Guide lines for preperation of thesis reviewed - 27-3-2018

GUIDELINES FOR FORMATING
OF MASTER AND PHD THESES
Mehran University of Engineering and Technology,
Jamshoro
JANUARY 29, 2018

GUIDELINES FOR FORMATING OF MASTER AND PHD THESES
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Arrangement of the PhD Thesis
Each thesis must be ordered as follows; the detail about each section is given on following pages.
 Title Page
 Dedication Page
 Certification of Approval of PhD thesis by examination committee
 PhD Thesis Author’s declaration
 Plagiarism undertaking by the PhD Scholar
 Copyright page
 Acknowledgement
 Table of Contents
 List of Abbreviations
 List of Figures
 List of Notations
 List of Photographs
 List of Tables
 Abstract
 Chapter 1 – Introduction
 Chapter 2 – Literature Review
 Chapter 3 – Research Methodology / Experimental Work
 Chapter x - ……………….
 Chapter x – Conclusions and Recommendations
 References
 Appendices

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1. FORMAT FOR THE THESIS
The thesis should be ordered into three sections:
Sections 1 Preliminary pages must be ordered before the text. These pages contain title
page, dedication page, certification of approval of thesis by examination
committee, Author’s declaration, plagiarism undertaking by the scholar,
copyright page, acknowledgement page, table of contents, list of abbreviations,
list of figures, list of notations, list of photographs, list of tables and abstract.
Sections 2 Main body (text) of the thesis must contain various chapters, sections and
sub-sections, including the chapter of conclusions and recommendations and
References.
Sections 3 Appendices must follow the text.
The detail of the sections along with formatting is discussed in later sections.
2. SIZE AND QUALITY OF PAPER
The thesis should be prepared on standard A4 size (210 mm x 297 mm) good quality white
paper (at least 80 gm). The same paper should also be used for Figures, Tables and Charts etc
and for mounting Photographs (if any).
3. SPELLINGS
Either the standard British or American English spellings should be used throughout the thesis.
4. TYPING AND PRINTING
i. The entire thesis must be computer-typed and printed through laser printer with
black ink on plain paper without any borderlines, logos, insignia, monograms etc.
ii. The main text of the thesis must be typed 1.5 spaced with font Times New Roman,
size 12, unless specified otherwise or any other font and / or size as approved by the
ASRB from time to time.
iii. Each chapter must start on a new page and be typed continuously with sections and
sub-sections on successive pages.
iv. The chapter number and heading should be typed centered on the page in bold
capitals and underlined with font size 14. The chapter heading should be placed
below the chapter number. The chapter number should be in Arabic numerals, e.g.,

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH FRAMEWORK
v. The section number and heading must be typed from the left margin in capitals bold
letters without underlining. The section number must consist of the chapter number
followed by a number, both in Arabic numerals, e.g.,
2.1 RESEARCH GAP
vi. The sub-section numbers and headings must be typed from the left margin in bold
lower case characters with the first character of the first word in capital without
underlining. The sub-section must consist of the chapter number followed by section
number and one additional number representing the subsection, all in Arabic
numerals, e.g.,
2.1.1 Research Objectives
vii. Any further sub-section numbering, if needed, must be done with additional Arabic
numerals without bold letters, e.g.,
2.1.1.1 Research Sub-objectives
5. MARGINS
Margins of 1½ inch are required at the top and left side, and 1 inch on the right side and bottom
of the paper.
6. TABLES
i. Each table must be typed following the place where it is referred first, preferably on the
same page, or if it cannot be accommodated in the remaining space on the same page
then on the following page, with single or one and a half spacing as is found convenient
to accommodate the table on one page within the specified margins.
ii. A long table which cannot be accommodated on one page, even with single line spacing
and/or reduced to an easily legible size may be continued on the next page under the
same table number with proper indication at the bottom of the page, e.g., "continued on
the next page".

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iii. The heading of the table must be in bold lower case letters with the first character of the
first word in capital without underlining. The number and heading of the table should be
typed above the table itself.
iv. All the tables belonging to each chapter must be numbered in the same way as the
sections of the chapter, the first number indicating the chapter number and the second the
table number in sequence, both in Arabic numerals, e.g.,
Table 4.1: Comparison of theoretical and experimental results
v. If any table is referred on a page other than that where it is placed, it should be referred
with its number and the page where it is placed, e.g., Table 4.1 on p. 36.
7. FIGURES
i. Each figure must be drawn and placed within the specified margins following the
place where it is referred first, preferably on the same page, or if it cannot be
accommodated in the remaining space on the same page then on the following
page.
ii. The number and caption of each figure should be typed under it with bold
letters in the same way as the headings of tables described above, e.g.,
Fig 4.1: Scatter Plot
iii. If any figure is referred on a page other than that where it is placed, it should
be referred with its number and the page where it is placed, e.g., Fig. 4.1 on
p.43.
8. PHOTOGRAPHS
i. Each photograph, colored or black and white, must be placed within the
specified margins following the place where it is referred first, preferably on
the same page, or if it cannot be accommodated in the remaining space on the
same page then on the following page.
ii. The number and caption of each photograph should be typed under it with bold
letters in the same way as for figures, e.g.,

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Photograph 4.1: Technology Adoption Model
iii. If any photograph is referred on a page other than that where it is placed, it
should be referred with its number and the page where it is placed, e.g.
Photograph 4.1 on p.54.
9. LARGE SIZE DRAWINGS, CHARTS, FIGURES, AND TABLES
Any drawing, chart, figure or table, which cannot be accommodated with clarity on the normal
size of the thesis page, even with easily legible reduced size, may be prepared on a larger size
paper / sheet, which should be folded and enclosed in a special pocket attached permanently
inside the bound back of the thesis.
10. EQUATIONS
All equations belonging to a chapter in the text should be numbered in the same way as the
figures and tables. Each equation should start on a separate line with larger than the normal
spacing between the equation and the text above and below it, e.g.,
Ax+By=C (4.1)
The equation should be referred to in the text as Eq. (4.1)
11. PAGINATION OF TEXT
The pages in the text should be numbered in Arabic numerals, consecutively, starting from the
page where the first chapter begins. The starting page of each chapter should have the page
number printed centrally at bottom of the page. All the other pages should have page numbers
typed at the top right corner.
12. PRELIMINARY PAGES
The following pages are to be placed in the order given below before the text of the thesis. These
pages should be numbered in lower Roman numerals, consecutively, starting (i) form the title
page and the numbers should be placed centrally at bottom of each page.

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i. Title Page
The title page should present the MUET logo, thesis title (Times New Roman - 20), students
name (Times New Roman - 16), the statement "Thesis submitted to MUET for the degree of"
(Times New Roman - 14), field of study (Times New Roman - 14), department / institute (Times
New Roman - 14), faculty (Times New Roman - 14) and the month and year of approval (Times
New Roman - 14). A specimen of the title page is given in Appendix 1.
ii. Dedication Page
If a candidate desires to dedicate his / her thesis to any person or organization, it should be so
stated on this page with heading (Times New Roman - 18) and text (Times New Roman - 12).
A specimen of this page is given in Appendix 2.
iii. Certificate of Approval of thesis by examination committee
A certificate signed by the thesis internal and external examiners, including the candidate and
his/her Supervisor and co-supervisor, Director of the concerned Institute and Dean of the
Faculty concerned, indicating the approval of the thesis, should be put on this page with
heading (Times New Roman - 18) and text (Times New Roman - 12). A specimen of the
certificate page is given in Appendix 3.
iv. Author’s Declaration
A brief declaration with a candidate name on it stating that the PhD thesis is his/her own work
and not submitted anywhere else should be given on this page with heading (Times New
Roman - 18) and text (Times New Roman - 12). A specimen of the certificate page is given in
Appendix4.
v. Plagiarism undertaking by the Scholar
An undertaking by student in lines of zero tolerance policy of HEC of plagiarism signed by
scholar should be given on this page with heading (Times New Roman - 18) and text (Times
New Roman - 12). A specimen of the certificate page is given in Appendix 5.

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vi. Copyright Page
According to the MUET IP Policy, university possesses 100% copyright of the thesis
conducted by PhD scholars. A copyright must be mentioned given on this page (Times New
Roman – 28). A specimen of the page is given in Appendix 6.
vii. Acknowledgement
A brief acknowledgement, in just one page, only to those persons and organizations who have
assisted the candidate in his/her thesis work, or provided relevant data/ information/laboratory
or research facility and tools etc. should be given on this page with heading (Times New
Roman - 18) and text (Times New Roman - 12). A specimen of the page is given in Appendix
7.
viii. Table of Contents
It should contain the numbers and headings of all the preliminary pages following the Table of
Contents, chapters, sections and subsections of the text, including references and appendices,
described consecutively, and should indicate the page where the item starts. It should be typed
with single line spacing, and with the same font and size of both the capital and lower case
characters / letters as followed in the text of the thesis. A specimen of the page is given in
Appendix 8.
ix. List of Abbreviations
This list should contain all the abbreviations used in the thesis and should be typed with single
line spacing. The abbreviations must be listed in the alphabetical order with heading (Times
New Roman - 18) and text (Times New Roman - 12). A specimen of the page is given in
Appendix 9.
x. List of Figures
The number and caption of each figure, including the page number where it is located in the
text, should be provided, consecutively and chapter-wise, onlk this list and should be typed
with single line spacing.

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xi. List of Notations
All standard notations in English or Greek characters appearing frequently in the text should be
described in the list of notations in alphabetical order with the notations in capitals preceding
those in lower case characters. All other notations appearing only once in the text need not be
given in this list but should be defined at the place where they appear in the text. This list
should be typed with single line spacing. A specimen of the page is given in Appendix 10.
xii. List of Photographs
The number and caption of each photograph, including the page number where it is located in
the text, should be provided, consecutively and chapter-wise, in this list and should be typed
with single line spacing.
xiii. List of Tables
The number and heading of each table, including the page number where it appears in the text,
should be provided, consecutively and chapter-wise, in this list and should be typed with single
line spacing.
xiv. Abstract
A brief summary of maximum of 350 words of the whole thesis should be given on this page
with heading (Times New Roman - 18) and text (Times New Roman - 12). A detail about this
page is given in Appendix 11.
xv. Appendices
The number and title of each appendix including the page number where it is located should be
provided, consecutively, in this list and should be typed with single line spacing.
13. REFERENCES
In order to avoid plagiarism and enable a reader to trace the source of knowledge, all the
references quoted in the entire thesis must be placed at the end of the text in the Harvard style
alphabetically. There are two parts to referencing using Harvard style: the reference list and
citing the references in the text. The reference list appears at the end of the thesis document and
citation is within the text.

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The citation mentions the author’s surname and year of publication. The citation style varies
depending upon the number of authors.
For a single author – Qureshi (2018)
For two authors – Bhutto and Qureshi (2018)
For three authors – Bhutto, Shah and Qureshi (2018)
For four or more authors – Baloch et al. (2018)
The reference list must have surname followed by initials of the authors. The year of
publication, in round brackets, should follow the names. In the case of more than one
publication of the same author(s) in one year, the year of publication should be followed by the
letter 'a', 'b' and so on. The specimen of describing various types of publications from various
types of sources is given in Appendix 12.
14. BINDING OF THE THESIS
The thesis should be hard bound in dark blue color, as per specimen available with the Director,
Post-Graduate Studies / Directors of the Institutes / Chairmen of the respective departments. The
title of the thesis, author's name, title of the degree, year of award of the degree and Mehran
University of Engineering and Technology should be printed in gold letters on the front of the
cover. The back of the cover should not have any thing printed on it. The author's name, title of
the degree and year of award should be printed in gold letters on the bound edge. Appendix 13
shows the specimen of these writings.

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APPENDIX 1
THESIS TITLE
by
Student Name
Thesis submitted to the MUET for the degree of
Master of Science/Doctor of Philosophy
in
Field of Discipline
Department / Institute
Faculty
Mehran University of Engineering & Technology,
Jamshoro
Month 20??

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APPENDIX 2
DEDICATION
This thesis is dedicated to
my parents who have
always been a source of
inspiration, encouragement,
and stamina to undertake
my higher studies and to
face the eventualities of life
with zeal, enthusiasm and
fear of God.

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APPENDIX 3
Certificate of Approval
This is to certify that the research work presented in this thesis, entitled
“……………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………….…..” was conducted by
Mr/Ms.……………………………………………………………………under the supervision of
Prof Dr. ……………………………………………………………, and approved by all the
members of thesis committee.
No part of this thesis has been submitted anywhere else for other degree. This thesis is submitted
to ………………………………………………. (Department/Institute) in partial fulfillment of
the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering/Doctor of Philosophy in the Field
of………………………………………… (Subject Name), and accepted by the Dean Faculty of
……………………………….. (Concerned Dean) of Mehran University of Engineering and
Technology.
Student Name: _____________________ Signature: _________________
1. External Examiner: Name Signature:_________________
(Designation and office address)
………………………………….
2. Internal Examiner: Name Signature:_________________
…………………………………
3. Supervisor: Name Signature:_________________
………………………………….
4. Co-Supervisor: Name Signature:_________________
………………………………….
5. Director: Name Signature:_________________
………………………………….
6. Dean: Name Signature:_________________
………………………………….
Date: _____________________

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APPENDIX 4
Author’s Declaration
I …………………………………………………hereby state that my thesis
titled………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………is my own work and has not been submitted previously by me for
taking any degree from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology or any other Degree
awarding institute and to the best of my knowledge has not been submitted by any other scholar
for the same purpose anywhere else in the country/world.
At any time if my statement is found to be incorrect even after my graduation, Mehran
University of Engineering and Technology has the right to withdraw my Master/PhD degree.
Name of Student: ______________________
Date: ________________________________

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APPENDIX 5
Plagiarism undertaking by the Scholar
I solemnly declare that research work presented in the thesis titled
………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………is my research work with no significant contributions from any other
person. Small contribution/help whenever taken has been duly acknowledged.
I understand the zero tolerance policy of the Higher Education Commission and Mehran
University of Engineering and Technology towards plagiarism. Therefore as an author of the
above titled thesis declare that no portion of my thesis has been plagiarized and any material
used as reference is properly referred /cited.
I undertake that if I am found guilty of any formal plagiarism in the above titled thesis even after
award of Master/PhD degree, the university reserves the rights to withdraw/revoke my
Master/PhD degree and that HEC and MUET has the right to publish my name on the
HEC/MUET website on which names of students are placed who submitted plagiarized thesis.
Student Signature: _____________________
Name: _______________________________

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APPENDIX 6
© Copyright, 20??
Mehran University
of
Engineering and Technology
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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APPENDIX 7
Acknowledgement
This section is used to thank mentors and colleagues or name the individuals or institutions that
supported your research or provided special assistance, such as consultation or aid. Acknowledge
the owners of copyrighted materials that have granted you permission to reproduce their work.
Describe all sources of funding from outside grants, fellowships, awards or self-supported
funding.

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APPENDIX 8
Table of Contents
Description Page
Title Page i
Dedication Page ii
Certificate of Approval of thesis by examination committee iii
PhD Thesis Author’s Declaration iv
Plagiarism undertaking by the Scholar v
Copyright page vi
Acknowledgement vii
Table of Contents viii
List of Abbreviations ix
List of Figures x
List of Notations xi
List of Photographs xii
List of Tables xiii
Abstract xiv
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1------------------------ -
1.1.2 ------------------ -
Chapter 2 ____________________ -
2.1 ---------------------- -
2.1.2 ------------------------ -
References -
Appendices -

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APPENDIX 9
List of Abbreviations
ACI AmericanConcrete Institute
ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
HAD Hyderabad Development Authority
KESC Karachi Electric Supply Corporation
KMC Karachi Metropolitan Corporation
IEP Institute of Engineers Pakistan
MUET Mehran University of Engineering and Technology
PCATP Pakistan Council for Architects and Town Planners
PEC Pakistan Engineering Council
WAPDA Water and Power Development Authority

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APPENDIX 10
List of Notations
A = Area
B = Breadth
E = Modulus of Elasticity
a = shear span
b = width of section
w = watt
α = factor for modified frequency
β = factor for depth of compression block
γ = unit weight of sand

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APPENDIX 11
Abstract
This section is for abstract, presented at the beginning of the thesis, first substantive description
of the research work read by examiners. It is a summary of the whole thesis. It presents all the
major elements of the research work in a condensed form. The maximum word limit of the
abstract of the PhD thesis should be 350 words. The aim of the research should be clearly stated
at the beginning of the abstract. It must have summary of all the chapters included in the thesis.
Results must be clearly presented in it. The purpose of the abstract should be aligned on the lines
of what you discovered. The last half of the abstract should be dedicated for the summarization
and interpretation of results. The most important thing is clarity of abstract so footnotes,
references or unexplained abbreviations must be avoided.

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APPENDIX 12
Book: online/electronic
Author/Editor (if it is an editor always put (ed.) after the name) (Year of publication) Title (this
should be in italics) Edition (if not the first edition) [Online] Place of publication (if there is
more than one place listed, use the first named) Publisher Available from: URL [Date of access]
Bhutto, A., Qureshi, S. &Shah, F. (2008) A Short Course in Soil and Rock Slope Engineering.
[Online] London, Thomas Telford Publishing. Available from:
http://www.myilibrary.com?ID=93941 [Accessed 18th June 2017].
Book: chapter in an edited book
Author of the chapter (Year of publication) Title of chapter followed by In: Editor (always put
(ed.) after the name) Title (this should be in italics) Series title and number (if part of a series)
Edition (if not the first edition) Place of publication (if there is more than one place listed, use
the first named) Publisher Page numbers (use ‘p.’ before a single page number and ‘pp.’ where
there are multiple pages)
Bhutto, A. & Qureshi,S. (2017) Evidence-based practice and information literacy.In: Lipu, S.,
Williamson, K. & Lloyd, A. (eds.) Exploring methods in information literacy research. Wagga
Wagga, Australia, Centre for Information Studies, pp. 149-170.
Journal article: print
Author (Year of publication) Title of journal article Title of journal (this should be in italics)
Volume number Issue number Page numbers of the article (do not use ‘p’. before the page
numbers)
Bhutto, A. & Baloch, M. (2009) foreign ownership and profitability: Property rights, control, and
the performance of firms in Pakistan industry. Journal of Law & Economics, 42 (1), 209-238.
Journal article: online/electronic
If an electronic journal articlehas a DOI (digital object identifier), you can use this instead of the
URL. The DOI is a permanent identifier provided by publishers so that the article can always be
found online. To find the DOI, whenyou’re reading article online, check the article details as
you will usually find the DOI at the start of the article. If you read the article in a full-text
database service, such as EBSCO, and do not have a DOI or direct URL to the article you should
use the database URL.
Author (Year of publication) Title of journal article Title of journal (this should be in italics)
[Online] Volume number Issue number Page numbers of the article (do not use ‘p’. before the
page numbers) Available from: URL or DOI [Date of access]

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Qureshi, S. & Baloch, M. (2012) A tale of two citations. Nature. [Online] 451 (7177), 397-
399. Available from: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v451/n7177/full/451397a.html
[Accessed 20th
January 2012].
or
Shah, F., Baloch, M., Qureshi, S. & Bhutto, A. (2017) Novel use of phase change materials in
refrigeration plant. Part1: Experimental investigation. Applied Thermal Engineering. [Online] 27
(17-18), 2893-2901. Available from: doi:10.1016/j. applthermaleng.2005.06.011 [Accessed 15th
July 2008].
Conference proceeding: individual paper
Author (Year of publication) Title of conference paper followed by, in: Editor/Organisation (if it
is an editor always put (ed.) after the name) Title of conference proceeding (this should be in
italics) Place of publication Publisher Page numbers (use ‘p.’ before a single page number and
‘pp.’ where there are multiple pages)
Qureshi, S. (2006) Design, construction, supervision and long-term behaviour of tunnels in
swelling rock. In: Van Cotthem, A., Charlier, R., Thimus, J.-F. and Tshibangu, J.-P.(eds.)
Eurock 2006: Multiphysics coupling and long term behaviour in rock mechanics: Proceedings of
the International Symposium of the International Society for Rock Mechanics, EUROCK 2006,
9-12 May 2006, Liège, Belgium. London, Taylor & Francis. pp. 211-216.
Web page/website
Author/Editor (use the corporate author if no individual author or editor is named) (Year of
publication) (if available; if there is no date, use the abbreviation n.d.) Title (this should be in
italics) [Online] Available from: URL [Date of access]
European Space Agency. (2008) ESA: Missions, Earth Observation: ENVISAT. [Online]
Available from: http://envisat.esa.int/ [Accessed 3rd
July 2008].
Email: (personal)
Personal emails should be referenced as personal communication, unless you have permission
from the sender and receiver to include their details in your reference list.
Sender (Year of communication) Email sent to Name of receiver Date and month of
communication
Bhutto, A. (2009) Email sent to Abdul Sami Qureshi, 10th June.
SOURCES OF FURTHER HELP
www.imperial.ac.uk/library/subjectsandsupport/referencemanagement

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APPENDIX 13
Name
TITLE
Year
THESIS TITLE
by
Student Name
Thesis submitted to the MUET for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
in
Field of Discipline
Department / Institute
Faculty
Mehran University of Engineering & Technology, Jamshoro
Year

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