THESIS/SYNOPSIS MANUAL

Composition, Style, and Format

Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
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Section-A Synopsis
The synopsis should be produced on A-4 size paper with the following
margins:

Top: 1 inch
Bottom: 1 inch
Left: 1.5 inches
Right: 1 inch

Text of the synopsis should be in Times New Roman font unless dictated
otherwise by the contents of the text. The organizational sequence of synopsis
should be as follows:

A.1 Title Page

The title page of the synopsis must contain the following:

a. Title of the research topic in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS in pyramid

form (14 Times New Roman, Bold, Double line space)
b. Full name and registration number of the student
c. Name, affiliation, and signature of the supervisor(s)
d. Name and signature of the Chairman/Director of the
Department/Institute/Centre
e. Monogram of KUST (horizontal centralized)
f. Name of the Department/Institute/Centre (horizontal centralized)
g. Name of the University (horizontal centralized)

The format of the title page appears in Annexure-A.

Note: Cover page shall not bear page number.

A.2 Introduction

Introduction to the proposed research may consist of the following

a. Background of the proposed research

b. Statement of the Problem
c. Hypothesis/Research question
d. Objectives of the research
e. Significance of the possible outcomes

A.3 Materials and Methods/ Procedures

This section may contain information about the following:

a. Materials
b. Experimental set-up/ Procedures
c. Theoretical/Mathematical model/Statistical Analysis
d. Questionnaire etc.
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A.4 Time Frame

The synopsis shall contain the breakup of research in terms of time periods
without mentioning specific dates, e.g. time frame for M.Phil synopsis may look
as following.

S. No. Research Component Time Required

1 Literature review Three months

2 Experimental work/Data Four months
collection/Sample
collection/Mathematical
modeling/Computer simulations
3 Analysis Two months
4
Thesis writing Three months

A.5 References

Inside the text, references should be cited numerically in square brackets. The
numeric should be kept in the list. In the reference list, all authors should be
named unless there are 06 or more as shown in the Annexure B.
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Section-B Thesis
The thesis should be produced on A-4 size; 80 – 100 g paper printed single
sided with the following margins:

Top: 1 inch
Bottom: 1 inch
Left: 1.5 inch
Right: 1 inch

Text of the thesis should be in Times New Roman font unless dictated otherwise
by the contents of the text. The organizational sequence of the thesis should be
as follows:

B.1 Cover Page

The cover page of the thesis must contain the following:

a. Title of the research topic in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS in pyramid

form (14 Times New Roman, Bold, Double line space)
b. Monogram of KUST (Horizontal and vertical centralized)
c. Full name of the student
d. Name of the Department/Institute/Centre
e. Name of the University
f. Month and year of submission

The format of the cover page appears in Annexure-C.

Note: Cover page shall not bear page number.

B.2 Preliminary Pages

B.2.1 Title Page

The title page of the thesis must contain the following:

a. Title of the research topic in BLOCK CAPITAL LETTERS in pyramid

form (14 Times New Roman, Bold, Double line space)
b. The statement, i.e., Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of (full name of the Degree)
c. Full name of the student
d. Registration number of the student
e. Monogram of KUST (Horizontal and vertical centralized)
f. Name of the Department/Institute/Centre
g. Name of the School/College (if any)
h. Name of the University
i. Month and year of submission

The format of the title page appears in Annexure-D.

Note: This page is included in pagination of the preliminary pages but page number shall
not appear.
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B.2.2 Certification

a. Anti-plagiarism Certificate

Anti-plagiarism certificate as given at Annexure-E shall follow the

certification page.

b. Certification from Supervisors

Title Page shall be followed by a certification page, duly signed by

the following:
i. Supervisor-1
ii. Supervisor-2
iii. Supervisor-3 (if any)

Note: It should be prepared in accordance with the format given at

Annexure – F.

c. Certification from Examiners

i. Internal Examiner (Examiner from the University)

ii. External Examiner (Examiner from among the R&D
and Teaching Institutions in Pakistan other than KUST.
This shall not be confused with the External Evaluator
from abroad)
iii. Head of the Department/Institute/Centre

Note: It should be prepared in accordance with the format given at

Annexure – G.

B.2.3 Acknowledgments

The student, if desires, may acknowledge the contribution of other people in

his research work (Optional).

B.2.4 Dedication

The student, if desires, may dedicate his work to some particular person(s)
(Optional).

B.2.5 Abstract

Abstract, not more than 400 words should follow the table of contents. The
abstract should be brief and written in complete sentences. It should state
succinctly the objectives, problem, the experimental design, the principal
observations and conclusions. Headings and references may not appear in
abstract.
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B.2.6 Table of Contents

Thesis must contain an elaborate list of contents for the convenience of the
readers indicating the page number for each section and sub-section
appearing in same sequence as in the text. These must be arranged in their
numeral order indicating the text page.

B.2.7 List of Tables

List of tables shall follow the same sequence as in the text.

B.2.8 List of Figures

A chapter-wise list of maps, diagrams, charts, figures etc., along

with elaborate captions shall follow the same sequence as in the text.

B.2.9 List of Symbols

A list of frequently used symbols shall be listed in alphabetical order.

B.2.10 List of Constants

A list of physical and numerical constants frequently used in the text

shall be listed in an alphabetical order.

B.2.11 Abbreviations/Acronyms/Definitions

Special abbreviations, specifically used in the text, can be arranged in

alphabetical order with explanation.

B.3 Pagination

a. All pages except the Title Page and appendices shall be

numbered.
b. Pagination shall be center bottom.
c. Preliminary pages shall be numbered in Roman (e.g. i,ii,iii,... ).
d. Main text pages (starting from the first page of Chapter 1:
Introduction) shall be numbered in Latin (e.g. 1, 2, 3, … ).

B.4 Main Text

The preliminary pages should be followed by the main text. The heading of a
chapter shall be horizontally centralized with a margin of one and half
inch from the top. All other section, sub-section and sub-sub-section
headings shall be left aligned without any indentation. The font size
for the chapter heading shall be 16 and bold, section heading shall be 14
and bold, sub-section heading shall be 12 and bold, and sub-sub-
section heading shall be 12 and underlined . There shall be a one
additional line space between the headings and the text. The headings shall
appear in separate line. The main text may contain the following sections,
appearing in the following order.
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I. Introduction

Introducing the problem and spelling out the main objectives/

hypothesis of the research. This chapter should also put the work in
perspective with the similar work carried out by other researchers in the field. A
comprehensive review of literature updating the reader about the
current status of the research findings in the field shall make central
part of this chapter. This review should be in the form of an integrated
running text, presenting a general analysis of the known facts on the
problem under study, rather than presenting a summary of the
papers appearing in chronological order. The review may be prepared
under different headings, which forms part of the study.

II. Research Methodology/ Materials and Methods

This chapter shall provide a detailed account of the materials used,

sampling/ techniques employed, methods followed, instruments used,
experimental details, and statistical tools used in analysis that may help
the reader in following the analysis of the data presented.

III. Analysis of Data/ Results/ Discussion

Results of the study should be presented in running text pointing the

salient features. These results may lead to the generalized statements
of the researcher, which may be carried for discussion. The discussion
is an important part of the thesis, where the results are interpreted
with scientific logic. This may also be presented as an independent
chapter.

IV. Conclusions and Recommendations

The discussion is followed by conclusions and are usually presented in

the form of running text spread over 2-4 paragraphs. This part of the
thesis also provides links/lead for future for the interest of the readers.

B.5. References

All references cited in the text and notes shall invariably appear in this
section. (See annexure-B for the style)

B.6. Appendices

This section may contain supporting data for the text in the form of one
or more appendices. It may include simulation codes, data table(s),
questionnaire/ data collection sheet(s), illustrations, maps and other
similar documents which cannot be made part of the main text.

B.7. Binding of the thesis

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Hardbound copies should be submitted after the oral examination

incorporating the suggested changes/ correction (if any). All text, KUST
Insignia and Monogram on the Front Cover shall be in Golden.

i. Hard binding should be in Maroon Color (for PhD thesis).

ii. Hard binding should be in Dark Blue Color (for MPhil/MS thesis).
iii. Hard binding should be in Black Color (other theses/ reports).
 Annexure-A
BLOCK
CAPITAL
Double line space FULL TITLE OF THE SYNOPSIS
Font = 14Times
New Roman
Bold

Space = 1 inch
Single line space
Font = 12Times New Roman
Bold
by

Full Name of the Student (as it appears in the University record)

(Registration No.)

Supervisor-I Ahmad Ali Department of Chemistry Double

KUST, Kohat ………… line space
Signature Font =
12Times
Supervisor-II Jawad Ahmad Department of Zoology New
Roman
University of Peshawar …………
Signature

Supervisor-III (if any) Fawad Khan Department of Economics

Gomal University …………
Signature

Chairman/Director Hamid Shah Department of Physics

KUST, Kohat …………
Signature

Vertical and horizontal

Centralized
Width = 1.5 inches
Height = 1.5 inches

Name of the Department/ Institute/ Centre/ College Single line

space
Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000 Font =
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan 14Times New
Roman
Bold
 Annexure – B
Referencing Style

Note: The example given below is only for the purpose of explanation and
they are not real.

a. Journal Articles with multiple authors

Name of first author; Name of 2nd author,…, Name of 6th author; et al. (year of
publication), “Title of the article”, Name of the Journal, Volume, issue Page.
e.g.

[1] M. Jamil (2013) “Cell-Wall-Bound Oxidases from Tobacco (Nicotiana

tabacum L.) Xylem Participate in Lignin Formation” Planta, 194, 9.

b. Conference Paper
Name of author, (year of publication), “Title of the article”, Title of the
conference, Publisher. e.g.

[2] M. Jamil (2013) “Proteomics Analysis of Response Mechanism in

Soybean Seedlings under Flooding Stress” Proceedings of International
Conference on “Crop Management in Changing Climate” University of
Agri. Faisalabad, Pakistan, 117.

c. Newspaper Article
Name of author, (Date and year of publication). “Title of the articles”,
Newspaper name, Pages

[3] J. Nasir (26th August 2013) “The Path is Through the Village” The News,
Pakistan, 6

d. Books
Name of authors (separated by commas), (Year of publication), “Title of the
book”(edition), place of publication: Publisher, Page. e.g.

[4] M. Jamil (2013) “Herbicides and Plant Physiology” ed. 7th, New York:
Chapman and Hall, 561.

e. Web
Name of authors (separated by commas), (Date of access) “Title of the
article”, retrieved from “URL” e.g.

[5] M. Jamil , I. Hussain, and R. Ahmad (26th August 2013) “Dental

Hygiene Education” http://www.dhed.net/Main.html

f. Parts of Books
Name of authors of articles (separated by commas), (Year of
publication), “Chapter”, “Title of the book” (editors), Publisher, place
of publication e.g.
 11

[3] M. Jamil (2013) “Vegetation Stress: An Introduction to the Stress

Concept in Plants” Vegetation Stress, Ed. M. Jamil and I. Hussain,
Chapman and Hall, New York.

g. Dissertation/Thesis
Name of author, (year of publication), “Title of dissertation / thesis”,
Name of University, Name of thesis. e.g.

[4] M. Jamil (2013) “ Effects of Lead, Cadmium, and Zinc Ions on the
Meristem Cell Arrangement and Growth of Maize Seedling Roots”
Kohat University of Science and Technology, Kohat, Pakistan, Ph.D
thesis.

Note: The synopsis should be three pages including all the detail mentioned above
 Annexure – C
BLOCK CAPITAL
APPROVED TITLE OF THE THESIS IN FULL Double line space
Font = 14Times New
Roman
Bold

Space = 1 Inch

by

Full name of the student (as it appears in the University record)

Vertical and horizontal

Centralized
Width = 1.5 inches
Height = 1.5 inches

Name of the Department/Institute/Center/College Single line space

Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000 Font = 14Times
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan New Roman
Bold
2013
BLOCK Annexure – D
CAPITAL
Double line space APPROVED TITLE OF THE THESIS IN FULL
Font = 14Times
New Roman
Bold
Space = 1 inch

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of (full

name of the degree)

by
Single line space
Font = 12 Times New Roman
Bold

Full name of the student (as appears in the University record)

(Registration Number)

Vertical and horizontal

Centralized
Width = 1.5 inch
Height = 1.5 inch Single line space
Font = 14Times
New Roman
Bold

Name of the Department/Institute/Center/College

Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat-26000
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
2013
 BLOCK CAPITAL
Height = 1.4 inches Double line space
Width = 1.5 inches Font = 14Times New Roman
Bold

Annexure – E
Font = 10 Bold

KOHAT UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Kohat 26000, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan Ph # 0922-554563-554565, Fax # 554556

Font = 8
Bold Font = 14Times No._______/KUST/Dept/13
New Roman Dated: August 27, 2013
Bold
BLOCK
CAPITAL
ANTI-PLAGIARISM TEST CERTIFICATE Font = 14Times
New Roman
Bold

Plagiarism Detection Software used : Turnitin (HEC recommended)

Name of Scholar : _________________________

Level of Thesis : _________________________

Institute/Department/ Center : _________________________

Document submitted for check : _________________________

Date of submission : _________________________

Similarity found with different : 0% (against 19% limit of HEC)

published sources

No. of words (scanned) : _________________________

(Excluding Table of Contents & References)

BLOCK
CAPITAL
Double line space Comments : The document is not plagiarized
Font = 14Times
New Roman
Bold

Issued by

_______________ ____________
Director QEC Supervisor
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Annexure – F

CERTIFICATION FROM THE SUPERVISORS

This is to certify that the thesis entitled (full title of the thesis) submitted by
(name of the student) to the Kohat University of Science &
Technology for the award of (full name of the Degree) represents bona fide
research work carried out under our supervision. This work (in full or in part) has not been
submitted to any other Institution for award of any degree/ diploma.

Space =2.5
inches

Supervisor-I:
(Name & Signature with University Name)
Space= 0.5 inch
Supervisor-II:
(Name & Signature with University Name)
Space= 0.5 inch
Supervisor-III (if any):
(Name & Signature with University Name)
Space= 0.5 inch
 Annexure - G

CERTIFICATION FROM THE EXAMINERS

This is to certify that this thesis presents a bona fide record of original research work
carried out by (full name of the student) in partial fulfillment of the
degree of (full name of the degree) Kohat University of Science
& Technology, Kohat. We find the work satisfactory for the award of the degree if other
requirements are met. The Viva Voce held on (date) .

Internal Examiner:

(Name & Signature with University Name)

Space= 0.5 Inch

External Examiner:

(Name & Signature with University Name)

Space = 0.5 Inch

Chairman/Director:

(Name & Signature)

 Drafting Committee

1. Prof. Dr. Fida Younus Khattak ………………………….

Signature

2. Dr. Ishtiaq Hussain ………………….. ……..

Signature

3. Dr. Muhammad Jamil …………………………..

Signature

4. Dr. Rashid Ahmad …………………………..

Signature