Annex A

Guidelines on Documentation and Submission of

Dissertations

1. Introduction

A dissertation is an essay advancing a new point of view resulting from research as a requirement for a
Masters or other advanced academic degree. A thesis is a dissertation advancing an original point of view
as a result of research, as a requirement for an MPhil or a PhD degree.

All postgraduate students at the Kotelawala Defence University should follow the under mentioned
instructions before preparation of their higher degree theses and dissertations. The final copies of the
theses/dissertations will not be accepted if the students have not prepared the theses/dissertations
according to these guidelines.

2. Common Instructions

01. No of Copies

Student must submit Three (03) printed copies1 and Three (03) soft copies in CD/DVD format of
the theses to the Director of Postgraduate Studies for PhD, MSc. & Mphil. Students and
dissertations to the Head of the Department for Taught Courses.

02. Page Format

2.1. General Instructions: International A4 white paper of good quality (80 gsm) should be
used. Other paper may be used if required (e.g.: for maps) on the instructions of the
supervisor.
2.2 Draft: The draft to be submitted to the examiners should be word processed and single
sided. One and a half line spacing is required, except for the abstract, tables and indented
quotations where single line spacing may be used.
2.3 Final Submission: Final submission should be word processed and single sided. One and
a half line spacing is required, except for the abstract, tables and indented quotations
where single line spacing may be used.

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If required additional copies by relevant departments

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2.4. Fonts: A conventional font type must be used and text should be in Times New Roman.

• Chapter heading : All Capital—14 Font size, Bold

• Section heading : Title case-12 Font size, Bold
• Sub-section heading : Sentence case-12 Font size, Bold
• Body text : Sentence case - 12 Font size
• Tables and Illustrations : Font size may be varied while maintaining
legibility

2.5. Margins of 40 mm on left & bottom and 25 mm on top & right should be used (Refer
Appendix I).

03. Pagination

Each page should have page numbers except the “Title” page. Lower case Roman numerals
should be assigned centered at the bottom of the page to all “preliminary pages” (Refer Appendix
II; i - ix in content page). Pagination of the body text and appendices is to be in Arabic numerals
centered at the right bottom of the page. The pagination begins with the first page of the first
chapter and continues throughout the rest of the text.

04. Tables and Illustrations

Tables are grids consisting of columns and rows that present numerical or verbal facts by
categories. Figures include charts, graphs, diagrams, photographs, maps, musical examples,
drawings and other images. All these types of nontextural material are collectively referred to as
illustrations. All tables and figures must be referred to in the text by number (not by a phrase
such as "the following table"). Charts, graphs, maps, and tables that are larger than the standard
page should be attached as Appendices. Tables and illustrations should be centered (See figure 1
and table 1).

120%

96%
100%

80%
Percentages (%)

69%

60%
47% 45%

40% 32% 29%

22%
16%
20% 12% 10%
7%
3% 4% 5% 2%
1%
0%
Academics Postgraduates Undergraduates ITUM Students

User Groups

Never 1 Year or Less 1 - 2 Year 3 - 4 Year 5 Years or More

Figure 1: The Internet experience of the participants

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Source: (if any)

Table 1: Kruskal-Wallis Test results for the Internet experience vs. user category

User Category N Median Ave Rank Z

Academics 73 5.000 233.5 6.90
Postgraduates 87 5.000 189.9 2.78
Undergraduates 139 4.000 130.1 -5.75
ITUM Students 31 4.000 95.5 -4.29
Overall 330 165.5
Source: (if any)

05. Photographs

High-quality coloured or black-and-white photographs or reprints with sufficient clarity may be

incorporated. Photographs with glossy finish and dark backgrounds should be avoided where
possible. State 'Original in Colour’ in the title where colour is used.

06. Additional Materials

Additional materials if any (Eg: software, audio, video etc.), could be enclosed in a CD/DVD as an
Appendix. These CDs/DVDs must be submitted in a pocket pasted inside back cover. Both CD
label and the pocket should carry the following information: Name, Title of submission with
Appendix number, Date of submission (example: May 2012), Degree and Department (example:
M.Sc. in Geotechnical Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering).

07. Binding

7.1. Cover Page

See the Appendix - I for the format of the cover page. Lettering on Cover should be in GOLD.

7.2. Draft
The draft to be submitted to the examiners should be soft bound and the number of copies should
be as specified by the department.

7.3. Final Submission

The final corrected copy of the thesis/dissertation must be free from typographical, grammatical
and other errors when submitted. After making the alterations mentioned by the examiners,
three (03) copies of the thesis/dissertation should be hardbound.

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3. Components

1. A thesis/dissertation should contain the following parts in the given order.

1.1. Cover
1.2. Title page
1.3. Declaration page of the candidate & supervisor
1.4. Abstract
1.5. Dedication (if any)
1.6. Acknowledgements
1.7. Table of contents
1.8. List of figures (if any)
1.9. List of tables (if any)
1.10. List of abbreviations (if any)
1.11. The body of the thesis/dissertation
1.12. Reference list
1.13. Bibliography (if any)
1.14. Appendices (if any)

1.1. Cover

A sample cover page is available in Appendix I.

1.2 Title Page

First page should be the title page (see Appendix – III). It should contain;

 The title & sub title of the thesis/dissertation

 Candidate’s full name
 University registration number
 Official name of the degree to which the thesis/dissertation is submitted
 Official name of the department of the university
 The month and year of submission

1.3. Declaration, copyright statement and the statement of the supervisor

The following declaration should be made by the candidate following the signature and the date.
A candidate, after a discussion with the supervisor/s can request an embargo for a particular
thesis/dissertation for a given work for a given time or indefinitely. Such an embargo may
override the statement made in the thesis/dissertation itself.

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“I declare that this is my own work and this thesis/dissertation 2 does not incorporate without
acknowledgement any material previously submitted for a Degree or Diploma in any other
University or institute of higher learning and to the best of my knowledge and belief it does not
contain any material previously published or written by another person except where the
acknowledgement is made in the text.

Also, I hereby grant to KDU the non-exclusive right to reproduce and distribute my
thesis/dissertation, in whole or in part in print, electronic or other medium. I retain the right to
use this content in whole or part in future works (such as articles or books).

Signature: Date:

The supervisor/s should certify the thesis/dissertation with the following declaration.

The above candidate has carried out research for the Masters/MPhil/PhD thesis/
Dissertation under my supervision. 

Signature of the supervisor: Date

1.4. Abstract

Every copy of the thesis/dissertation must have an abstract. Abstracts must provide a brief
introduction to the subject in addition to the concise summary of methodology, tests, results,
conclusions and recommendations (300 words or less).

It should also accompany a list of keywords (3-5), which could improve the accessibility of the
thesis/dissertation in an online environment.

Abstract Title : Title case/Times New Roman 12 point Bold (If use other fonts,
change the size appropriately)
Text : Times New Roman 11 point Light.
Spacing : Single line

1.5. Dedication
May be included if desired.

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Remove inappropriate term

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1.6. Acknowledgement

In the acknowledgement section, the student is required to declare the extent of assistance which
has been given by his/her faculty/department staff, fellow students & external bodies or others
in the collection of materials and data, the design & construction of apparatus, the analysis of
data and preparation of the thesis/dissertation. If the research was sponsored, it is necessary to
mention the name of the funding organization and other details (if any). In addition, it is
appropriate to highlight the supervision and advice given by the thesis/dissertation supervisor.

1.7. Table of contents (see Appendix - II)

All the main chapters and subsections of each chapter must be included in the table of contents
with their page numbers. The page numbers of abstracts, acknowledgement and others which
come first in the thesis/dissertation should also be included. Also, if there are any appendices
and other addenda, should be included in the table of contents.

1.8. List of figures (see Appendix – IV)

If the thesis/dissertation contains any figures then separate list should be prepared including the
name of the object and the page number. The chapter number should be included in defining the
number of figures.

1.9. List of tables (see Appendix – V)

If the thesis/dissertation contains any tables then separate list should be prepared including the
name of the object and the page number. The chapter number should be included in defining the
number of tables.

1.10. List of abbreviations (see Appendix – VI)

Abbreviations must follow the International standards. When an abbreviation is used in first
time, it must be explained in the text. A separate list should be prepared for all abbreviations
used in thesis/dissertation with their full meaning. The abbreviations in the list should be
arranged according to the alphabetical order.

1.11. The body of the thesis/dissertation

The thesis/dissertation should be started from an introduction and the last part of the
thesis/dissertation should include the conclusions and recommendations. All the chapters of
thesis/dissertation should have title and a chapter number. Any new chapter should be started
from a new page.

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1.12. Reference list

A reference list3 is the list of all books, articles, and other source of materials, which were
referred and should be listed according to the international referencing method adopted. APA
Style and IEEE Style are recommended.

Each reference entry should be single-spaced with double spacing between entries.

The ‘Reference list’ does not contain a chapter number.

1.13. Bibliography (if any)

1.14. Appendices (see Appendix – VII)

Supplementary material could be included as Appendices rather than in the main text. For
example, Appendices may contain questionnaires, detailed descriptions on apparatus, extensive
tables of raw data, computer programs, etc. All appendices must have page numbers written in
the same typeface and size used for pagination throughout. If appendices contain photocopied
material, the photocopies should be of letter quality.

3
Necessarily the items referred to inside the body text of the thesis/dissertation.

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 25 mm Annex A 25 mm

[Appendix – I: Cover page] 25 mm

40 mm

LIGHTING PERFORMANCE OF SRI LANKAN TRANSMISSION

LINES: A CASE STUDY
(All Capital – Bold - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Space - Centered)

(6 Lines: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Sujith Perera (Title Case – 14 Font Size - Centered)

(1 Line: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

(MT3456) (Title Case – 14 Font Size - Centered)

(3 Lines: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Degree of Master of Science (Title Case – 14 Font Size - Centered)

(3 Lines: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering (Title Case –

14 Font Size - Centered)
(1 Line: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)
(9.0 inches from top)

Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (Title Case – 14 Font(9.0

Size)inches from top)

Sri Lanka

(2 Line: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

40 mm

40 mm 20 mm 20 mm 25 mm
 Annex A

April 2009 (Title Case – 14 Font Size - Centered)

25 mm
[Appendix – II: Content Page]
40 mm

TABLE OF CONTENTS 40 mm

Declaration of the candidate & Supervisor i

Dedication ii
Acknowledgements iii
Abstract iv
Table of content v
List of Figures vi
List of Tables vii
List of abbreviations viii
List of Appendices ix
1. Introduction 1
1.1 Section 1
1.2 Section 2
1.2.1 Sub Section 2
1.2.2 Sub Section 10
2. Title of the Chapter 17
3. Title of the Chapter 35
4. Title of the Chapter 57
5. Title of the Chapter 90
6. Conclusions and Recommendations 110
Reference List 125
Bibliography
Appendix A: Title 130
Appendix B: Title 132

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 25 mm Annex A 25 mm

40 mm 25 mm
[Appendix – III: Title page]

LIGHTING PERFORMANCE OF SRI LANKAN TRANSMISSION

LINES: A CASE STUDY
(All Capital – Bold - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Space - Centered)

(6 Lines: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Sujith Kumara (Title Case – 14 Font Size - Centered)

(1 Line: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

(MT3456) (Title Case – 14 Font Size - Centered)

(3 Lines: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Thesis/Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree

Master of Science (Title Case – 12 Font Size – 1.5 Space - Centered)

(3 Lines: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering (Title Case –

14 Font Size - Centered)

(1 Line: Times New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)

Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (Title Case – 14 Font

Size - Centered)

Sri Lanka
10

40 mm 20 mm 20 mm 25 mm
 Annex A

April 2009 (Title Case – (114Line:

FontTimes
Size –New Roman - 16 Font Size – 1.5 Spaces)
Centered)

40 mm 40 mm
40 mm [Appendix – IV: List of Figures] 25 mm

LIST OF FIGURES

Page

Figure 1.1 IT infrastructure 2

Figure 1.2 Conceptual model for research 5
Figure 2.1 LAN backbone types 10
Figure 2.3 The Internet experience of the participants 20

[Appendix – V: List of Tables]

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1.1 Distribution of IT Budget 2

Table 1.2 Details of respondents 5
Table 2.1 Use of IT strategy plans 10
Table 2.3 Kruskal-Wallis results for the Internet experience vs. user category 20

[Appendix – VI: List of Abbreviations]

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

Abbreviation Description

ACM Association for Computing Machinery

IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
OPAC Online Public Access Catalogue

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[Appendix – VII: List of Appendices]

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Description Page

Appendix - A Sample Questionnaire 115

Appendix – B Online Journal Interfaces 120

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