- 28 Mar, 2021
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Layout, design, and citation
⦁ For a PhD Degree the thesis should not normally be less than 150 pages or more than 200 pages (40,000 to 54,000 words) when bound with its endpapers.
⦁ For an MA/MSc the length should not normally be less than 70 pages or more than 120 pages (18,000 to 32,000 words) not including endpapers.
If there are sound academic grounds and the request is made sufficiently early, then permission for submission of a longer thesis may be granted by the Postgraduate Studies Committee for the degree levels listed above.
⦁ For a BA/BSc (undergraduate) degree the length should not normally be less than 35 pages or more than 50 pages (10,000 to 18,000 words) not including endpapers.
⦁ Paper Size and Typographical Detail
⦁ Methods of Production
Theses must be presented in a permanent and legible form in typescript.
Typing should be of even quality, with clear black characters.
Drawings should normally be black ink for clarity
Copies produced by xerographic or comparably permanent processes are acceptable.
⦁ Paper
International A4 size paper must be used.
Paper must be of good quality and of sufficient opacity for normal reading (of weight 80 gsm to 100 gsm).
May be printed on one side or both sides of the paper (optional according to the requirement of the item and the clarity required of printing (B&W or colour) which may relate to subject matter).
However, the front pages, that is everything up to the main body of the text (the Introduction), to be single sided.
⦁ Margins
Margins at the binding (left-hand/gutter) edge must be 3.0 cm.
Other margins 2.5 cm.
Footer of 1.25 cm – to be used for pagination only. No headers or footers to be used as such.
⦁ Line spacing
The page format should be single column with one and a half (1.5) spacing used between the lines.
Single line spacing should be used for – Notes (remarks); Table text and titles; Figure text and titles; and indented quotations
Sentences should be separated by two spaces.
Single line spaces between paragraphs, with no indentation, is already set on the template style sheets
⦁ Font and Font Size
The font to be used is Arial and the recommended text font-size is 12 point.
Chapter headings should be Arial, bold, 16 point and written in title case.
Sections headings within chapters should be Arial, bold, 14 point and written in title case.
Sub-sections within sections should be Arial, bold, 12 point and written in title case.
⦁ Pagination
Starting from the first (title) page, the front pages are to have capital Roman numbers, without actually numbering the Title page, e.g. (Title page) blank, II, III, IV, V, VI, etc.
The body of the text to have Arabic numbers, numbered consecutively through the thesis/dissertation, starting at the first page of the Introduction.
End papers, references, appendices, indexes, etc. to be numbered with both the relevant letter and number in sequence, e.g. a 4-page glossary followed by a 1-page appendix would be – G1, G2, G3, G4, A1 and so on. Where –
Appendices = A
Bibliography = B
Glossary = G
Indexes = I
Published Papers = P
References = R
Page numbers shall be located centrally at the bottom of the page, approximately 1 cm above the edge.
⦁ Order of Documentation
Please note that the following is the order to be followed, however that not all sections are, or should be, included in every thesis/dissertation. Those that are included must follow the order laid out below –
Title page
Declaration
Supervisor’s certificate
Examination Committee certification
Dedication
Acknowledgement
Abstract
Tables of contents (and how to arrange it)
List of illustrations
List of tables
List of figures
List of abbreviations
List of symbols
The Chapters – (please see Sections 5 for more information on these)
— Introduction
— Literature review
— Theoretical approach
— Experimental work
— Results and discussion
— Conclusions and recommendations