MS Thesis/ Project

Handbook

Producing High Quality

Research and Development

National University of
Computer and Emerging Sciences
 DOCUMENT CONTROL

Document Name MS Thesis/ Project Handbook

Approved By 41st BASR meeting dated 24th December, 2021

Date of Publication January 2022

Quantity 100 copies

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 MS Thesis/ Project Handbook
Contents
1. Scope ........................................................................................ 5
2. MS Thesis/ Project - Basics....................................................... 5
2.1. Learning Outcomes ................................................................... 6
2.2. MS Thesis/ Project Eligibility.................................................... 7
2.3. Timeline .................................................................................... 7
3. MS Research Committees (MSRCs) ......................................... 9
4. Thesis/ Project Registration Process ....................................... 10
4.1. Registration of MS Thesis/ Project 1 ........................................10
4.2. Registration of Thesis/ Project 2...............................................10
4.3. The process to Change Thesis/ Project Title .............................11
4.4. Process for Change of Supervisor.............................................12
4.5. Process for Change of Examiners .............................................12
5. Thesis/ Project Examiners Allocation and Load ..................... 12
6. Thesis/ Project Examination Process ...................................... 13
6.1. Thesis/ Project 1 – Proposal Idea and Scope Approval .............15
6.2. Thesis/ Project 1 Mid Evaluations ............................................16
6.3. Thesis/ Project 1 Final Evaluation............................................16
6.4. MS Thesis/ Project 2 Midterm evaluation ................................18
6.5. MS Thesis/ Project 2 Final Evaluation .....................................19
6.6. Absence of Student in an evaluation .........................................24
6.7. Thesis/ Project 2 Grade Calculation and Conflict Management
25
7. Plagiarism............................................................................... 26

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8. Conflict of Interest.................................................................. 26
9. Graduate Thesis/ Project Process Improvement..................... 27
APPENDIX A ................................................................................... i
MS Thesis/ Project 1 Registration Form ............................................... i
MS Thesis/ Project 2 Registration Form .............................................. ii
APPENDIX B ................................................................................. iii
Thesis/ Project Title Change Form.......................................................iii
Thesis/ Project Supervisor Change Form ............................................. iv
APPENDIX C .................................................................................. v
(Thesis/ Project Evaluation Forms) ................................................. v
Thesis/ Project 1 - Proposal Approval Form .........................................v
Thesis/ Project 1 (Midterm) - Evaluation Form.................................... vi
Thesis/ Project 1 (Final) - Presentation Evaluation Form .................... vii
Thesis/ Project 1 (Final) - Report Evaluation Form ........................... viii
Thesis/ Project 2 (Midterm) - Evaluation Form.................................... ix
Thesis/ Project Pre-Defense Review Form ............................................. x
Thesis/ Project - Review Response Templates .................................... xiii
Thesis/ Project - II Defense (Final) - Evaluation Form ....................... xiv
APPENDIX D ................................................................................ xv
Thesis/ Project 1 - Report Contents ..................................................... xv
Thesis/ Project 2- Report Contents ..................................................... xvi
APPENDIX E ...............................................................................xxii
Plagiarism Undertaking .................................................................... xxii
Author’s Declaration........................................................................ xxiii
Certificate of Approval .................................................................... xxiv

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1. Scope
The scope of this document is to define the processes and other details relevant
to MS Thesis and MS Project. There are two important constituents of achieving
any quality product: the people and the processes. This document focuses on
defining a process that assists the people (i.e., students, supervisors, examiners,
and MS Research Committee (MSRC)) involved in achieving quality research
work. This policy document provides a guideline for the smooth conduct of
research evaluations and helps students to understand the examiners'
expectations concerning different milestones related to the MS thesis/ project.

2. MS Thesis/ Project - Basics

The thesis or project in a Master’s degree program comprises a total of six credit
hours that is to be taken in the final year of the degree program as two separate
courses, i.e., Thesis1/ Project 1 and Thesis 2/ Project 2. Each one of these will
be a 3-credit hour course, which should be taken in a separate semester with a
separate grading scheme.

The purpose of a thesis is to enable the graduate students to apply academic

knowledge using the scientific method in order to investigate an original
research problem. A thesis allows a student to demonstrate his/her analytical
skills to thoroughly investigate a given research problem and contribute to the
field of study by proposing solutions following a rigorous scientific process.

The objective of the project, on the other hand, is to allow the students to apply
the technical and management skills acquired during their MS degree and to
develop a software project of appropriate size and complexity within the span

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of two semesters. The software projects can be from different domains and can
be of different types and nature. For instance, a project can be about developing
software to meet the needs of customers and users in a specific domain, or a
project can be about developing a creative product and solution.
2.1. Learning Outcomes
The learning outcomes of a thesis/ project are based on the outcomes of the
relevant MS degree programs.
2.1.1. Learning Outcomes of MS Thesis
The specific learning outcomes of the MS thesis for the students are as follows:
CLO 1 A capability to use appropriate research methodology to conduct
high-quality research;
CLO 2 Analytical skills to critically review the state-of-the-art and
identify literature gap;
CLO 3 A capability to contribute to the existing field of knowledge by
developing innovative research solutions;
CLO 4 An ability to express the scientific contributions in both oral and
written form and to defend the contributions based on scientific
arguments;
CLO 5 An ability to solve complex discipline-specific research
problems by developing practical solutions.

2.1.2. Learning Outcomes of MS Project

The learning outcomes of the MS project for the students are outlined below:

CLO 1 Use principles of the software project management lifecycle on

relevant and appropriate scenarios.

CLO 2 Identify, inspect, and construct creative and effective solutions

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 to real world problems.

CLO 3 Choose project management and development techniques to

initiate, plan, execute, and evaluate a project scenario.

CLO 4 Exhibit working knowledge of software design and develop

software project using engineering standards, latest
development tools, and software construction techniques.

CLO 5 Exhibits communication skills through presentations and

standard project documentation.

2.2. MS Thesis/ Project Eligibility

The eligibility criteria for registration in MS Thesis/Project 1 is given below:

i. The student has earned at least 15 credit hours with a minimum CGPA
of 2.5.

ii. He/She has passed the Research Methodologies (or equivalent) course.

iii. He/She is not on warning at the time of registration.

A student is eligible to register in MS Thesis/ Project 2 after completing the

requirements of MS Thesis/ Project 1 (i.e., passing MS Thesis/ Project 1
course).
2.3. Timeline
Students can register in MS thesis/Project at the start of Spring or Fall semesters.
The following tentative timelines are followed for various activities related to
Thesis/ Project 1 and Thesis/ Project 2:

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 Thesis/ Project 1 – Activities Plan and Tentative Timeline
Registration At the start of Spring and Fall
semesters
Add/ Drop week 2nd week of semester
Examiners Allocation 2nd week of semester
Proposal Idea and Scope approval 3-4th week of semester
Midterm evaluation 7th to 10th week
Report Submission 14th week the semester
(day-1 of 14th week)
Presentations and Report 14th and 15th week of semester
Evaluations (Examination
Committee)
Grades Finalization and Reviews/ 17th week of semester
Comments Dissemination
Grade Upload on Flex 17th week of semester
Submission of Revised Thesis/ 19th week of semester
Project 1 document and Response
Document
Thesis/ Project 2 – Activities Plan and Tentative Timeline
Registration At the start of Spring and Fall
semesters
Add/ Drop week 2nd week of semester
Midterm evaluation 7-9th week of semester
Thesis/ Project Report Submission14th week of semester (Day-1 of
14th week)
Report Evaluations & Pre-defense 14th and 15th week of semester
feedback (Examination Committee)

Reviews/ Comments Dissemination 17th week of semester

Submission of Revised Thesis/ 19th week
Project 2 and Response Document
External Defense 20th week onwards

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3. MS Research Committees (MSRCs)
The Head of the Department (HOD) will appoint the MS thesis/project
coordinator or the MS Research Committee (MSRC). The committee will
consist of faculty members of the concerned department and led by the
coordinator. The domain of MSRC is same as the MS thesis/ project
coordinator. Throughout the rest of this document, MSRC and MS thesis/project
coordinator are used interchangeably. Following is the non-exhaustive list of
tasks that are performed by each MSRC:

• Managing the MS thesis/ project registration process of students with the

support of academic staff;
• Allocation of internal examiners for an MS thesis/ project in a priority
sequence (See Section 5);
• Balancing load of examiners/ supervisors using exam-load formula (See
Section 5);
• Dissemination of the thesis/ project reports and sharing of relevant
evaluation links with examiners and supervisors;
• Seeking approval from external examiners of MS Thesis/ Project 2;
• Managing the external evaluation process;
• Conducting the final public defense of Thesis/ Project 2 students;
• Finalizing the grades of Thesis/ Project based on supervisor’s and
examiner's feedback;
• Consolidating the suggestions of reviewers and sharing with students;
• Plagiarism evaluation of the thesis/ project documents;
• Format-checking of the thesis/ project documents;
• Suggesting and implementing improvements in the quality of the process
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 for thesis/ project;
• Any other task related to MS Thesis/ Project as assigned by the HoD.

4. Thesis/ Project Registration Process

This section describes the procedural details regarding the MS Thesis/ Project
including registration.
4.1. Registration of MS Thesis/ Project 1
The students are required to register for the Thesis/ Project 1 using the online
university portal (i.e., Flex) as well as by submitting a formal registration form
(see Appendix A) to the MSRC. The registration form duly signed by a
supervisor should be submitted before the start or day-1 of the semester.
Students failing to do so will not be allowed to register for Thesis/ Project 1. In
the research methodology course, students are encouraged to start work in
relevant domains after acquiring a formal supervision consent from the faculty
members and subsequently, submitting this form to MSRC (as formal consent
for the future thesis/ project registration).

The thesis/ project supervision is done either by Ph.D. faculty members or by

the faculty members with MS degree and meeting University/ HEC thesis/
project supervision criteria. A student is allowed to drop MS Thesis/ Project 1
by the end of the 2nd week of the semester.
4.2. Registration of Thesis/ Project 2
After successful completion of Thesis/ Project 1, students are required to
register for Thesis/ Project 2 using the University’s online registration portal
(i.e., Flex) and complete the other registration formalities as per the academic
calendar. The students registering for Thesis/ Project 2 should also submit a

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registration form outlining the work plan of Thesis/ Project 2 duly approved by
their supervisors before the start of the semester. Students failing to do so will
not be allowed to register for Thesis/ Project 2. A student can drop MS Thesis/
Project 2 by the end of the 2nd week of semester.

Students changing their area of research should get the changes evaluated by
the supervisors, examiners, and MSRC before registering. In case of a major
change in the scope of the work, the student can be asked to repeat Thesis/
Project 1. Such a decision can only be made with the approval of the Head of
the department.
4.3. The process to Change Thesis/ Project Title
A major change in thesis/ project title after the approval of proposal defense is
not allowed. A student requests the MSRC for the change of thesis/ project title
with reasons and justification. The MSRC solicits comments of the supervisor
and the examiners in writing to know the fraction of change in the contents due
to the change of the title. The MSRC considers the application and takes a
decision.

A change in title that is considered minor by the MSRC is immediately

incorporated. In case the change is considered as major, it is referred to the
examiners for comments. If the change is considered as major by the examiners
(i.e., in the case where the new title is largely different from the original idea
approved in the proposal defense), it is not allowed. In this case, the student is
asked to either drop/ withdraw Thesis/ Project 1 (as per university policy) or
continue with the old title. Such a request is not required before the proposal
defense as the proposal can be resubmitted. If a title change request is not

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received/ approved and the student changes the scope of the work, the
evaluation is carried out based on the originally approved scope and proposal.
4.4. Process for Change of Supervisor
A student may request the MSRC for the change of supervisor with reasons and
justification. The MSRC solicits comments of the present supervisor and the
proposed supervisor (in writing) and forwards its recommendation to the HoD,
for final approval. The student is allowed to work on the same topic only if the
current supervisor agrees to it. Otherwise, the student has to register with a new
topic in Thesis/ Project 1 just like a fresh MS Thesis/ Project1 student. The
supervisor change request form (see Appendix B) is submitted for the above-
stated purposes.
4.5. Process for Change of Examiners
The request for changing an examiner is submitted by a supervisor to MSRC.
The MSRC may accept the change request if it is satisfied with the justification.
However, the supervisors cannot recommend the examiners. The examiners are
allocated considering the topic relevance, faculty of the same program, and
examination load of the examiners. In case a faculty member leaves the job,
new examiners are allocated by the MSRC.

5. Thesis/ Project Examiners Allocation and Load

Thesis/ Project examiners (for internal evaluations) are allocated by the

concerned MSRC. Supervisors have no role in this allocation. A thesis/ project
examiner is decided considering the match of thesis topic with examiner’s
specialties. In case, multiple faculty members can be assigned a thesis/ project,

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the MSRC selects the faculty member from the same program (e.g., an MSRC
of CS program will select a faculty member from the CS department as a
priority). All the examiner allocations are subject to the remaining
examination load of a certain faculty member. The examination load-related
guidelines are discussed below. The normal examination load of a certain
faculty member is calculated as follows:
Normal Examination Load = (Total Thesis/ Project Examinations Required) / (PhD Faculty + (MS Faculty/2))

Considering the normal examination load of a faculty member, the load

reductions can be awarded in the following scenarios. Normal examination load
is decreased by 1 for every 4 students (MS & PhD) being supervised by the
faculty member. The Deans/ Directors/ HoDs are awarded half of the normal
examination load. An MS faculty member gets the half of the normal
examination load as compared to a Ph.D. faculty member. In an examination
committee of a thesis/ project, at least one examiner must be a Ph.D. faculty
member.

6. Thesis/ Project Examination Process

In this section, the overall examination processes for Thesis/ Project 1 and
Thesis/ Project 2 are discussed.
Figure 1 gives an overview of theThesis/ Project 1 process while figure 2 gives
the overview of the Thesis/ Project 2 process.

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 Total=10%
(Supervisor=5%)
Proposal (Jury=5%)
Defense

Supervisor=20
%
Mid
Evaluatio
n
Presentation=5
otal=70% 0%
(Supervisor=35 Report=20%

Final %)
Defense (Jury=35%)

Figure 1: Flowchart for Thesis/ Project 1

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 Supervisor=20
%
1. Recommended for Defense
Mid
2. Recommended for Defense
Evaluati
after major revisions
on 3. Needs significant work
Supervisor + and/or changes (CN)
2 internal 4. Not recommended for
OR Defense (F)
Pre- 1 internal + 1
defense external
feedbac
Presentation
Total=80% =35%
(Supervisor=40 Report=45%
%)
Final
(Jury=40%)
Defense

Figure 2: Flowchart of Thesis/ Project 2

The details of the examination processes are as follows:

6.1. Thesis/ Project 1 – Proposal Idea and Scope Approval

As the concerned MSRC finalizes the examiners’ allocation (see Section 5) in
the 2nd week of the semester, the examination committee (i.e., supervisor,
examiner-1, and examiner-2) along with the students are informed about it. The
examination committee is asked to conduct the proposal evaluations during the
3rd-4th week of semester. For the proposal evaluation, the examiners will

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evaluate the proposal report submitted by the student, and if the examiners deem
it necessary, the student will be required to prepare a presentation of 7 to 10
minutes (followed by a Q&A session) which mainly focuses on the introduction,
motivation, and idea. The supervisor and both the examiners will evaluate the
proposal by filling the Proposal approval form (see Appendix C). The idea is
accepted “as it is” or accepted with “minor/ major changes”. The students will
be assigned 10% of thesis/ project 1 marks based on the proposal and
presentation (Supervisor = 5%, Jury 5%). The student is expected to make all
the necessary changes for the next examination milestone such as the Thesis/
Project 1 evaluation. For that, the comments and related response document (by
the student) should be submitted with the Thesis/ Project 1 final document.
6.2. Thesis/ Project 1 Mid Evaluations
The students are required to submit a thesis/ project 1 midterm evaluation to
the supervisor between the 7th-10th weeks of the semester. The method of the
evaluation is up to the individual supervisors. Based on this evaluation,
students will be assigned 20% of thesis/ project 1 marks.
6.3. Thesis/ Project 1 Final Evaluation
This section discusses the final evaluation of thesis/ project 1.
a) Thesis/Project 1 Report Submission: The students are required to
submit the final reports (as per the MS Thesis/ Project 1 template) at the
start of the 14th week of semester.
b) Thesis/ Project 1 Evaluation: The supervisors manage and convene a
meeting (during the 14th—15th week of semester) with the concerned
examiners to evaluate students’ presentations. The supervisor and
examiners submit their evaluations using the presentation evaluation
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 form (see Appendix C). The presentation’s evaluation has a 20% weight
of the overall grade of Thesis/ Project 1.
c) Thesis/ Project1 Report Evaluation: The reports are evaluated by the
concerned supervisor and the examiners on the given evaluation form
(see Appendix C). The report evaluation contributes to 50% of Thesis/
Project 1 weight. The report evaluation weights are as follows:
Supervisor’s weight = 25%, examiner-1’s weight = 12.5%, and
examiner-2’s weight = 12.5%.
The final grades are finalized and disseminated by the concerned
MSRC along with the review comments. An ‘F’ grade is awarded in
Thesis/ Project 1 in any of the following cases (as determined by both
the examiners and supervisor):
o If the problem is not clear or the problem is not scientifically
correct;
o The literature review is insufficient or missing;
o The student is largely not able to explain the related works
he/she has cited;
o The student fails to appear in the final defense as scheduled
by the department. However, genuine cases may be
handled as per Final Exam Retake Rule.
d) Submission of Revised Thesis/ Project 1 and Response Document: The
students are required to address all the comments and suggestions of the
examiners. The revised version of Thesis/ Project 1 along with the
review response document (see Appendix C) should be submitted by
students within one week after receiving the Thesis/ Project 1
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 comments. The revised Thesis/ Project 1 report and response document
is shared with the concerned examiners for information. The supervisor
and MSRC shall ensure that plagiarized content is not included in the
formal Thesis/ Project 1 report.
e) Results Compilation and Conflict Resolution: The final result of MS
Thesis/ Project 1 is compiled by the concerned MSRC. In case of a
conflict, whose handling is not described in the handbook, the HoD will
form and head an Arbitration Committee.
The overall marks distribution for thesis/ project 1 is given in Table 1.
Table 1: Marks distribution for Thesis/ Project 1.

Supervisor Jury Total

Proposal 5 5 10
Midterm 20 - 20
evaluation
Final Presentation 10 10 70
(20)
Final Report (50) 25 25
Total 60 40 100

6.4. MS Thesis/ Project 2 Midterm evaluation

The students are required to submit a thesis/ project 2 midterm evaluation in
the 8th-9th week of the semester to their supervisors. The method of the
evaluation is up to the individual supervisors. Based on this evaluation,
students will be assigned 20% of Thesis/ Project 2 marks.

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6.5. MS Thesis/ Project 2 Final Evaluation
This section describes the complete process of MS Thesis/ Project 2 evaluation.
Thesis/ Project 2 has internal and external evaluations as follows:
a) Thesis/ Project 2 Submission (For Pre-defense feedback & evaluation):
The students are required to submit the final report (as per template) at
the start of the 14th week of the semester. It is the student’s
responsibility that the report is free from plagiarism. The similarity
index and plagiarism check information must be attached with the
report (see Section 7). The reports are disseminated by MSRC along
with links of the evaluation forms to the concerned supervisor and
examiners.
b) Thesis/ Project 2 Pre-defense Evaluation: The Thesis/ Project 2 report
is evaluated by the concerned supervisor and at least two examiners.
Both examiners may be internal, or one could be internal while the other
one could be external. This decision will be taken locally by the
campus. In addition, the campus will decide whether the pre-defense
feedback is sought through presentations or through a report. The
evaluation is submitted on the given Pre-Defense Examiner Review
forms (see Appendix C). The external examiner is nominated by the
supervisor and is approved by MSRC and the HoD based on relevance
to the topic, experience, and research profile. For MS Thesis, the same
criteria will be followed that has been set by HEC for the supervision
of MS Thesis. For MS Projects, the evaluator can be anyone that meets
the criteria for MS Thesis evaluation, or he/she can also be someone

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 belonging to the industry. In such a case, the evaluator should have at
least 10 years of relevant industry experience and should be in a
managerial position. The grading details of the internal evaluation are
as follows:
I. Recommended for Defense: The student is allowed to defend
the thesis/ project in the external exam;
II. Recommended for Defense after major revision: There are
changes (discussed below) recommended by the examiners or
the supervisor. In this case, the student has to submit the revised
report after incorporating the changes and/or submitting a
rebuttal;
III. Continue (CN): There are significant changes (discussed
below) recommended by the examiners or supervisor. In this
case, the student has to re-register Thesis/ Project 2 in the next
semester;
IV. Fail (F): Thesis/ Project 2 is rejected; student must repeat
Thesis/ Project 2.
For these grade options (i.e., Recommended for Defense, Recommended
for Defense after major revision, CN, and F) a majority decision is
taken into consideration. Other grade calculation possibilities and
conflict resolution strategies are mentioned in Section 6.5.
c) Thesis/ Project 2 Grade Interpretation: Following are general guidelines
and interpretation of the thesis/ project 2 internal grades:
I. “Recommended for Defense” grade:
o A “Recommended for defense” evaluation means that
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 the thesis/ project is ready for external defense with
minor changes to the report. The minor changes and
the defense should be completed within the
announced deadline by the MSRC.

II. “Recommended for Defense after major revisions”: This grade

means that the student’s work and performance is satisfactory,
but there are major changes required to the report or some
additional work that needs to be incorporated in order for the
thesis/ project to be presented for external evaluation. In this
case, the student will need to incorporate the suggested changes
in the thesis/ project, and also prepare a compliance/ rebuttal
report and submit to the supervisor.

III. “Continue (CN)” grade: If a student’s performance is

“Satisfactory” but his/her thesis/ project has not matured to the
level that can be defended, a “CN” (continue) grade is awarded
and the student is allowed to work for another semester by re-
registering in Thesis/ Project 2. A student acquiring CN grade
will be allowed to submit and defend the thesis/ project anytime
in the next regular semester subject to the consent of the
supervisor and re-registration of the thesis/ project 2.

IV. If an “F” grade is awarded, the student re-registers in Thesis/

Project 2. This process can be repeated with the consent of the
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 MSRC and the supervisor unless the time limit for the degree
has been reached. Apart from inadequate or unsatisfactory
work, an “F” grade in Thesis/ Project 2 can also be awarded if:
o The student is not ready for defense and the student
received a CN in the last semester;
o The student fails to submit the report or appear in the
final defense if one is scheduled by the department.
However, genuine cases may be handled as per Final
Exam Retake Rule.
d) Thesis/ Project 2 – Revised Version Submission: A successful Thesis/
Project 2 pre-defense evaluation allows the student to submit the
revised (if required) version of report by addressing all the comments
and suggestions of the examiners along with a review response
document (see Appendix C).
e) Thesis/ Project 2 – Final Defense Committee: The final examination
committee contains the following members: 1) Supervisor, 2) Internal
examiner (nominated by MSRC), 3) External examiner (nominated by
the supervisor and approved by MSRC and HoD), and 4) Examination
convener (a faculty member nominated by MSRC).
f) Final Defense Evaluation: The final evaluation process will be initiated
after the submission of a revised version of Thesis/ Project 2. All the
coordination, facilitation, and, support for final defense will be
provided by the MSRC staff. Further guidelines are as follows:
I. The student shall ensure that there is no plagiarized content in
the thesis/ project and that it is according to the prescribed
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 format. The report will be re-checked by the MSRC for
plagiarism and format adherence. In case, the thesis/ project is
plagiarized, the case will be handled as per the University
policy.
II. A public defense of the thesis/ project is arranged by the
MSRC after receiving positive pre-dense reports from the
examiners. The defense time is finalized with the consultation
of the examination committee.
III. The evaluation is only done by the examination committee
that includes the external examiner, internal examiner, and the
supervisor. This evaluation will be based on a student
presentation as well as the thesis/ project 2 report. The weight
of each member’s evaluation is as follows:
Presentation:
Supervisor=15%, Internal jury=10%, External
jury=10%.
Report:
Supervisor=25%, Internal jury 10%, External
jury=10%.
IV. The results are separately submitted (see Appendix C for the
defense evaluation form) by the supervisor, internal examiner,
and external examiner. The final grade or result is compiled by
MSRC and approved by the HoD.
V. Hard bound copies are submitted after the finalization of the
thesis/ project by the date intimated by the MSRC. Without
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 submission of the hard copies, the student’s official transcript
and degree will not be issued.
VI. On completion of all degree requirements, a completed form
is generated by the academic office, verified by the MSRC
Head, and submitted to the office of the HoD.

The overall marks distribution for Thesis/ Project 2 is given in Table 2.

Table 2: Marks distribution for Thesis/ Project 2.

Supervisor Jury (1 internal Total

+ 1 external)
Midterm 20 - 20
evaluation
Final Presentation 15 20 (10+10) 80
(30)
Final Report (50) 25 20 (10+10)
Total 60 40 100

6.6. Absence of Student in an evaluation

A student who does not appear for an evaluation gets an “F” grade in the
evaluation unless the student has a “genuine” excuse and gets an application for
the delayed final evaluation approved from the HoD. If a student knows the
reason in advance, he/she submits an application to the HoD, at least two weeks
before the final evaluation or three within days of the final evaluation schedule
is announced. In case of rejection of the application, the student needs to appear
for the final evaluation.
In case of some unforeseen incident very close to or on the final evaluation day,
the student informs the department for the delayed final evaluation within 7 days
of the final evaluation.

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6.7. Thesis/ Project 2 Grade Calculation and Conflict Management
Following are different conflicting scenarios in the final internal evaluation of
Thesis / Project 2. They are to be handled as follows:
• There cannot be two consecutive CN grades. Therefore, if a student (with
a CN grade in the previous semester) still does not meet the minimum
requirements (as per the satisfaction of supervisor and examiners),
he/she is awarded an “F” grade;
• If all the three evaluations are different, a three-member conflict
resolution committee will be formed by MSRC. The committee will
consist of a supervisor and two faculty members other than the
examiners. The conflict resolution committee will re-examine the
student and a majority decision will be adopted to finalize the grade;
• If a supervisor gives an “F” grade to a student but both the internal
examiners do not give an “F” grade, the student is awarded a “CN” grade
in the current semester and allowed to work in the next semester.
Different conflicting scenarios of pre-defense reviews of a thesis/ project
report are handled as follows:
• If both the internal and external examiners choose the “Fail” option of
the pre-defense review report, the student is awarded an “F” grade in
Thesis/ Project 2 and allowed to register in Thesis/ Project 2 in the next
semester;
• If only the external examiner chooses the “Fail” option of the pre-defense
review report, the MSRC can take the opinion of another expert to reach
a decision. In case of a positive report from the expert, the defense is
25
 arranged. In the other case, the student is awarded an “F” grade in Thesis/
Project 2 and would be allowed to register in Thesis/ Project 2 in the next
semester (to be determined by the MSRC);
• In case of a conflicting scenario, MSRC will constitute a three-member
Conflict Resolution Committee (excluding internal examiner and
supervisor) headed by the HoD.

7. Plagiarism

A thesis/ project report is checked for plagiarism using Turnitin software. No

amount of verbatim copying is allowed in the report unless the copied text is
referenced and placed in quotation marks. Any text that is copied from any other
source, regardless of it being referenced, is considered plagiarism. The
maximum tolerable level of similarity index calculated using the software is less
or equal to 19% (excluding bibliography and template pages) and not more than
5% from any single source. In case of plagiarism, the MSRC evaluates the
severity of the issue. If the case is determined by MSRC to be a minor issue, the
student may be asked to revise the report to resolve the issue. If the case is
determined by MSRC to be a major issue, the case will be handled as per the
University policy.

8. Conflict of Interest
Any conflict of interest on the part of the HoD, any member of MSRC, member
of graduate faculty, supervisor, or examiner must be declared. Following are
some of the cases in which conflict of interest must be declared and avoided:
- In case an MS student is a relative of a faculty member, the faculty
26
 member cannot act as a supervisor, examiner, and cannot be part of any
meeting that is evaluating or making any decision for the evaluation of
the student. Such a conflict of interest must be declared to the HoD and
MSRC;
- In case an MS student is an acquaintance of a faculty member, the
conflict of interest must be publicly declared. The HoD, and MSRC may
request the faculty member to refrain from acting as an examiner,
supervisor, or panel member;
- If a proposed external examiner has a paper co-authored with the student
related to his/her MS thesis/ project, this should be considered as a
conflict of interest and the examiner should not be allowed.

9. Graduate Thesis/ Project Process Improvement

1. The thesis/ project process outlined in the handbook is drafted based on

the various experiences at the Islamabad Campus of NUCES-FAST. The
process needs to be continuously improved and adapted according to the
resources available, the maturity of the program, and new experiences.
2. Since the thesis/ project process affects most of the graduate faculty,
special care needs to be taken to ensure that processes are improved with
consultation and agreement of the majority of the Ph.D. faculty.

27
 APPENDIX A

<Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

MS Thesis/ Project 1 Registration Form

Part A - To be filled by the student

Roll No: ___________ Name: ______________________________ CGPA: _______________

E-mail: ________________________ Mobile #: ________________ Semester: _____________
Registration:  Thesis  Project Program Name:______________________________
Thesis/Project Title*: ___________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

MS Thesis or Project Potential Areas – Write down the most closely related area(s)*

I have attached the thesis 1-page proposal abstract with the form.
I hereby declare that I will be in touch with my supervisor during the thesis/project. Moreover, I will
do my sincere efforts in completing all the milestones set and advised by my supervisor.

Date:__________________ Signature of Student:_________________________________

Part B - To be filled by the supervisor

I agree to supervise this student.

The proposed idea is suitable for MS Thesis/ Project.

Supervisor Name: _________________________ Date: _______________Signature: ______________

Part C – For official use

Signature: __________________________ Signature: _________________________________
Head MSRC HoD

Registration Date: ____________ Academic Officer: __________________________

i
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

MS Thesis/ Project 2 Registration Form

Thesis / Project 2
(Please encircle the appropriate option)

Roll No: __________ Name: ____________________________ E-mail: ______________________

Mobile #: _________________ CGPA: ______ Credits Earned: _____ Date: ____________

Registration:  Thesis  Project Program Name:_________________

Grade of Thesis/Project 1: ___________, Thesis/Project-1 Qualification Semester: ____ __________

Proposed Plan for Thesis/Project-2

Tentative
Sr. # Task Title Goal/ Objective
Completion Date

Declaration: I hereby declare that I will be in touch with my supervisor during the research /
development phase. Moreover, I will do my sincere efforts in completing all the milestones set and
advised by my supervisor.
Date:____________________ Signature of Student: ______________________________

Remarks by supervisor (if any):

________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

Name and Signature of Supervisor: __________________________________________________

For official use

Remarks from MSRC:

______________________________________________________________________________________

Signature (Head, MSRC): _______________________

Signature (HoD): _________________________

Registration Date: ___, Signature of the Academic Officer: _____________________

ii
 APPENDIX B

Thesis/ Project Title Change Form

Roll No: _____________ Name: _________________________ E-mail: ____________________

Degree Program: ___________________, Current MS Enrolment (1 or 2): ______________

Current Title:
_____________________________________________________________________________

New Title:
_____________________________________________________________________________

Reason or Justification:
_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________ ________________
Date Student’s Signature

Endorsement and Signatures (To be filled by the Supervisor)

Estimated change in the contents due to the title change (percentage): _____________

Comments by the Supervisor:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

_______________ _________________ __________

Name Signature (Supervisor) Date

Comments by the MSRC Head:

______________________________________________________________________________

_______________ _________________ __________

Program Name Head (MSRC) Date

iii
 Thesis/ Project Supervisor Change Form

Roll No: __________ Student Name: ___________________________, Program Name:_____________

Thesis Title: __________________________________________________________________________

Current MS Enrollment (1 or 2): ______________, Intended to Register (1 or 2): ___________

Intellectual Property Clause (in case of change of primary supervisor)

Idea Proposed by: □ Supervisor □ Student

Supervisor allows the student to continue his/her research on the same topic?
(Only applicable if the supervisor proposed idea)

□ Allowed □ Not Allowed (In this case student has to sign the following affidavit)

If the initiator of the change of supervisor request is the student and the supervisor proposed the idea, the student has to sign
the following affidavit and he/she will be registered in Thesis 1.

I ______________ surrender all the work done till the date _____________ under the supervision of
________________________.

My current supervisor _____________________ will be the sole owner of the intellectual property of this work and can use
this work as he sees fit.

Remarks by Initiator (Supervisor/Student):

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
______________ _____________________ _______________________
Date Initiator’s Name Initiator’s Signature
Adding a Supervisor:
Position Name Designation Department Start Date
Supervisor
Co-Supervisor
Deleting a Supervisor:
Position Name Designation Department Start Date
Supervisor
Co-Supervisor

Remarks by Head, MSRC:

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Decision: Approved / Not Approved

Date: ___________, Signature (Head, MSRC): _________________________________

Date: ___________, Signature (Head of the Department): _________________________________

iv
 APPENDIX C
(Thesis/ Project Evaluation Forms)

<Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project 1 - Proposal Approval Form

S. No. Question / Comment Decision Marks

1 The student has effectively presented what he/she wants to do. Yes /No /Partially 1—10
2 The student was clear about the idea of why he/she wants to do it? Yes /No /Partially 1—10
3 Decision:
(a) Accept
(b) Accept (with minor changes)
(c) Accept (with major changes)

Comments/Suggestions (Optional)

v
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project 1 (Midterm) - Evaluation Form

S. No. Question / Comment Scale

1 The student was regular in the meetings and consistently working during the semester. 1—10
2 Are you satisfied with the student's work progress? 1—10
3 The student has sufficient background knowledge and is well aware of the motivation of the 1—10
research/ project.
4 The student has done a satisfactory literature review/ analysis of related work. 1—10

Overall Comments/Suggestions (Compulsory)

vi
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project 1 (Final) - Presentation Evaluation Form

S. No. Question / Comment Scale

1 The topic introduction was comprehensive. 1—10
2 The student has presented sufficient literature review/ analysis of related work and has a solid 1—10
knowledge of state-of-the-art.
3 The identified gap was well established and the research questions/ project objectives were 1—10
concrete and focused.
4 The proposed approach was technically sound and presented well. 1—10
5 The presentation quality was adequate and the student handled questions well. 1—10

Overall Comments/Suggestions (Compulsory)

vii
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project 1 (Final) - Report Evaluation Form

Section Question / Comment Scale

The student was regular in the meetings and consistently working during the semester. 1—10
To be filled by
Supervisor only Are you satisfied with the student's work progress? 1—10

Abstract Does the abstract highlight the main contributions of the work? 1—5

Does the introduction clearly describe the background of the domain, motivation, and 1—10
Introduction contributions of the study?

Literature Is the literature review complete and sufficient? 1—10

Review Has the related work comparison been provided? 1—10
Research Gap Is the research gap and problem statement clearly defined in context with the literature? 1—10
and Problem
Statement Are the objectives and research questions/ project objectives concrete and focused? 1—10
Is the contribution of the proposed approach/methodology technically sound? 1—5
Proposed
Solution /
Does the student provide the detail about the solution (using a flowchart, algorithm, 1—5
Methodology system model, etc.)?
Timeline Is the thesis/ project timeline appropriate? 1—5
Is the language of the document correct and according to acceptable international 1—5
Report Quality standards for a graduate thesis?
Are the images, tables, and listings visible and readable? 1—5

Overall Comments (Compulsory)

viii
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project 2 (Midterm) - Evaluation Form

S. No. Question / Comment Scale

1 The student was regular in the meetings and consistently working during the semester. 1—10
2 Are you satisfied with the student's work progress? 1—10
3 The student has completed the implementation of the proposed scheme/methodology. 1—10
4 The student is well aware of the evaluation plan of the proposed scheme. 1—10

Overall Comments/Suggestions (Compulsory)

ix
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project Pre-Defense Review Form

Title
Student’s Name
Supervisor’s Name
Examiner’s Name
Due Date

Supervisor’s/ Examiner’s Signature: ______________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________________________________

S. # Aspect Please encircle the appropriate

choice
1 Is the title appropriate for the thesis/ project? Yes No Unsure
If not, then please suggest a suitable alternate

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

2 Is the abstract clear and concise and highlight the main contributions Yes No Unsure
Please provide detailed comments

Comments:
___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Does the Introduction clearly describe the motivation and research

3 Yes No Unsure
contributions/ project objectives?
Please provide detailed comments with specifics such as references the student needs to lookup

Comments:_________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Does the literature review clearly identify the research gap and highlights the
4 Yes No Unsure
differences with the thesis/ project
Please identify any problem areas

Comments:___________________ ______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________

x
 ____________________________________________________________________

Does the research content contain enough scientific rigor for a graduate level
5 Yes No Unsure
thesis/ project?
Please provide the necessary comments

Comments:__________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

6 Is the evaluation of the work technically sound? Yes No Unsure

Please suggest additional references, that you are aware of, to the student

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

7 Is the overall organization of the thesis/ project satisfactory? Yes No Unsure

Please suggest desired changes

Comments:__________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

8 Is the English (spelling, grammar, usage) satisfactory? Yes No Unsure

Please give specific recommendations

Comments:__________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

Comments for the student and supervisor

xi
Comments for the MS Research Committee (not to be shared with supervisor or student)

Please specify (tick) one of the following:

Recommended for Defense

Recommended for Defense after major revisions

Needs significant work and/or changes (CN)

Not recommended for Defense (F)

xii
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project - Review Response Templates

Dear MSRC, <Program Name>

I would like to forward my sincere thanks to my supervisor (<Name of Supervisor>) and examiners
(<Examiner-1> and <Examiner-2>) for the detailed and valuable suggestions, which had significantly
contributed to the improvements in the <thesis/ project> report.

I have carefully revised the thesis/ project and provided the relevant responses to the concerns raised by
the supervisor and examiners. I am also grateful to the MSRC <Program Name> for facilitating the MS
thesis/ project examinations. I declare that this thesis/ project report is my original work and the contents
presented in the thesis/ project have not been published, except for the cited information.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

<Student Name & Reg. No.> <Signature>

Thesis or Project Title: < Title>
Supervisor: <Supervisor Name> <Signature>

Sample Comments and Responses

Comment No. 01:
In the subsection System architecture of FusionCL, you have described the global architecture in few paragraphs. I suggest
including an algorithm rather than a discussion to describe the solution formally.

Response No. 01:

We agree with this very useful suggestion of the examiners that will enhance the quality of the thesis. In the revised thesis
report, we have now described the solution formally. In this regard, a new section named Kernel Fusion Algorithm has been
added (Section 3.4, Page 23) in the revised thesis report.

Comment No. 02:

Machine learning algorithms are time-consuming, so you have to evaluate this aspect.
Response No. 02:
We agree with the examiners’ observation that machine learning algorithms are time-consuming. We have now included
the training and testing time-related data of the employed machine learning algorithms in Section 5.2 of the revised thesis
report (see Table 3, Page 39).

xiii
 <Degree Program>
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <Campus>

Thesis/ Project - II Defense (Final) - Evaluation Form

Roll No: ______________Student’s Name: ____________________________________________

Title: ______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Defense Date: ____________________

Accepted with No or Accepted with Major Not Accepted

Minor Modifications Modifications

A+ 90 - 100
Marks Awarded:
A 86 - 89
A- 82 - 85
B+ 78 - 81
B 74 - 77
B- 70 - 73
C+ 66 - 69
C 62 - 65
Suggestions/ Modifications and Comments F < = 61

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Examiner Supervisor

_________________________ _______________________________ ____________________

Examiner Organization Signature

xiv
 APPENDIX D

Thesis/ Project 1 - Report Contents

The Thesis/ Project 1 report consists of the following contents:

Abstract
1. Introduction & Motivation
2. Literature Review
2.1 Research Gap
2.2 Problem Statement
2.3 Research Objectives / Research Questions/ Project Objectives
3. Proposed Approach / Solution / Research Methodology
3.1 System Architecture/ Flowchart, etc.
4. Timeline
5. References

xv
 Thesis/ Project 2- Report Contents

Project 2

The Project 2 report can differ based on the nature of the project. However, all project 2 reports must contain the
following headings:

I. Abstract (Key idea)

II. Introduction (What is the project? Why is the project being undertaken? What are the benefits?)
III. Background and related work (Brief description of similar projects)
IV. Methodology
i Tools and platform to be used and their relevant to the project.
ii Software Project Management Plan and Process Model
iii Software development process should be documented in the following chapters:
a. Software Requirements Specifications (SRS)
b. Software Design Description (SDD)
c. Software Test Documentation (STD)
V. Software Application
i Important screen shots with brief explanation
ii Key algorithms (code + explanations)
VI. Conclusion and Future Work
VII. Bibliography (References)
VIII. Appendices

Thesis 2

The Board of Advanced Studies and Research has approved that the Introduction chapter must contain Sections
(or sub-sections as applicable), on Problem Statement, Background and Context, Research Methodology,
Dissertation Contributions, and structure of the thesis. The review of literature should be a separate chapter as is
the norm and should not be squeezed with an introduction.

The Board has also approved that the conclusion chapter should also list the Dissertation Contributions with a
reference to the relevant sections and chapters to prove that the contributions have been able to successfully
achieve the stated objectives. Moreover, each chapter should start with an Introduction section – outlining the
summary of the chapter– and each chapter should also finish with a Summary section that summarizes the
contributions of the chapter.

The format for MS thesis which is internationally followed shall be as under:

i Abstract
ii Introduction
iii Literature Review
iv Research Methodology* (* optional)
v Proposed Work
vi Results and Discussion* (*can include evaluation, validation, and implementation details)
vii Conclusions & Future work (short summary and detailed contribution)
viii Bibliography (references)
ix Appendices

xvi
All MS theses/ projects should comply with the following guidelines.

1. Preparation of Manuscript and Copies

1.1 The thesis needs to be prepared using a standard text processing software and must be printed in black
text (color for images, if necessary) using a laser printer. The standard font shall be Times New Roman
12 pts with 1 line spacing.
1.2 The thesis must be printed or photocopied on both sides of a white paper to meet our Green Environment
obligations. All copies of thesis pages must be clear, sharp, and even, with uniform size and uniformly
spaced characters, lines, and margins on every page.
1.3 The thesis should be free from typographical errors.
1.4 Three copies of the good quality paper (minimum 70 gm) are submitted.

2. The title page shall contain the following details:

2.1 The full title of thesis in 24 pt font size properly centered.
2.2 Full name of the candidate in 21 pt font size properly centered.
2.3 Name of degree in 21 pt font size properly centered.
2.4 “A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
([Program name e.g., Computer Science]) at the National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences”
2.5 A replica of the University Monogram.
2.6 Name of the Department in 17 pt font size properly centered.
2.7 Name of the University in 17 pt font size properly centered.
2.8 Year of submission in 17 pt font size properly centered.

3. The front page of hard binding shall contain the following details:
3.1 Full title of thesis in 24 pt font size properly centered.
3.2 Full name of the candidate in 21 pt font size properly centered.
3.3 Name of degree in 21 pt font size properly centered.
3.4 “A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science
([Program Name]) at the National University of Computer & Emerging Sciences”
3.5 A replica of the University Monogram.
3.6 Name of the Department in 17 pt font size properly centered.
3.7 Name of the University in 17 pt font size properly centered.
3.8 Year of submission in 17 pt font size properly centered.

4. Plagiarism Undertaking
4.1 Undertaking by the student to indicate that this is his/her own work and he/she has not plagiarized it.
The template of this page is attached at the end of this appendix.

5. Author’s Declaration
5.1 Declaration by the student to indicate that this is his/her own work and he/she has not presented it for
any other degree in any part of the world. The template of this page is attached at the end of this appendix.

6. Certificate of Approval
6.1 Approval of the examination committee. The template of this page is attached at the end of this appendix.

7. Abstract
7.1 An abstract of 500 words (maximum) shall highlight the important features of the thesis. It is to be a
brief description of a scholar’s work and should be organized in the following order (without the explicit
use of these headings):
I. Statement of the Problem
II. Procedure and/or Methods
xvii
 III. Results
IV. Conclusions

8. Acknowledgments [Optional]
8.1 The acknowledgments should not be more than one page.

9. Contents
9.1 The contents shall follow the Abstract or Dedication or Acknowledgment whichever is the last one. It
shall enlist the chapter number, titles of the chapters, section, and sub-section using decimal notation, as
in the text, with corresponding page number against them, placed to the right.
9.2 After the Contents, List of Figures (if applicable) should start on a separate page.
9.3 After the list of Figures, List of Tables (if applicable) should start on a separate page.
9.4 After the list of Tables, List of Algorithms (if applicable) should start on a separate page.

10. Abbreviation Notation and Nomenclature

10.1 A complete list of all abbreviations, notations, and nomenclature including Greek alphabets with
subscripts and superscripts shall be provided after the list of algorithms. (As far as possible, generally
accepted symbols and notation should be used.)

11. Size of Paper and Margins

11.1 A4 size white paper of 70 gm or more (height 297 mm, width 210 mm) be used, no restriction is placed
on drawings and maps.
11.2 The top and bottom margins should be 25 mm, whereas the left margin should be 35 mm for odd page
numbers and 25 mm for even page numbers; similarly, the right margin should be 35 mm for even page
numbers and 25 mm for odd page numbers (Additional margin of 10 mm is to cater for gutter margin
that may be utilized for binding.) for both textual and non-textual (e.g., figures, tables) pages.
11.3 Content should not extend beyond the bottom margin except for completing a footnote, last line of
chapter/subdivision, or figure/table caption.
11.4 A sub-head at the bottom of the page should have at least two full lines of content below it. If the sub-
head is too short to allow this, it should begin on the next page.
11.5 All tables and figures should conform to the same requirements as text. Color may be used for figures.

If tables and figures are large, they may be reduced to the standard size (provided the reduced area is not less
than 50% of the original) and /or folded just once to flush with the thesis margin (if the page size does not exceed
250x360 mm).

12. Pagination
12.1 Beginning with the first page of the text in the thesis (Chapter 1), all pages should be numbered
consecutively and consistently in Arabic numerals through the appendices. The subsequent chapters shall
begin on a fresh page and page numbers, at the first page, shall be printed at the bottom center.
12.2 Page numbers prior to Chapter 1 should be in lower case Roman numerals. The page numbers should be
displayed from table of contents onwards. All the pages prior to starting page of the table of contents
have to be counted in numbering; however, the page number should not be displayed on them. The title
page should not to be included in the counting of pages.
12.3 All page numbers should be placed without punctuation at the bottom center. Page numbers should also
use Times New Roman 12 pts.
12.4 All pages – except the first page of the chapter – may have the section headings on the top right of the
odd page and the chapter title on the top left corner of the even page as a header. The header should be
underlined. The text in the heading should be in Times New Roman 10 pts. These features are optional
and may be omitted.
xviii
13. Chapter Format
13.1 Each chapter shall begin on a fresh page with an additional top margin of about 65 mm. Chapter number
and title shall be left-justified with 25 pt font size for chapter title and 17 pt. for chapter number in title
face by making the first letter capital of every word other than prepositions. A vertical gap of about 1
line (at 25 pt font size) shall be left between the chapter and chapter title lines and 2 lines between the
chapter title line and the first paragraph. The chapter should start with an Introduction Section except
for the first chapter (Introduction) and end with a “Summary” Section that should summarize the
contributions of the chapter.

14. Tables, Figures, Equations, and Quotations

14.1 A table generally refers to numerical data or textual information presented in a column format.
14.2 All graphs, charts, line drawings, maps, photographs, or other graphical representations are considered
as figures.
14.3 All tables (tabulated data) and figures (charts, graphs, maps, images, diagrams, etc.) should be prepared,
wherever possible, on the same paper used to type the text and conform to the specifications. They
should be inserted as close to the textual reference as possible and should appear after the textual
dereference.
14.4 Tables, figures, and equations should be numbered sequentially either throughout the thesis or chapter-
wise using Arabic numerals. They are referred to in the body of the text capitalizing the first letter of
the word and number, for instance, Table 17, Figure 24, Equation (33), or Table 5.3, Figure 3.11,
Equation (4.16), etc.
14.5 All titles of figures and tables should be on the same page as the figure or table and should be labeled
appropriately. The legend should be placed beneath the figure and above the table.
14.6 Tables should be inserted in the appropriate place in the text; however, if a group of tables relating to
one topic is more than 4 consecutive pages then the table group should appear as an appendix.
14.7 Diagrams, maps, tables, etc. exceeding A4 size (8.5 inches x 11 inches or 21.5 cm x 28 cm) should be
folded to read as a right-hand page when opened.
14.8 Images, Photographs, etc. must be scanned in resolution exceeding 200dpi with 256 grayscales for the
monochrome images and 24 bit per pixel for the color images.
14.9 Any quotations presenting primary data (e.g. based on interviews and focus group discussions) should
be typed in Times New Roman 12 pts italic. All such quotations should start on a separate line and be
indented 0.5 inches on each side so that they appear distinct from the text. No quotation marks should
be used. However, a quotation that is less than 10 words long may be included within a paragraph, in
which case quotation marks should be used; the font size to be used should remain Times New Roman12
pts italic.
14.10 A figure or table may be included with the text, or if it is larger than 4 inches long it may appear on a
separate page with no text. If a table or figure will not fit on the page of the first mention move it to the
top of the next page and fill in the text page that will normally come after the figure or table.
14.11 Leave 2 double line spaces between the text and the figure table. If a caption is longer than a line it
should be single-spaced.
14.12 Special requirement for tables: Left align table title above the table. Table captions or descriptions
should be left-aligned under the table.
14.13 The standard font of Times New Roman 12 pts should be used in tables, where possible. However, in
case a thesis has many large tables, the font size may be reduced to Times New Roman 8 or 10 pts
depending on the size of the table.

15. Font Size

14.1 Title of Chapter 25

14.2 Level 1 / Level 2 / Level 3 headings 17 / 14 /12
14.3 Text 12
14.4 Footnotes 10

xix
16. Footnotes
16.1 There are two types of footnotes: “reference” and “content”. Reference footnotes refer to the source from
which the information has been taken; content footnotes make incidental comments, amplify, or make
acknowledgments. You must place content footnotes at the bottom of the page they refer to, regardless of
whether the regular or scientific format is used.

17. Length of Thesis

17.1 It is recommended that work presented as MS thesis, the allowed size is in between 40-150 pages (counting
from the first page of Introduction up to the last page of conclusion).

18. The layout of the Thesis

a. Title Page
b. Author Declaration
c. Plagiarism Undertaking
d. Abstract / Summary
e. Dedication
f. Acknowledgments
g. Contents
h. List of Figures (where applicable)
i. List of Tables (where applicable)
j. List of Algorithms (where applicable)
k. Abbreviations, Symbols, and Nomenclature
l. Introduction Chapter (Set the scene and problem statement). This chapter should clearly define the
problem statement and its motivation. Afterward, it should also outline a summary of the novel
contributions of the thesis and their impact on the field
m. Review of the literature/related work and critical assessment, relation to own work. This must be a
separate chapter irrespective of its length.
n. Methodology (Materials and methods), Results and discussion (analysis, design, implementation, and
interpretation of results
o. Conclusions (summary and detailed contribution)
p. Recommendations for future work
q. Bibliography (references)
r. Appendices (where applicable).

19. Bibliography and References

19.1 References should be placed at the end of the last chapter and written on a separate sheet. The IEEE Style
has been approved by the BASR for standard citation in Computer Science and Engineering and referencing
purpose for reports and theses as at Annex A.

20. Appendices (if applicable)

20.1 Published work from the thesis might be included as an appendix (Reprints/ proof/ preprint) or any other
information specific to the respective discipline. All appendices should have the appendix heading on top
of the page as a header. This text should be right justified and in Times New Roman 12 pts bold.
20.2 There should be a reference to each appendix in the main body of the thesis.

21. Binding
21.1 The final thesis and published work presented for higher degrees must be bound at the expense of the scholar
in a permanent form or in a temporary (hard binding will be provided after the defense of the thesis) where
printed pamphlets or off-prints are submitted in support of a thesis, they must be bound in with the thesis or
bound in such manner as Binderies may advise. To meet our obligations regarding Green Environment, the

xx
 thesis pages should be printed (or photocopied) on both sides of a paper.
21.2 The front cover should be the same outlined in Heading 2. The color of binding for different degrees in the
Science subjects and Social Sciences is as follows:

MS Green

21.3 Spine of the thesis should be a simple imprint of the front cover mentioned in Section 2.

References:
(As per IEEE format)

xxi
 APPENDIX E

Plagiarism Undertaking

I take full responsibility for the research work conducted during the MS Thesis titled <THESIS NAME>. I
solemnly declare that the research work presented in the thesis is done solely by me with no significant help
from any other person; however, small help wherever taken is duly acknowledged. I have also written the
complete thesis by myself. Moreover, I have not presented this thesis (or substantially similar research work) or
any part of the thesis previously to any other degree-awarding institution within Pakistan or abroad.

I understand that the management of National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences has a zero-
tolerance policy towards plagiarism. Therefore, I as an author of the above-mentioned thesis, solemnly declare
that no portion of my thesis has been plagiarized and any material used in the thesis from other sources is
properly referenced. Moreover, the thesis does not contain any literal citing of more than 70 words (total) even
by giving a reference unless I have the written permission of the publisher to do so. Furthermore, the work
presented in the thesis is my original work and I have positively cited the related work of the other researchers
by clearly differentiating my work from their relevant work.

I further understand that if I am found guilty of any form of plagiarism in my thesis work even after my
graduation, the University reserves the right to revoke my MS degree. Moreover, the University will also have
the right to publish my name on its website that keeps a record of the students who plagiarized in their thesis
work.

<CANDIDATE NAME & SIGNATURE>

Date:
 Author’s Declaration

I, <CANDIDATE NAME>, hereby state that my MS thesis titled <THESIS TITLE> is my work and it has not
been previously submitted by me for taking partial or full credit for the award of any degree at this University or
anywhere else in the world. If my statement is found to be incorrect, at any time even after my graduation, the
University has the right to revoke my MS degree.

<CANDIDATE NAME & SIGNATURE>

Date:
 Certificate of Approval

It is certified that the research work presented in this thesis, entitled “ <<Title>> ” was conducted by
<<Student>> under the supervision of
<<Supervisor>>
No part of this thesis has been submitted anywhere else for any other degree.
This project is submitted to the <Department> in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Science in “<<program>>”
at the
National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences
Islamabad, PAKISTAN
<<Date>>

Candidate Name: Signature: ______________________

Examination Committee:

a) Name: <<External>> Signature: ______________________

Designation, University,

b) Name: <<Internal>> Signature: ______________________

Designation, University

Supervisor:

c) Name: <<Supervisor>> Signature: ______________________

Designation

________________________________________________________________

Head of the Department <Department>, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, <<Campus Name>>