ITC Guide For Thesis Preparation
ITC Guide For Thesis Preparation
ITC Guide For Thesis Preparation
December 2013
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC), hereby acknowledges the following
people for their contributions and realization to this Guide to Thesis Preparation:
- Dr. OM Romny
- Dr. CHUNHIENG Thavarith
- Mr. NUTH Sothan
- Mr. PHOL Norith
- Mr. CHHOUK Chhay Horng
- Mr. SIEANG Phen
- Dr. HUL Seingheng
- Dr. LY Sarann
- Dr. KUOK Fidero
- Mr. SOY Ty
- Dr. SEANG Chansopheak
- Ms. BUN Polyka
- Dr. BUN Kimgnun
- Mr. LAY Heng
- Mr. TO Dara
- Mr. SOEUN Somuny Ontdom
- Mrs. SIO Sreymean
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 4
2. SUBMISSION OF THESIS................................................................................................. 4
2.1. Submission of thesis ...................................................................................................... 4
2.2. Revision after submission of thesis ............................................................................... 4
2.3. Thesis binding ............................................................................................................... 4
2.4. Copyright....................................................................................................................... 4
2.5. Plagiarism ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.5.1. Definition ................................................................................................................ 5
2.5.2. Punishment ............................................................................................................. 5
2.5.3. Plagiarism avoidance .............................................................................................. 5
3. FORMATTING ................................................................................................................... 6
3.1. Language ....................................................................................................................... 6
3.2. Structure ........................................................................................................................ 6
3.3. Text layout .................................................................................................................... 6
3.4. Pagination ...................................................................................................................... 6
3.5. Title selection ................................................................................................................ 6
3.6. Thesis title pages ........................................................................................................... 7
3.7. Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................... 7
3.8. Abstract ......................................................................................................................... 7
3.9. Abbreviations and symbols ........................................................................................... 7
3.10. Table of contents ......................................................................................................... 8
3.11. List of figures .............................................................................................................. 8
3.12. List of tables ................................................................................................................ 8
3.13. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 9
3.14. Literature review ......................................................................................................... 9
3.15. Methodology or Materials and Methods ..................................................................... 9
3.16. Results and discussion............................................................................................... 10
3.17. Conclusions (and Recommendations) ....................................................................... 10
3.18. References ................................................................................................................. 10
3.19. Appendices ................................................................................................................ 12
References ................................................................................................................................ 13
Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 14
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1. INTRODUCTION
This guide for thesis preparation has been developed and prescribed by the Scientific
Committee (SC), Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) in the aim of assisting not only
Associate Degree in Engineering, Engineers Degree, and Master Student but also ITC
lecturer in preparing the thesis. In this means, ITC is holding the Intellectual Property Rights
adopted by Royal Government of Cambodia together with the research partners. Students and
lecturer in all departments are compulsorily required to strictly follow this guide for thesis
preparation to ensure the standard of uniformity and preservation of standard archival thesis
copy. Any query not specified in this guide should be referred to the respective department
officer or the SC via [email protected].
2. SUBMISSION OF THESIS
2.1. Submission of thesis
Students are required to deliver 5 copies of thesis (3 to Panelists, 1 to Advisor, 1 to
Enterprise) to the respective department secretary at least 1 week period prior to the final
presentation date which is decided by Academic Office. For more information on the
academic schedule, the academic calendar could be found in the ITC website at the following
link, http://www.itc.edu.kh/itc/en/index.php/calendar. Additional copies of the thesis may be
required differently by each department. For late submission, student will not be permitted
to take his/her defense and be subjected to 2nd defense.
2.2. Revision after submission of thesis
After the defense, students are required to incorporate/response to the thesis
committee constructive comment/suggestions and revise thesis until proven satisfied by the
thesis advisor within 1 week. After the revision, these hard-copies of thesis will be
submitted to Thesis Advisor, Head of Department, Enterprise Representative, and Director
General of ITC for the approval and signature. Students are required to submit the final
version of the revised thesis, 2 hard-copies and soft-copy (either in pdf or word file) to
respective Department (Department will later hand over 1 set of hard and soft-copy to
Library).
2.3. Thesis binding
All copies of thesis must be submitted to respective department bound between
printed covers. In particular, the final version of thesis should be tied together. A template for
thesis cover could be found http://www.itc.edu.kh/itc/XXX. The front cover should be
labeled all information as shown in the template of thesis cover and printed in white paper.
2.4. Copyright
Reference made based on the Intellectual Property Rights of Royal Government of
Cambodia, ITC and Enterprise hold the ownership of the thesis copyright.
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2.5. Plagiarism
2.5.1. Definition
Student must understand the definition, nature, and how to avoid the plagiarism.
Plagiarism could be defined as follows:
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone elses ideas or words as your own.
(Fowler and Aaron, 1992, pp. 578).
An obvious form of plagiarism is copying any direct quotation from your source
material without providing quotation marks and without crediting the source. A more subtle
form, but equally improper, is the paraphrasing of material or use of an original idea if that
paraphrase or borrowed idea is not properly introduced and documented. (Lester, 1976, pp.
48).
One area that can be confusing to researchers involves the use of information
classified as common knowledge. If a fact or an idea is well known, it does not have to be
documented, even if it is taken from another sourceto be considered common knowledge,
information must be well known to a general audience. (Clines and Cobb, 1993, pp. 20).
2.5.2. Punishment
Associate Degree in Engineering, Engineers Degree, and Master theses are subjected
to the plagiarism verification. In case that plagiarism is founded, student will account for the
Intellectual Property Rights adopted by Royal Government of Cambodian and be required to
revise thesis until proven satisfied by Advisor.
2.5.3. Plagiarism avoidance
It is necessary that the use of the previous published materials in thesis must be
acknowledged properly within the text by either putting quotation or paraphrasing; this means
that the authors name with the year of publication should appear in the text while the
reference list should contain all references. The in-text quotation styles could be founded in
the following examples (Om et al., 2011):
- For one author:
Klein (2013) reviewed the biology and strategies to delay
In a recent review on the antimalarial drug resistance (Klein, 2013),
- For two authors:
Sadana and Snow (1999) investigated the perceptions and preferences
In a study on the balancing effectiveness (Sadana and Snow, 1999),
- For many authors: in the case that we would like to cite the guide for thesis
preparation by Dr. OM Romny, Dr. CHUNHIENG Thavarith, Mr. NUTH Sothn,
Mr. PHOL Norith, and Mr. SIEANG Phen, it is as follows:
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manuscript. In the case of simple one parameter tables, author is recommended to present
such information in the text itself.
3.13. Introduction
Introduction should contain the rationale/background, goal and objectives, and scope
together with the limitation of the study. Student should begin with the establishment of a
study territory by showing the importance, interesting, and/or problems of the general study
area, and/or by reviewing the previous studies. Student could then continue with the
indication of gab or weakness of previous study based on which the present study must be
conducted. At last, student should finish the introduction section with the announcement of
the goal and specific objectives of the study with the scope/limitation of present study
(Hartley, 2008).
3.14. Literature review
Author could prepare the literature review by taking into account the following
criteria:
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For example:
1-Laboratory-scale experimental set-up composed of a mini-reactor made of
a Pyrex glass cylinder, 45 mm in diameter, 100 mm in height, and sealed with
silicone rubber stoppers with glass pipes for aeration
2-The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM Version 5.0.022; Rossman,
2010; US EPA, 2011) was used to simulate current and projected watershed
conditions. Sub-catchments were delineated to collect precipitation, and the
kinematic wave method (Rossman, 2010) was used to route water through..
. Parameter analyses: author must describe (in details) how to
measure/determine each parameter during the study; this includes the
condition of the machine and the model of machine used. It is also important
to note that one parameter analysis must be described in one sub-section.
For example: A DNA extraction kit, ISOIL for Beads Beating (Nippon Gene
Co., Ltd., Toyama, Japan), was used for the extraction of DNA from the
compost samples collected at days
In the case that author would like to include the formulae and equations in the
manuscript, each formulae/equation should be given separate numberingi.e., (Eq. 1.1.),
(Eq. 2.1.), etc. Eq. 1.1. refers to the first equation/formulae appeared in chapter 1 while Eq.
2.1. refers to the first equation/formulae appeared in chapter 2.
3.16. Results and discussion
The results should be clear and concise, separated into different sub-sections
depending on the findings, and discussing the significance of the results/findings, not repeat
them. In this part, author should state the main findings in order and evaluate how the results
fit in the previous findings; therefore, citation and discussion of the published work should be
included in this part.
3.17. Conclusions (and Recommendations)
The main conclusions drawn from results should be presented in a short conclusions
section. Author must ensure that the conclusions response/reflect the specific objectives
stated in the introduction section. Any discussion must not be included in this section.
In the recommendations section, author should (not obligate) describe the
limitation/gap of the study based on which author should recommend for further
studies/investigations.
3.18. References
It is a must to ensure that each reference cited in the thesis manuscript is also
presented in the reference list, and vice versa. It is recommended that the unpublished results
and personal communications should not be used for citation. References list should be
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arranged alphabetically. In the case that more than one reference from the same author(s) in
the same year, it must be identified by the letters a, b, c, etc; these letters should be
placed after the year of publication.
For example: Author Mongkul has published two journals in 2013 and we would
like to reference these two journals; thus, the citation will be Based on the recent study
(Mongkul, 2013a, 2013b),.
Reference list should be prepared based on the type of document, for instance:
Hul, S., Ng, D.K.S, Tan, R.R., Chiang, C.L., Foo, D.C.Y., 2007. Crisp and Fuzzy
Optimisation Approaches for Water Network Retrofit. Chemical Product and
Process Modeling. 2, 19342659.
Reference to a book:
Nester, E.W., Anderson, D.G., Roberts, C.E., Pearsall, N.N., Nester, M.T., 2004.
Microbiology-A human perspective. 4th ed. McGraw-Hill, New York.
Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 2009. How to prepare an electronic version of your
article, in: Jones, B.S., Smith, R.Z. (Eds.), 2009. Introduction to the Electronic
Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, 281304.
A clear source and official website can be used as reference. However, a clear
authors and date of the website or the agency creating the website should be
stated. For example:
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2011. Cambodia and
FAO achievements and success stories, http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/
rap/files/epublications/CambodiaedocFINAL.pdf (Consulted on March 01, 2013).
References in the list should be placed alphabetically, for example:
Arun, A.B., Chen, W.M., Lai, W.A., Chou, J.H., Shen, F.T., Rekha, P.D., Young, C.C., 2009.
Lutaonella thermophilagen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic member of the
family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from a coastal hot spring. International Journal of
Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 59, 20692073.
Boone, D.R., Castenholz, R.W., Garrity, G.M., 2001. Bergeys manual of systematic
bacteriology. 2nd ed. Springer, New York.
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Bosshard, P.P., Zbinden, R., Altwegg, M., 2002. Turicibacter sanguinis gen. nov., sp. nov., a
novel anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. International Journal of Systematic and
Evolutionary Microbiology. 52, 12631266.
3.19. Appendices
Appendices are supplemental to a thesis in nature; the same formatting, pagination,
margins, and illustration requirements apply to appendices. Formulas, equations, and
additional information should be included in this section.
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References
Clines, R.H., Cobb, E.R., 1993. Research writing simplified. Harper Collins.
Fowler, H.R., Aaron, J.E., 1992. The little, brown handbook. 5th ed. Harper Collins.
Hartley, J., 2008. Academic writing and publishing. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, New
York.
Lester, J.D., 1976. Writing research papers: a complete guide. 2nd ed. Scott, Foresman and
Company Glenview, Illinois.
Om, R., Chunhieng, T., Nuth, S., Phol, N., Sieang, P., 2011. Guide la rdaction de
mmoire. ITC, Phnom Penh.
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Appendices
1.
Acknowledgments
2.
Abstract
Table of Contents
5.
List of Figures
6.
List of Tables
7. Introduction
8.
Literature Review
9.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The heading of acknowledgement must be written using Times New Roman, 12 pt
font size, bold and center text. The text following the heading should be started with the
indentation and written using Times New Roman, 12 pt font size, justification text, 10 pt
from the heading and 1.5 line spacing.
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ABSTRACT
The heading of acknowledgement must be written using Times New Roman, 12 pt
font size, bold and center text. The text following the heading should be started with the
indentation and written using Times New Roman, 12 pt font size, justification text, 10 pt
from the heading and 1.5 line spacing.
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FAO
UN DESA
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................................... i
ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. ii
ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS .................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................................................... iv
LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................. v
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................... vi
1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Background .................................................................................................................. 1
1.2. Goal and objectives ...................................................................................................... 3
2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................................... 5
3. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................................. 31
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ......................................................................................... 51
5. CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................. 71
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 77
APPENDICES ........................................................................................................................ 85
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2.1.
Figure 2.2.
Figure 2.3.
Number of publication related to application of molecular methods (DGGE, TRFLP, SSCP, ARDRA, ARISA, and DHPLC) in compost. ............................. 17
Figure 3.1.
Figure 4.1.
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 2.1.
Table 2.2.
Table 2.3.
Table 2.4.
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1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
The text following the sub-heading should be started with the indentation and written
using Times New Roman, 12 pt font size, justification text, 10 pt from the heading and 1.5
line spacing.
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2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1. Sub-heading
The text following the sub-heading should be started with the indentation and written
using Times New Roman, 12 pt font size, justification text, 10 pt from the heading and 1.5
line spacing. In the case that author would like to embed the figures in the text, figure must be
placed in the center of the text with 12 pt spacing before and after text as follows:
Figure 2.1. Time courses of the number of publication related to effects of turning on
composting from 1980 to 2012.
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3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Sub-heading
The text following the sub-heading should be started with the indentation and written
using Times New Roman, 12 pt font size, justification text, 10 pt from the heading and 1.5
line spacing. In the case that author would like to embed the tables in the text, tables must be
placed in the center of the text with 12 pt spacing before and after text as follows:
Table 3.1. Nitrogen content and C/N ratios of various organic wastes (Golueke, 1977).
Material
Nitrogen (%)
C/N Ratio
Activated sludge
Animal tankage
Blood
Cow manure
Digested sewage sludge
Grass clippings
Horse manure
Mixed grasses
Night soil
Non-legume vegetable wastes
Pig manure
Potato tops
Poultry manure
Raw sewage sludge
1014
1.7
24
36
2.3
214
5.56.5
2.54
3.8
1.5
6.3
47
6
4.1
3
18
1215
25
19
610
1112
25
15
11
Urine
1518
0.8
In the case that author would like to include the formulae and/or equations in the
manuscript, each formulae/equation must be given in separate numbering as follows:
Q = CP [1 - exp(-t)]
(Eq. 3.1.)
where Q is the cumulative CO2 emission at a given composting time (mol), CP is the potential
amount of carbon in the compost sample that can be released as CO2 (mol), is the
degradability coefficient based on the carbon of organic materials in the compost sample
(h1), and t is the composting time (h).
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5. CONCLUSIONS
The text following the sub-heading should be started with the indentation and written
using Times New Roman, 12 pt font size, justification text, 10 pt from the heading and 1.5
line spacing.
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REFERENCES
Arun, A.B., Chen, W.M., Lai, W.A., Chou, J.H., Shen, F.T., Rekha, P.D., Young, C.C., 2009.
Lutaonella thermophilagen. nov., sp. nov., a moderately thermophilic member of the
family Flavobacteriaceae isolated from a coastal hot spring. International Journal of
Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 59, 20692073.
Boone, D.R., Castenholz, R.W., Garrity, G.M., 2001. Bergeys manual of systematic
bacteriology. 2nd ed. Springer, New York.
Bosshard, P.P., Zbinden, R., Altwegg, M., 2002. Turicibacter sanguinis gen. nov., sp. nov., a
novel anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium. International Journal of Systematic and
Evolutionary Microbiology. 52, 12631266.
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