BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

BAHIR DAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE STUDIES

Thesis Writing Guideline Format

 TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 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 ........................................................................................................ 9
2.1.12 Main Body of the Thesis ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2 Formatting Guideline 11
2.2.1 Margins .................................................................................................................. 11
2.2.2 Font Type and Size ................................................................................................ 11
2.2.3 Spacing and Indentation ......................................................................................... 12
2.2.4 Pagination .............................................................................................................. 12
2.2.5 How to Caption Tables and Figures ....................................................................... 13
2.2.6 Footnotes ................................................................................................................ 13
2.2.7 References .............................................................................................................. 14
2.2.8 Appendix ................................................................................................................ 20
2.3 Approval of documents 21
3 THESIS EXAMINATION ............................................................................................................ 22
3.1 MSc Thesis Examination 22
3.2 Grading 22

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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
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

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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. Title case letters are recommended in the
style of writing although the names of the University, Institute and Faculty should be
in bold capital. For the Binding cover the, the color should be brown for master’s thesis.

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.
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)

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 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).

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.

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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.
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

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 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
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.

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 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:

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

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 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
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

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.

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-

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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.

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

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 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.

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.

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 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:

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.

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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,

Table 2:2,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 Type
Book and eBook In-Text Citation Reference List
Book: Single (Pegrum, 2009) Pegrum, M. (2009). From blogs to
author bombs: The future of electronic
technologies in education.
Crawley, W.A: UWA Publishing.
Book: Two (Page & Stritzke, 2015) Page, A. C., & Stritzke, W. G. K.
authors But when outside (2015). Clinical psychology for
parenthesis: trainees: Foundations of science-
Page and Stritzke (2015) informed practice (2nd ed.).
suggested that ... Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.
Book: 3-5 authors First citation: (Ranzijn, Ranzijn, R., McConnochie, K., &
McConnochie, & Nolan, Nolan, W. (2009). Psychology and
2009) indigenous Australians:
Subsequent citations: Foundations of cultural
(Ranzijn et al., 2009) competence. South Yarra, Vic:
Palgrave Macmillan.

15
Table 2:2 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Journal Articles)

Material Type In Text-Citation References

Journal Articles
Journal article in Sohrabi, H. R., Weinborn, M., Badcock,
print: 8 or more (Sohrabi et al., 2011) J., Bates, K. A., Clarnette, R.,
authors 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 (Gagné et al., 2015, p.
online: With 185)
direct quotation or Or
paraphrase Gagné 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.20
13.877892

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

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

being. In J. R. Morss, N.
Conference Stephenson & J. F. H. V. Rappard
Proceedings (Eds.), Theoretical issues in
Paper in psychology: Proceedings of the
conference International Society for
proceedings in Theoretical Psychology 1999
print Conference (pp. 3-12). Sydney:
Springer.
Paper in (Balakrishnan, 2006) Balakrishnan, R. (2006, March). Why
conference aren't we using 3D user interfaces,
proceedings and will we ever? Paper presented
online: Electronic at the IEEE Symposium on 3D User
database Interfaces.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/vr.2006.1
48

16
Table 2:4 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Report)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference List

Reports
Government (Western Australia. Western Australia. Department of
reports Department of Health Health Nursing and Midwifery
Nursing and Midwifery Office. (2013). Aboriginal Nursing
Office, 2013). and Midwifery Strategic Plan 2011-
2015. Retrieved from
http://www.nursing.health.wa.gov.au/
projects/
Non-government (Kendall, 2011) Kendall, C. (2011). Report on
reports 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 List

Standards and Standards Australia. (1994). Information
Patents (Standards Processing - Text and office systems -
Standard: Print Australia/New Zealand Office Document Architecture (ODA)
Standard, 1994) and Interchange format: Part 10:
Formal Specifications (AS/NZS
3951.10:1994). Homebush, NSW:
Standards Australia.
Standard online: (Standards Australia, Standards Australia. (2008). Personal
Electronic 2008) flotation devices – General
database requirements (AS 4758.1-2008).
Retrieved from Standards Online.
Patent (U.S. Patent No. Hornak, P. (1996). Resonator for
5,641,424.7, 1996) magnetic resonance imaging of the
ankle. U.S. Patent No. 5,641,424.7

17
Table 2:6 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Theses)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference List

Theses Lockhart, E. (2009). The physical education
Thesis in print: (Lockhart, 2009) curriculum choices of Western Australian
Unpublished primary school teachers (Unpublished
master’s thesis). University of Western
Australia.
Thesis in print: (May, 2007) May, B. (2007). A survey of radial velocities in
Published the zodiacal dust cloud. Bristol, UK: Canopus
Publishing.
Thesis online: (Rich, 1989) Rich, P. D. (1989). The rule of ritual in the
Electronic Arabian Gulf, 1858-1947: The influence of
database English public schools (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and
Theses - UK & Ireland. (AAT 8918197)
Thesis online: (Brydges, 2014) Brydges, C. (2014). The development of
Institutional executive functions: Evidence from
repository 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

18
Table 2:7 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Web Pages)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference List

Web Pages
Web page (Australian Psychological Australian Psychological Society.
Society, 2008) (2008). Substance abuse: Position
statement. Retrieved from
http://www.psychology.org.au/pub
lications/statements/substance/

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

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference List

Tables & Figure 6. Adapted from Marsh, A., & Viglione, D. J. (1992). A
Figures “A Conceptual Conceptual validation study of the texture
Validation Study of the response on the Rorschach. Journal of
Texture Response on Personality Assessment, 58(3), 571-579.
the Rorschach, " by A.
Marsh and D. J. Republished or adapted tables, figures or data
Viglione, 1992, Journal must be clearly marked and the original source
of Personality provided in text and appended to the caption of
Assessment, 58(3), p. the table or figure.
576. Copyright 1992 by
Society for Personality
Assessments. Adapted
with permission.

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 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).
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.

Binding: Student must check with their faculty and school of research and graduate
studies for binding regulations.
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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).

3.2 Grading

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

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 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
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

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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
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.

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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 UNIVERSITY
BAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAM
THESIS PROGRESS EVALUATION FORM
Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No._____
Thesis/MEngTopic :____________________________________________________

Evaluation Parameters/Criteria of the Thesis:

No Focus Areas
Marking 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):_________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Name of Internal Examiner/ Advisor: _______________________________________.
Signature of Internal Examiner/ Advisor:_____________________________________.

Grading ≥ 50% < 50%

Scale pass Fail

Decision by the Examining Board:

__________________________________________________.

26
 BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY
BAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAM
THESIS PROGRESS EVALUATION SUMMARY SHEET

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

Thesis/MEng Topic: _____________________________________________________

Summary of Examiners result:

Examiners Result
Total Grade
Internal Examiner Advisor Chairperson Result in Words
(50%) (35%) (15%)

Program Chair Holder Name: ____________________________________________.

Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Faculty Dean Name: ______________________________________________________.

Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Grading ≥ 50% < 50%

Scale
pass Fail

27
 BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY
BAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAM
THESIS EVALUATION FORM
Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No._____
Thesis/MEngTopic :____________________________________________________

Evaluation Parameters/Criteria of the Thesis:

No Focus Areas
Thesis Document evaluation Marking Score
1 Clearly stating problem to be addressed and concise summary of 10%
Abstract
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%
Thesis presentation Evaluation
8 Presentation at the defense (presentation skill, slide organization, 10%
time management, etc…)
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): ___________________________________.

Grading 85% and above 75-84% 60-74% 50-59% Below 50%

Scale Excellent Very Good Good Satisfactory Fail

Decision by the Examining Board:

__________________________________________________.

28
 BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITY
BAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAM
THESIS EVALUATION FORM SUMMARY SHEET

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

Thesis/MEng Topic: _____________________________________________________
Summary of Examiners result:

Examiners Result
External Internal Chairperson Total Grade
Examiner Examiner (15%) Result in Words
(50%) (35%)

Chairperson Name: ____________________________________________.

Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Program Chair holder Name: ____________________________________________.

Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Faculty Dean Name: _____________________________________________________.

Signature: _____________________________________ Date: ____________________.

Grading 85% and 75-84% 60-74% 50-59% Below 50%

Scale above

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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