or letter to indicate its consecutive placement (e.g., “APPENDIX 3.2” is the

second appendix referred to in Chapter Three).

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3. Include the chosen headings in all capital letters, and center them 1″ below the top

of the page.

4. All appendix headings and titles must be included in the table of contents.

Page numbering must continue throughout your appendix

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2.3 Approval of documents

Student should obtain written approval from advisor/s to submit thesis for defense.

Initial Submission: Student makes formal submission. At this stage, the thesis should be

in its final version and ready for defense. Once submitted, the thesis examination process

has begun.

Examination: Unless and otherwise agreed to, the examination date must be set a minimum

of two to three weeks for master thesis after the candidate initial submission of the thesis.

The chair shall fill in the examination schedule form and submit the same to the Dean of

the Faculty.

The thesis must be in the hands of the external examiner for at least two weeks for Master

thesis prior to defense date. Formal letters of invitation are sent by the chair to all

examiners. The thesis is also sent to the examiners by the program chair.

After defense: Students shall make required modifications, along with any required

format adjustments for final submission within a month. Minor modifications required

approval of the advisor; Major modifications require approval of all examiner committee

members. This doesn’t entail that the committee should conduct a formal meeting.

Final submission: Students must submit the final version of their thesis, in hard copy

(three copies) and electronically in a PDF format (two CD) to the School of Research and

Graduate studies. The final version must contain any revisions required by the examiners.

Chair holders are responsible for ensuring that the examiner evaluation forms, the

examination report and the completed signature sheets are forwarded to the chair holder

on time. The student is responsible for the final electronic submission of his/her thesis

and graduate studies coordinator of the institute is responsible for ensuring that all

required forms, duly completed and signed. The office of the registrar is notified that the

student has completed all thesis requirements for the degree in order to be processed for

graduation.

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Binding: Student must check with their faculty and school of research and graduate

studies for binding regulations.

3 THESIS EXAMINATION

3.1 MSc Thesis Examination

Thesis Progress Examination

A progress presentation shall be conducted as an interim progress report. The evaluation

is done by the thesis progress evaluation form prepared for this purpose. The faculty

postgraduate coordinators will arrange and announce the date for progress presentation.

The graduate student should present his/her thesis progress in the presence of advisor,

internal examiner and chair assigned by the respective faculty. The evaluation grade of

the progress is pass/fail.

Final Thesis Examination

Unless otherwise agreed to, the defense is generally scheduled within two to three weeks

from the student’s initial submission of the thesis. The master’s process is normally made

up of three components: the examining of the master’s thesis, the oral presentation, and

the questioning of the master’s candidate.

An examiner evaluates a thesis by completing the form prepared for this purpose; see in

the appendix for thesis evaluation both for internal and external examiner. Reports for

master’s examinations are submitted to the faculty immediately after the defense. It is the

responsibility of the chair of the examining Committee to ensure that the report form is

fully completed and signed before the examining committees adjourn.

The advisor or members of the advisory committee shall not take part in the

rendering of final decision on the thesis and its grading. These decisions shall not

make in the presence of the advisor (s).

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3.2 Grading

The Examining Committee can render one of four decisions, subject to a vote of majority.

The thesis can be:

I. Accepted as submitted - which may include corrections that do not require the

advisor’s approval.

II. Accepted with minor modifications - defined as corrections which can be made

immediately and to the satisfaction of the advisor.

III. Accepted with major modification -The committee’s report shall include a precise

description of the modifications along with a date (maximum of six months) for

their completion. It is then the responsibility of the student’s advisor to confirm in

writing to the Examining Committee and the faculty that the required

modifications have been made and approved. It is not necessary for the

Examining Committee to reconvene.

IV. Rejected: such a thesis may be re-submitted only once, in revised form or with

some additional work. Such re-submission can only be made six months or more

from the date of the original defense. Formal re-submission of a thesis follows the

same procedure as an initial submission. The candidate shall then defend his/her

thesis. Chair holders shall assign members of the examining committee, which

may include the same examiners who suggested the re-submission. If one of the

examiners raises issue of plagiarized material, decisions must be passed based on

relevant regulations stipulated in the legislation.

When the above decision has been made, the next step is to rate the thesis. Theses

rendered one of the first three decisions above shall be rated as excellent, very good,

good, or satisfactory. A thesis that has been rejected shall be rated fail. The rating shall

be based on external and internal examiners evaluations.

Excellent [85-100)

A thesis ‘Excellent’ ought to be an original contribution to knowledge. This don’t mean

that it must explore a ‘new’ or little studied problem. An original contribution to

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knowledge can also redo result from a novel and perceptive reassessment of a familiar

question. The thesis should be exemplary both in the selection of problems and data for

consideration and in the manner by which conclusions are drawn about the problems. If

based upon empirical data, the thesis graded ‘excellent’ should report the data clearly and

completely. The conclusions drawn from the data should be persuasive. The reader of a

work rated ‘excellent’ should conclude that he or she knows something new about the

problem.

Very Good [75-85)

A thesis rated ‘very good’ should demonstrate a mature and sustained critical engagement

with the theoretical and practical context of the work. The research should show very

high familiarity with the literature in the area of study. The work should also reflect an

in-depth integration of research data and interoperation parts of the thesis should

demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and critical judgment. The thesis ought to

be well organized, written, and proofread-with very few errors tolerated.

Good [60-75)

A thesis rated ‘good’ need not be a contribution to knowledge, but should show sound

judgment, a substantial amount of work, clarity of thought and presentation, and some

creativity. The writer of a thesis with ‘good’ pass need only demonstrate that he/she has

thought intelligently and carefully about a problem and presented those thoughts clearly

and persuasively. If the thesis is an empirical one, the research design should be sound

and the data judiciously interpreted, although slight flows in design or analysis may

occur. The thesis ought to be well organized, written, and proofread- with occasional

errors tolerated.

Satisfactory [50-60)

A thesis rated ‘satisfactory’ has to demonstrate some understanding of debates and issues

appropriate to the area of study. While a thesis with ‘satisfactory’ pass should be

deficient in on major way, it may be work in selection of the problem, manner and

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presentation, research design and analysis, or interpretation and conclusions. The

deficiency in a thesis with satisfactory pass may be in one of these areas or to a lesser

degree in number of them. A ‘satisfactory’ pass student is able, when provoked, to offer

limited critical reflection.

Fail (Below 50)

There is no reason why a student should automatically pass an oral exam just because he

or she has written a thesis. A thesis should be rated according to its merits. Poor ones

should receive poor ratings. A thesis rated ‘fail’ shows deficient understanding of the

subject discussed, poor presentation, and insufficient familiarity with the relevant

literature.

If the Examining Committee is unable to reach a decision concerning the thesis at the

time of the defense, it is the responsibility of the chair to determine what is required by

the Examining Committee to reach a decision; to make the necessary arrangements to

fulfill any requirements of the Examining Committee; and to promptly call another

meeting and inform the student that to the Examining Committee’s decision is pending.

The student is not morally required to be present at the second meeting of the Examining

Committee.

Quantitative grading can be done by using the thesis evaluation form as shown in form

below.

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BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITYBAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMTHESIS PROGRESS EVALUATION FORM

Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No._____Thesis/MEngTopic :____________________________________________________

Evaluation Parameters/Criteria of the Thesis:

No Focus AreasMarking Score

1 Data collection 15%

2 Data Analysis 15%

3 Preliminary result presented 15%

4 The extent of specific objectives achieved 10%

5 Work progress in comparison with the work plan 15%

6 Progress presentation skill, slide organization and time management 10%

7 Response to the questions raised during the defense 10%

8 Overall judgment of the examiner 10%

total 100%

Is there any plagiarism? ____________________________________________________General Comments (use extra sheet if required):_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Name of Internal Examiner/ Advisor: _______________________________________.Signature of Internal Examiner/ Advisor:_____________________________________.

GradingScale

≥ 50% < 50%pass Fail

Decision by the Examining Board: __________________________________________________.

BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITYBAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMTHESIS PROGRESS EVALUATION SUMMARY SHEET

Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No.______

Thesis/MEng Topic: _____________________________________________________

Summary of Examiners result:

Examiners ResultTotal

ResultGrade

in WordsInternal Examiner

(50%)

Advisor(35%)

Chairperson

(15%)

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Program Chair Holder Name: ____________________________________________.Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Faculty Dean Name: ______________________________________________________.Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

GradingScale

≥ 50% < 50%

pass Fail

BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITYBAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMTHESIS EVALUATION FORM

Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No._____Thesis/MEngTopic :____________________________________________________

Evaluation Parameters/Criteria of the Thesis:

No Focus AreasMarking ScoreThesis Document evaluation

1 Clearly stating problem to be addressed and concise summary of Abstract

10%

2 Review and evaluation of earlier works ( Literature Review) 15%3 Clearly describing methods of investigation (Materials & Methods) 15%4 Analysis and originality (Result & Discussion) 15%5 Format and overall organization 5%6 Writing skill 5%7 Conclusion and Recommendation for future work 5%

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Thesis presentation Evaluation8 Presentation at the defense (presentation skill, slide organization,

time management, etc…)10%

9 Response to the questions raised during the defense 15%10 Overall judgment of the examiner 5%

Total 100%

Is there any plagiarism? ___________________________________________________General Comments (use extra sheet if required): _______________________________________________________________________________________________________Name of Examiner (Internal/External): ______________________________________.Signature of Examiner (Internal/External): ___________________________________.

GradingScale

85% and above

75-84% 60-74% 50-59% Below 50%

Excellent Very Good

Good Satisfactory

Fail

Decision by the Examining Board: __________________________________________________.

BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITYBAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMTHESIS EVALUATION FORM SUMMARY SHEET

Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No.______

Thesis/MEng Topic: _____________________________________________________

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Summary of Examiners result:

Examiners ResultTotal

ResultGrade

in WordsExternal Examiner

(50%)

Internal Examiner

(35%)

Chairperson

(15%)

Chairperson Name: ____________________________________________.Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Program Chair holder Name: ____________________________________________.Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Faculty Dean Name: _____________________________________________________.Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

GradingScale

85% and above

75-84% 60-74% 50-59% Below 50%

Excellent Very Good

Good Satisfactory

Fail

N.B. The Final Thesis Defense should be conducted in the presence of Advisor and/or Co-advisor.

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