COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Virtual Campus Islamabad Pakistan

Department of Management Sciences

MS Students Pre Thesis Guidelines
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Virtual Campus Islamabad congratulates you on
reaching the thesis stage of your program. Following are some FAQs to guide you in this
journey:

Thesis Basic Information

What is a thesis/dissertation?
It is a long essay or dissertation involving personal research, written by a candidate for a
university degree. A good tentative thesis will help you focus your search for information. But
don't rush! You must do a lot of background reading before you know enough about a subject to
identify key or essential questions. You may not know how you stand on an issue until you have
examined the evidence. You will likely begin your research with a working, preliminary or
tentative thesis, which you will continue to refine until you are certain of where the evidence
leads.
What kind of knowledge is required to start a thesis work?
The following pre-knowledge is mandatory:
Broad knowledge in your field as such. Course work carried out during the studies.
Knowledge of the state of research including the latest national and international
publications in your field of specialization. Google scholar, HEC digital library and data
banks etc can be used to consult latest research work.
Knowledge of methodology and its implementation. Research methodology and
quantitative method courses.
How can I access HEC digital Library for searching research articles?
HEC digital library can be accessed via VPN address. In order to make a VPN address you can
contact our resource person Mr. Sikandar on sikandar@vcomsats.edu.pk. To create this account
Mr. Sikandar would need the MAC addresses of your computers. Please get your computer's
MAC address and send it to him.
How can I get MAC address of my computer?
For finding Mac/Physical address of your computer:
Click the start tab at left bottom of your screen
Go to Search bar and Type ncpa.cpl in the search box and press Enter
Right Click your Local area Network and select Status

Click details and the physical address is your mac address

What research topics can I select?

You can select any research topic depending on your own interest and your supervisors area of
expertise. But the research topic should be under the broader umbrella of management sciences
and could be narrowed down to a specific project management related issue/problem.
What is the starting point for a thesis?
The point to start is the careful consideration of your research question. Please keep in mind that
MS thesis is supposed:
To be based on previous research and findings in the specific field.
To contribute new findings to the academic discourse.

Supervisor
How and when a student will be assigned a Supervisor?
The supervisors would be allocated as soon as possible subject to the availability of faculty
member(s). Normal time for such allocation is 2-3 weeks. The allocation of supervisor will be
intimated to student(s) through an e-mail carrying the contact information of his/her supervisor.
Note: In the meantime students have to select their tentative area of research and some
justification for their research in that area so that once supervisors are allocated they can present
them with some topics that he/she wants to work on. Student can also take guidance, as and
when required, from his/her course/thesis moderator assigned on LMS during this time.
What is the role of a supervisor?
Your supervisor is the key person in your graduate degree program. The principal role of the
supervisor is to help students achieve their scholastic potential and to chair the students
Supervisory Committee. The Supervisor will provide reasonable commitment, accessibility,
professionalism, stimulation, guidance, respect and consistent encouragement to the student.
Can I choose supervisor of my own choice
Students can take supervisor of their choosing from their local university. All students who
would like to avail this option must take into account the following consideration:

The Supervisor must have doctorate level degree in the relevant field.
The Supervisor must be a permanent faculty member of a HEC recognized
Institute/University.
The supervisor must give a written consent to supervise you on the prescribed form
(Supervisor Willingness Form)

A detailed Curriculum Vitae must be sent to your thesis moderator along with the duly
signed Supervisor Willingness Form
The honorarium for supervisor for supervising one MS student for the thesis is Rs.
15000/- (will be paid by the institute)

How will the students communicate with their supervisor?

The students would be provided with the e-mail address(s) of the allocated supervisor(s). In a
distance learning environment, the usual way to communicate with the supervisor is through email. However, face to face meeting may also be required by a respective supervisor depending
on the nature of research work.
What a student should bear in mind while communicating with his/her supervisor?
Please keep in mind that any message sent by email is still an official letter and should be written
with the utmost care. Also keep in mind that the supervisor may receive dozens of email
messages per day and has to deal with them in an efficient way. You need to be patient and give
appropriate and sufficient time to your supervisors to respond to your queries. It will facilitate
your communication process if you obey some simple rules while communicating with your
supervisor:

Subject line: Choose a subject line that tells the recipient what your mail is all about.
Never write "Important" or "Please answer". That is not very informative. Never leave
the subject line blank.
Address the recipient in a proper way (Dear Ms Schmidt / Dear Professor Haber or Dear
Sir / Dear Madam). Never ever greet unknown recipients with "Hi" or "Hello". Never
address unknown people by their first name and never use the surname without title
("Dear Smith" instead "Dear Mr Smith").
Explain your purpose clearly and include all necessary information.
Write in proper and correct English. Do not use abbreviations like "How R U".
Avoid incorrect grammar, spelling mistakes and Roman English.
When answering to any email, use "reply" mode, so that all previous communication is
included.
Conclude your message in a proper way ("Thank you in advance" / "Looking forward to
hearing from you" / "Regards") and sign with your full name (not just your first name).

My supervisor is not responding to my emails:

Your supervisor may require some time to review your research/synopsis/thesis, therefore, we
recommend you to wait for some reasonable time so that s/he may complete the review.
Additionally, you can also discuss your issue telephonically with your supervisor.

Synopsis and Thesis Information

What a student should do after choosing his/her research/thesis topic in line with above
mentioned points?
The student is required to discuss and obtained the written approval of his/her thesis topic
(synopsis) from the research supervisor before starting his/her thesis.
What is the time duration for research/thesis work?
Duration of the thesis is going to be two semester after registration of thesis. Please be mindful
of the fact that you won't be able to complete your thesis within one semester. For example, if a
student did not register thesis in third semester and he/she registers in fourth semester then a
student would be required to spend another (fifth) semester to complete the requirement of two
semesters. Thesis schedule will be shared at the start of semester and it is a matter of utmost
importance to follow the time line. However it is important to mention that maximum period to
complete degree is 3 years.
Can student(s) carry out their research/thesis work in a group?
No, Thesis is purely an individual effort and cannot be done in a group.
What are the time lines to be followed by a student during their thesis?
Once the stage of Supervisor allotment is over, you yourself will be required to meet the
semester deadlines. Each student would him/herself be responsible to meet those deadlines. Both
thesis semesters would require you to meet certain deadlines such as submission of synopsis etc.
From where can I get current thesis format requirements?
Thesis guideline document will be emailed to all the students as soon as they get registered in
their thesis.
Can I make changes or revisions after my synopsis is accepted?
You cannot change your thesis title once synopsis is accepted. However changes can be made in
thesis document under your supervisors guidance.
I have completed my synopsis/thesis, what should i do now?
Send your synopsis to your supervisor so that he/she may review it and afterwards incorporate
the changes recommended by your supervisor.
How can i submit my synopsis/thesis at VCOMSATS?

As per VCOMSATS policy, only synopsis submitted through your supervisors will be considered
for further processing. Therefore all those students who are in synopsis submission phase are
required to send duly singed copy of their synopsis via their respective supervisors (to concerned
moderator).
Can i submit synopsis in any format?
synopsis should be submitted in the format already shared by VCOMSATS, as any other format
would not be acceptable. You can submit your synopsis to your supervisor in any format that is
convenient for both of you. However, the final copy of your synopsis that you would submit to
department for further processing should be in the format shared by VCOMSATS.
I have completed my thesis, what should I do now?
You should submit soft copy of your thesis and plagiarism report via your supervisor.
Additionally, send spiral bound copy of your thesis for final review. Following are the details:
Submit A4 Size Spiral Bound Copy of thesis.
Generate Plagiarism Report and submit a duly singed copy of only first page of
plagiarism report from your supervisor.
The hard copies may be sent at the following address:
ATTN: Name of Thesis Moderator
Thesis for Review
Department of Management Sciences
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Virtual Campus
Head Office: 166, Street 9, Sector: I-10/3, Islamabad
Tel: +92 (51) 9262132-33 EXT 819

Thesis Process
1. Supervisor Allocation

3. Synopsis
Submission
In VCOMSATS format
via supervisor

2. Topic Selection

7. Submission of
Revised Thesis copy

6. Incorporating
internal examiner
comments

8. Thesis forwarded
to external examiner

9. Thesis Defense

Minor
changes

Submission of thesis
hard copy after
incorporating changes
recommend by external
examiner.

4. Thesis submission
via supervisor

5. Internal Review

Major changes

Register in next semester

Submission of thesis hard

copy after incorporating
changes recommend by
external examiner.