INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY BOMBAY

ACADEMIC OFFICE
2009

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF

THESES/DISSERTATIONS/REPORTS
FOR
Ph.D./M.Tech./ M.Phil./ M.Des./ M.S./DIIT/B.Tech./
DUAL DEGREE(B.Tech. + M .Tech.) /M.Sc. Students

Preamble

GuidelinesforpreparationofTheses/Dissertations/Reports

Whileutmostattentionmustbepaidtothecontentofthethesis/dissertation/report
(hereinafter called the 'thesis'), which is being submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirementsoftherespectivedegree,itisimperativethatastandardformatbeprescribed.
Thesameformatshallalsobefollowedinpreparationofthefinalsoftcopiestobesubmitted
totheLibraryinfuture.
1

OrganisationoftheThesis/Dissertation/report

Thisthesisshallbepresentedinanumberofchapters,startingwithIntroductionand
endingwithSummaryandConclusions.Eachoftheotherchapterswillhave aprecisetitle
reflectingthecontentsofthechapter.Achaptercanbesubdividedintosections,subsections
andsubsubsectionsoastopresentthecontentdiscretelyandwithdueemphasis.
Whentheworkcomprisestwoormoremutuallyindependentinvestigations,thethesis
may be divided into two or more parts, each with an appropriate title. However, the
numberingofchapterswillbecontinuousrightthrough,forexamplePart1maycomprise
Chapters25,PartTwo,Chapters69.
1.1

Introduction

ThetitleofChapter1shallbeIntroduction.Itshalljustifyandhighlighttheproblem
posed,definethetopicandexplaintheaimandscopeoftheworkpresentedinthethesis.It
mayalsohighlightthesignificantcontributionsfromtheinvestigation.
1.2

ReviewofLiterature

ThisshallnormallyformChapter2andshallpresentacriticalappraisaloftheprevious
workpublishedintheliteraturepertainingtothetopicoftheinvestigation.Theextentand
emphasisofthechaptershalldependonthenatureoftheinvestigation.
1.3

Reportonthepresentinvestigation

Thereportingontheinvestigationshallbepresentedinoneormorechapterswith
appropriatechaptertitles.

Dueimportanceshallbegiventoexperimentalsetups,proceduresadopted,techniques

1.4

developed,methodologiesdevelopedandadopted.
Whileimportantderivations/formulaeshouldnormallybepresentedinthetextofthese
chapters,extensiveandlongtreatments,copiousdetailsandtediousinformation,detailed
resultsintabularandgraphicalformsmaybepresentedinAppendices.Representative
dataintableandfiguresmay,however,beincludedinappropriatechapters.
Figuresandtablesshouldbepresentedimmediatelyfollowingtheirfirstmentioninthe
text.Shorttablesandfigures(say,lessthanhalfthewritingareaofthepage)shouldbe
presentedwithinthetext,whilelargetableandfiguresmaybepresentedonseparate
pages.
Equationsshouldformseparatelineswithappropriateparagraphseparationaboveand
belowtheequationline,withequationnumbersflushedtotheright.
ResultsandDiscussions

Thisshallformthepenultimatechapterofthethesisandshallincludeathorough
evaluationoftheinvestigationcarriedoutandbringoutthecontributionsfromthestudy.The
discussionshalllogicallyleadtoinferencesandconclusionsaswellasscopeforpossible
furtherfuturework.
1.5

SummaryandConclusions

Thiswillbethefinalchapterofthethesis.Abriefreportoftheworkcarriedoutshall
formthefirstpartoftheChapter.Conclusionsderivedfromthelogicalanalysispresentedin
theResultsandDiscussionsChaptershallbepresentedandclearlyenumerated,eachpoint
statedseparately.Scopeforfutureworkshouldbestatedlucidlyinthelastpartofthechapter.
1.6

Appendix

Detailedinformation,lengthyderivations,rawexperimentalobservationsetc.aretobe
presentedintheseparateappendices,whichshallbenumberedinRomanCapitals(e.g.
AppendixIV).Sincereferencecanbedrawntopublished/unpublishedliteratureinthe
appendicestheseshouldprecedetheLiteratureCitedsection.
1.7

LiteratureCited

ThisshouldfollowtheAppendices,ifany,otherwisetheSummaryandConclusions
chapter.Thecandidatesshallfollowthestyleofcitationandstyleoflistinginoneofthe
standardjournalsinthesubjectareaconsistentlythroughouthis/herthesis,forexample,IEEE
intheDepartmentofElectricalEngineering,MaterialsTransactionsinDepartmentof
MetallurgicalEngineeringandMaterialsScience.However,thenamesofalltheauthorsalong
withtheirinitialsandthefulltitleofthearticle/monogram/booketc.havetobegivenin
additiontothejournals/publishers,volume,number,pages(s)andyearofpublication.
Citation from websites should include the names(s) of author(s) ( including the
initials), full title of the article, website reference and when last accessed. Reference to

personalcommunications,similarly,shallincludetheauthor,titleofthecommunication(if
any)anddateofreceipt.
1.7.1 Publicationsbythecandidate
Articles,technicalnotesetc.onthetopicofthethesispublishedbythecandidatemay
beseparatelylistedaftertheliteraturecited.Thismayalsobeincludedinthecontents.The
candidatesmayalsoincludereprintsofhis/herpublicationsaftertheliteraturecitation.
1.8Acknowledgements
Theacknowledgmentsbythecandidateshallfollowthecitationofliterature,signedby
him/her,withdate.
2

THESISFORMAT

2.1

Paper

2.1.1 Quality
The thesis shall be printed/xeroxed on white bond paper, whiteness 95% or above,
weight70gramormorepersquaremeter.
2.1.2 Size
ThesizeofthepapershallbestandardA4;height297mm,width210mm.
2.1.3 TypeSetting,TextProcessingandPrinting
The textshall be printed employing laserjetor Inkjet printer,the text having been
processedusingastandardtextprocessor.ThestandardfontshallbeTimesNewRomanof12
ptswith1.5linespacing.
2.1.4 PageFormat
ThePrintedSheetsshallhavethefollowingwrittenareaandmargins:
TopMargin
HeadHeight
HeadSeparation
BottomMargin
Footer
FootSeparation
TextHeight
TextWidth

15mm
3mm
12mm
22mm
3mm
10mm
245mm
160mm

Whenheaderisnotusedthetopmarginshallbe30mm.
LeftandRightMargins
Thecandidatesshallhavetheoptionsofsingleordoublesidedprinting

Singlesided/oddnumberpage(indoublesidedprinting)
LeftMargin 30mm
RightMargin 20mm

Doublesidedevennumberedpage
LeftMargin20mm
RightMargin30mm

2.1.5 Pagination
PagenumberinginthetextofthethesisshallbeHinduArabicnumeralsatthecenterof
thefooter.Butwhenthecandidateoptsforheaderstylethepagenumbershallappearatthe
rightandlefttopcornerfortheoddandevennumberpages,respectively.
Pagenumber1forthefirstpageoftheIntroductionchaptershallnotappearinprint,
onlythesecondpagewillbearthenumber2.
Thesubsequentchaptersshallbeginonafreshpage(freshoddnumberpageincaseof
doublesidedprinting). Whenheaderstyleischosenthefirstpageofeachchapterwillnot
havetheheaderandthepagenumbershallbeprintedatthecenterofthefooter.
Pagination for pages before the Introduction chapter shall be in lower case Roman
numerals,e.g.,iv.
2.1.6 Header
Whentheheaderstyleischosen,theheadercanhavetheChapternumberandSection
number(e.g.,Chapter2,Section3)onevennumbered pageheadersandChaptertitleor
Sectiontitleontheoddnumberedpageheader.
2.1.7 Paragraphformat
Verticalspacebetweenparagraphsshallbeabout2.5linespacing.
Thefirstlineofeachparagraphshould normallybeindentedbyfivecharactersor
12mm. A candidate may, however, choose not to indent if (s) he has provided sufficient
paragraphseparation.

Aparagraphshouldnormallycomprisemorethanoneline.Asinglelineofaparagraph
shallnotbeleftatthetoporbottomofapage(thatis,nowindowsororphansshouldbeleft)
Thewordattherightendofthefirstlineofapageorparagraphshould,asfaras
possible,notbehyphenated.
2.2

ChapterandSectionFormat

2.2.1 Chapter
Eachchaptershallbeginonafreshpage(oddnumberpageincaseofdoublesided
printing)withanadditionaltopmarginofabout75mm.Chapternumber(inHinduArabic)
andtitleshallbeprintedatthecenterofthelinein6mmfontsize(18pt)inboldfaceusing
bothupperandlowercase(allcapitalsorsmallcapitalsshallnotbeused).Averticalgapof
about25mmshallbeleftbetweentheChapternumber andChaptertitlelinesandbetween
chaptertitlelineandthefirstparagraph.
2.2.2 SectionsandSubsections
Achapter canbedividedintoSections,SubsectionsandSubsubSectionssoasto
present different concepts separately. Sections and subsections can be numbered using
decimalpoints,e.g.2.2forthesecondsectioninChapter2and2.3.4forthefourthSub
sectioninthirdSectionofChapter2.Chapters,SectionsandSubsectionsshallbeincludedin
the contents with page numbers flushed to the right. Further subsections need not be
numberedorincludedinthecontents.
TheSectionandSubSectiontitlesalongwiththeirnumbersin5and4mm(16and14
pt)fonts,respectively,inboldfaceshallbeflushedtotheleft(notcentered)with15mmspace
aboveandbelowtheselines.
Infurthersubdivisionscharactersizeof3and3.5withboldface,smallcaps,allcaps
anditalicsmaybeusedforthetitlesflushedleftorcentered.Theseshallnotfeatureinthe
contents.
2.2.3Table/FigureFormat
Asfaraspossibletablesandfiguresshouldbepresentedinportraitstyle. Smallsize
tableandfigures(lessthanhalfofwritingareaofapage)shouldbeincorporatedwithinthe
text, while larger ones may be presented on separate pages. Table and figures shall be
numberedchapterwise. Forexample,thefourthfigureinchapter5willbearthenumber
Figure5.4orFig5.4
Tablenumberandtitlewillbeplacedabovethetablewhilethefigurenumberand
captionwillbelocatedbelowthefigure. ReferenceforTableandFiguresreproducedfrom
elsewhereshallbecitedinthelastandseparatelineinthetableandfigurecaption,e.g.(after
McGregor[12]).

AuxiliaryFormat

3.1

Binding

Theevaluationcopiesofthethesis/dissertation/reportmay be spiralboundorsoft
bound.Thefinalhardboundcopiestobesubmittedafterthevivavoceexaminationwillbe
accepted during the submission of thesis/dissertation/report with the following colour
specification:
Ph.D.Thesis
M.Tech./M.Phil./M.Des.Dissertation
DIITProjectReport
B.Tech./M.Sc.ProjectReport
3.2

Black
Grey
Maroon
Brown

FrontCovers
Thefrontcoversshallcontainthefollowingdetails:

Fulltitleofthesisin6mm22point'ssizefontproperlycenteredandpositionedatthetop.
Fullnameofthecandidatein4.5mm15point'ssizefontproperlycenteredatthemiddle
ofthepage.
A40mmdiareplicaoftheInstituteemblemfollowedbythenameofdepartment,nameof
theInstituteandtheyearofsubmission,eachinaseparatelineandproperlycenteredand
locatedatthebottomofpage.

3.2.1 Lettering
Allletteringshallbeembossedingold.
3.2.2 Boundback
The degree, the name of the candidate and the year of submission shall also be
embossedonthebound(side)ingold.
3.3

BlankSheets

Inadditiontothewhitesheets(bindingrequirement)twowhitesheetsshallbeputat
thebeginningandtheendofthethesis.
3.4

TitleSheet

This shall be the first printed page of the thesis and shall contain the submission
statement: the Thesis/Dissertation/project Report submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirementsoftheDegree,Ph.D./M.Tech./M.Des./M.S./DIIT/B.Tech./M.Sc.,thenameand

Roll No. of the candidate, name(s) of the Supervisor and Cosupervisor (s) (if any),
Department,Instituteandyearofsubmission.
Samplecopyofthe'TitleSheet'isappended(Specimen'A')
3.5 DedicationSheet
If the candidate so desires(s)he maydedicate his/herthesis,whichstatementshall
followthetitlepage.Ifincluded,thisshallformthepage1oftheauxiliarysheetsbutshallnot
haveapagenumber.
3.6

ApprovalSheet

Intheabsenceofadedicationsheetthiswillformthefirstpageandinthatcaseshall
nothaveapagenumber.Otherwise,thiswillbearthenumbertwoinRomanlowercaseii
atthecenterofthefooter.Thetoplineshallbe:
1. ThesisApprovalforPh.D.
2. DissertationApprovalforM.Tech.,M.Phil.,M.Des.,andM.S.,
3. ReportApprovalforDIIT,B.Tech.,andM.Sc.Projects,asthecasemaybe.
TheApprovalSheetsaretobeincludedonlyinthehardboundcopieswhichare
submittedafterthesuccessfulPh.D.vivavoceexamination.
AsamplecopyoftheApprovalSheetisappended(Specimen`B')
3.7

Abstract

The 500 word abstract shall highlight the important features of the
thesis/dissertation/reportandshallcorrespondtotheelectronicversiontobesubmittedtothe
Libraryforinclusioninthewebsite.TheAbstractinthethesis,however,shallhavetwomore
parts,namely,thelayoutofthethesisgivingabriefchapterwisedescriptionoftheworkand
thekeywords.
3.8Contents
ThecontentsshallfollowtheAbstractandshallenlistthetitlesofthechapters,section
and subsection using decimal notation, as in the text, with corresponding page number
againstthem,flushedtotheright.
3.8.1 ListofFiguresandTables
Two separate lists of Figure captions and Table titlesalong with their numbers and
correspondingpagenumbersagainstthemshallfollowtheContents.
3.9

AbbreviationNotationandNomenclature

Acompleteand comprehensive listofall abbreviations,notationsandnomenclature

includingGreekalphabetswithsubscriptsandsuperscriptsshallbeprovidedafterthelistof
tables and figures.(As far as possible, generally accepted symbols and notation should be
used).

Auxiliarypagefromdedication(ifany)toabbrevationsshallbenumberedusingRoman
numeralsinlowercase,whilethetextstartingfromtheIntroductionshallbeinHinduArabic.
(Thefirstpagesintheboththecasesshallnotbearapagenumber).
3.10ADeclarationofAcademicHonestyandIntegrity
AdeclarationofAcademichonestyandintegrityisrequiredtobeincludedalongwith
everythesis/dissertation/reportaftertheapprovalsheet. Theformatofthisdeclarationis
giveninSpecimen`C'attached.
*****************************

Specimen'A':TitleSheet
(Title)
Submittedinpartialfulfillmentoftherequirements
ofthedegreeof
(DoctorofPhilosophy/MasterofTechnology/andsoon)
by
(NameoftheStudent)
(RollNo._______)
Supervisor(s):
________________________
_________________________

(NameoftheDepartment/School/InterdisciplinaryProgramme)
INDIANINSTITUTEOFTECHNOLOGYBOMBAY
(Year)

Specimen`B':ApprovalSheet
Thisthesis/dissertation/reportentitled(Title)by(AuthorName)is approvedforthe
degreeof____________(Degreedetails).
Examiners

________________________
________________________
________________________

Supervisor(s)
________________________
________________________
________________________

Chairman
________________________
Date:____________
Place:____________

Specimen`C'Declaration

Ideclarethatthiswrittensubmissionrepresentsmyideasinmyownwordsandwhere
others'ideasorwordshavebeenincluded,Ihaveadequatelycitedandreferencedtheoriginal
sources.IalsodeclarethatIhaveadheredtoallprinciplesofacademichonestyandintegrity
and have not misrepresented or fabricated or falsified any idea/data/fact/source in my
submission.Iunderstandthatanyviolationoftheabovewillbecausefordisciplinaryaction
bytheInstituteandcanalsoevokepenalactionfromthesourceswhichhavethusnotbeen
properlycitedorfromwhomproperpermissionhasnotbeentakenwhenneeded.

_________________________________
(Signature)
________________________________
(Nameofthestudent)
_________________________________
(RollNo.)

Date:__________