Guideline for the Preparation of Final Year Dissertation B.Sc in ARMT, B.Sc in ABM, B.Sc in GT

Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, Mapalana, Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka

Year 2015

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Content

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 3

2. Main Part of the Dissertation .................................................................................................. 3

2.1 The preliminaries .............................................................................................................. 3

2.1.1 Blank page and title page .......................................................................................... 3

2.1.2 Approval page ........................................................................................................... 3

2.1.3 Dedication ................................................................................................................. 6

2.1.4 Abstract ..................................................................................................................... 6

2.1.5 Acknowledgement .................................................................................................... 6

2.1.6 Table of contents ...................................................................................................... 6

2.1.7 List of figures ............................................................................................................. 7

2.1.8 List of plates .............................................................................................................. 7

2.1.9 List of tables .............................................................................................................. 8

2.1.10 List of abbreviations and symbols ............................................................................ 8

2.2 The text of the dissertation .............................................................................................. 8

2.2.1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9

2.2.2 Review of literature .................................................................................................. 9

2.2.3 Material and methods ............................................................................................ 10

2.2.4 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................ 10

2.2.5 Conclusions and Recommendations ....................................................................... 11

2.2.6 The references ........................................................................................................ 11

2.2.7 Appendices .............................................................................................................. 11

3. General Format and Style of the Dissertation ....................................................................... 13

3.1 General guidelines .......................................................................................................... 13

3.2 Cover page and color ..................................................................................................... 13

3.3 Margins ........................................................................................................................... 13

3.4 Line spacing, justification and indents ........................................................................... 13

3.5 Fonts and symbols .......................................................................................................... 13

3.6 Units and Measures ....................................................................................................... 14

3.7 Equations ........................................................................................................................ 14

3.8 Use of numbers in the body of the dissertation ............................................................ 14

3.9 Headings ......................................................................................................................... 15

3.10 Foot notes ...................................................................................................................... 15

3.11 Tables and figures .......................................................................................................... 15

3.12 Spelling and punctuations .............................................................................................. 17

3.13 Numbering of pages ....................................................................................................... 17

3.14 Mathematical formulae ................................................................................................. 17

3.15 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 17

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1. Introduction

Students who follow the bachelor degree programs (B.Sc in ARMT, B.Sc in ABM and B.Sc in GT)

in the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna have to do a research project under the

supervision of a senior academic member of the faculty in the final year second semester. After

the completing of the research study, students have to compile and submit a dissertation for

the partial fulfilments of degree.

This document explains the procedure to be followed when writing the dissertation which is

the essential component of the degree program. When writing the dissertation, there are

essential components to be included into the dissertation and they are explained very briefly in

this document. The arrangement of the dissertation is also very important and it should be

nicely typed, formatted and bound before submitting for the evaluation. The way of formatting

the dissertation such as fonts to be used, margins, sizes of headings, etc. is also explained in

detail in this document.

2. Main Part of the Dissertation

There are several sections in the dissertation. However, they can be categorized to main three

parts namely the preliminaries, the main text and the reference matter.

2.1 The preliminaries

The preliminaries includes following sections

i. Blank page ii. Title page

iii. Approval page iv. Dedication v. Abstract

vi. Acknowledgement vii. Table of Contents

viii. List of Figures ix. List of illustrations (Plates) x. List of Tables

xi. List of Abbreviations and Symbols

2.1.1 Blank page and title page

The first page of the dissertation should be a blank page while the second page is the title

page. Title page should include the title, name of the writer, the address of the department

where the student is enrolled for the final year research project and the year. An example of a

tile page of a dissertation is shown in page four.

2.1.2 Approval page

The approval page of the dissertation should include; the title, name of the writer, the course,

the department of study, the degree, name of the university and address, year, the names and

addresses of supervisor/s and the head of the department. Example of an approval page is

given in page five.

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An example of a title page:

REMOVAL OF ACID YELLOW 36 BY ADSORPTION USING ACTIVATED

CARBON PRODUCED FROM TEA WASTE

By

C.D.F.A. GUNASEKARA

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING

FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE

UNIVERSITY OF RUHUNA

MAPALANA

KAMBURUPITIYA

SRI LANKA

2013

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Example of an approval page:

IMPACT ASSESSMENT OF RUEDA CREDIT GUARANTEE SCHEME

By

W.N.M. MADURANGANI

A Research Dissertation Submitted in

Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Advance Course in

AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS AND EXTENSION

For the Degree of

Bachelor of Science in Agriculture

Faculty of Agriculture,

University of Ruhuna,

Mapalana, Kamburupitiya

Sri Lanka

2011

Approved By,

……………………………………………

Head of the Department

Prof LM Abeywickrama

Department .of Agric, Econ, & Extension

Faculty of Agriculture

University of Ruhuna

Mapalana,

Kamburupitiya

Sri Lanka

Date: ………………………….

……………………………………………..

Internal Supervisor

Dr. (Mrs.): Nilantha De Silva

Department .of Agric, Econ, & Extension

Faculty of Agriculture

University of Ruhuna

Mapalana,

Kamburupitiya

Sri Lanka

Date: ………………………….

Sri Lanka

Date:………………………….

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2.1.3 Dedication

Dedication is an optional part of the preliminaries. This includes for whom you wish to dedicate

your dissertation.

Example: Affectionately dedicated to my loving parents and teachers

2.1.4 Abstract

Abstract is the most important section of the dissertation. It is the summary of the dissertation

and enables the reader to identify the basic content of the dissertation quickly and accurately.

Main elements of an abstract are the objectives, a brief description of the method, results and

major conclusions.

It is very important to use clear relevant words in writing the abstract. Abstract should be self -

contained and publishable by itself. The vague adjectives, references, figures, abbreviations,

tables and “I” statements should not be used. The information should be reported

impersonally. The present and past tenses can be used in writing the abstract.

2.1.5 Acknowledgement

This section is generally used to say “thanks” for the persons who have helped during the

research study and the course of dissertation preparation. Financial assistance received for the

research study should also be acknowledged here. Some phrases that may be used are;

I wish to thank.............

I am grateful to.............

It is with deep appreciation that I acknowledge the.............

2.1.6 Table of contents

The table of content gives the location of different parts of your dissertation such as the

abstract, acknowledgement, list of illustrations, list of tables, introduction and other chapters,

appendices and references. Font style of items listed within the table of contents should be the

same as the font used within the text (e.g. headings listed within the table of contents are in

the same font style as in the body of the dissertation).The letters in the headings of the

preliminary sections in the table of content should be in italics (the first letter of all the words

except for articles and prepositions should be capitalized) or capital letters. Examples for two

styles are as follows,

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iii

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS vii

LIST OF TABLES iv

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Sub- headings of the main content of the dissertation should be indented below the preceding

higher level in the table of content. Major headings in the text and reference matter should be

typed in capital letters. The first letter of all the words except articles and prepositions in first

level sub-headings should be capitalized. An example is shown below.

2.1.7 List of figures

The list of figures includes figure numbers, figure titles and page numbers of the figure

locations.

2.1.8 List of plates

If the pictures related to study have been included in the dissertation, the list of plates should

also be included with the number, title and page number. Normally, graphics should be no less

than 300 dpi and line work within vector graphics no less than 1-point width.

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 4.1 Average loan size in different sectors …………………………………………………….………11

Figure 4.2 Income changing pattern of the loan borrowers……………………………….……………13

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Agricultural Extension………..…………….……………………………….……………….………1

1.1.1 Definition of………………………..………………………….……………………….…….….2

1.1.2 Function of ….........................................................................................3

1.2 Need for the Study …………………………………………………………………………………....4

Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITREATURE

2.1 Common Micro Finance Model…………………….……………………………….…………12

2.2 Microfinance Institutes in Sri Lanka……………………………………….…………………13

TABLE OF CONTENT

Abstract i

Acknowledgement iii

List of Illustrations vii

List of Tables viii

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2.1.9 List of tables

The section of list of table contains table number, title of the table and page numbers of the

table locations.

2.1.10 List of abbreviations and symbols

An abbreviation is the shortened form of a word or a phrase formed by the omission of letters

or words. Abbreviations are most frequently used in tabular matter, footnotes, illustrations and

bibliographies. When the abbreviated form of a word or phrase is first used, it is necessary to

present the full term of the word or phrase in the text and abbreviated form within brackets. It

is not necessary to write the full term for abbreviations widely used in literature such as viz., et

al., and etc. Some acronyms like AIDS, laser, radar, GNP and GMT should not be expanded

unless you want to explain what the acronym means. An example of list of abbreviation is

shown below.

2.2 The text of the dissertation

The text of the dissertation is divided into several chapters such as introduction, literature

review, materials and method, and results and discussion.

When preparing of the dissertation, it is essential to pay attention on plagiarism. A major

ethical standard in research focuses on appropriately recognizing and crediting the work of

others who have contributed to the knowledge in a given area. Plagiarism is simply use of

someone else’s ideas or wording without giving due credit to them. When you present an idea

in your dissertation that originated from another source (written or spoken), even if you

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

AY36 - Acid Yellow 36

AC - Activated Carbon

RTWAC - Refused Tea Waste Activated Carbon

LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 Summary of social capital indices………………………………………..……………………………12

Table 4.2 Farmers’ knowledge and opinion on different loan schemes……………………….…..14

LIST OF PLATES

Figure 4.1 Comparison of root lengths of different treatments….……….……………………….…31

Figure 4.2 Colors of the leaves in treated plants……………………....…………………….………………33

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modified the wording or parts of the idea, credit to the original source should be given. The

dissertation is a scholarly work, and as such, extensive citation from the literature is expected.

As you make notes from a source, indicate clearly whether your notes are a direct quote or a

paraphrased interpretation. If direct quotes are used, the page number is required for a

complete citation.

2.2.1 Introduction

The main purpose of the introduction is to “introduce” your work to the reader. Main elements

of the introduction may be theoretical/ historical background, purpose of the study, use of the

study, subject/problem being studied, objectives of the study, scope of the study.

Theoretical and historical background to the work At the very beginning of the introduction, author tries to show the certain levels of

significance that emphasize the important of the research study. It allows the reader to

evaluate the present work.

Subject/Problem being studied It is necessary to clearly state your specific subject and the problem in a reasonable and

understandable manner. In this section, you have to clearly emphasize the reader why

you chose that subject and why it is important.

Objectives of the study Objectives summarized what are to be achieved at the end of the research project,

objectives;

Must address the problem logically

Be realistic and feasible

Be clear and measurable

Neatly fit into the problem statement

Use of the study In this section you must state;

How the findings of the study can be used How the findings contribute to theory or practice

Scope of the study

Scope of the study further qualifies the subject, must state the following;

How broadly you have carried out the study

What is the target group

2.2.2 Review of literature

Literature review should be provided a clear background of the subject to be studied. At the

same time it will show the nature (how far the problem has been studied, difficulties faced,

solutions found) of the problem being studied, the research design, procedures, instruments

and analysis employed by similar studies and so on. Further, it is necessary to include the

information useful for the development of the theoretical framework of the research to be

conducted.

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2.2.3 Material and methods

This section can be named as “METHODOLOGY”, “METHODS AND PROCEDURES” or

“MATERIALS AND METHODS” depending on the nature of the study.

Example:

o Study related to natural sciences name as “MATERIALS AND METHODS” o Study related to social sciences name as “METHODOLOGY” o For development projects name as “METHODS AND PROCEDURES”

This chapter should provide enough details so that another person can, repeat your work (if

needed).

Materials describe all the things used in the research study. It is important to include exact

technical specifications, quantities, source of materials, methods of preparation of the

materials. The use of trade names should be avoided. The generic or chemical names should

always be used. Experimental plants, animals and microorganisms should be identified by their

genus, species and strain. Their special characteristics (e.g. age, sex, genetic and physiological

status) should be described.

Methods always describe the experiments in a logical order (e.g. in order of time/ size/

importance). If you have used a well- known method, just give the name and references {e.g.

Total solid of the fruit pulp was determined according to the method described by Ranganna

(1986)}. When using a new or original method, it should be described in detail. Unnecessary

details should not be provided and it may confuse the reader. At the same time, all essential

information should also be included. The important information like ; sizes, volumes,

centrifugation speeds, heating temperatures, equipment used , number of replications should

always be clearly given.

The design of the research should clearly be explained. Explanation of variables studied,

description of respondents, sampling procedures, description of research instruments used,

steps in data collection and analysis should also be given under materials and methods section.

2.2.4 Results and Discussion

This gives the description of the findings of the study. You have to pay more attention on the

followings.

Relevant results should only be presented in the section.

Results should match with the objectives.

Report even negative results obtained.

The ‘Result Section’ should be short and sweet.

The discussion could be written as a different chapter or incorporated the discussion into the Results Chapter (e.g. Results and Discussion). The primary purpose of this chapter is to show the relationship among the observed facts.

Discussion shows how the results and interpretations agree/ disagree with previously published work. If the results are not agreed with the study, it is necessary to explain the possible reasons for.

You can use tables and figures in this section to improve the clarity of your presentation.

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Describe overall result and do not describe all the details in the tables or figures in the text.

Refer all the tables and the figures within the text. Tables and figures should appear in the first possible space after the paragraph where it is mentioned.

If you arrange tables or figures published elsewhere, the source must be acknowledged.

2.2.5 Conclusions and Recommendations

You can write your conclusions and recommendations as a new chapter or you can include it in

your discussion. Write separate conclusion and recommendations section only if your results

and discussion are complicated. Conclusions should be clear and based on your results.

Recommendations are the theoretical implications and the practical applications of the facts

you found in your study. Your recommendations should be; realistic, based on the findings.

And conclusions should be logical, concise and precise.

2.2.6 The references

Reference in the text is the source of a statement, information or any other material in the text

not originating from the writer. List of references/ bibliography is the list of books, manuals,

journals and other reference materials used in the study. Generally it is placed at the end of the

dissertation. All references in the text must be listed in alphabetical order by the authors’ last

name in the reference list. Entry in a list of reference contains four main parts; authorship, date

of publication, title, details of publication (Harvard system: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm).

An example for making reference list for some reference sources are given in following text

box.

2.2.7 Appendices

Appendices contain useful information to the reader, which is related to the text but cannot be

included in the text.

Example: Tables too detailed for text presentation, technical notes on methods, interview

schedules, questionnaires, case studies too long to be put in the text, calibration curves etc.,.

Statistical analysis sheets should not be kept in the appendices.

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Examples for list of references

• Article in a periodical/Journal: Perry, C., 2001. What health care assistants know about clean hands. Nursing Times, 97(22):63-64. Rajapaksha, R.M.C.P., Wijekoon U.K. and Yasanayake P.H., 2009. Soil Microbial populations as affected by intensive cultivation of exotic vegetables and rice. Sri Lanka Journal of agricultural Sciences. 46: 1-14.

Conference Paper: Jago L.M. and C.D. Malcolm 2003. Birding as a tool for conservation: preliminary development of an educational program to increase environmental awareness in the Assiniboine River Corridor, Brandon, Manitoba. Canadian Association of Geographers, Western Division, Annual Conference; 2003 Sept 27-28; Gimli, MB. Brown, J., 2005. Evaluating surveys of transparent governance. In: UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), 6th Global forum on reinventing government: towards participatory and transparent governance. Seoul, Republic of Korea, 24-27 May 2005. New York: United Nations.

• Books by a single author: Redman, P., 2006. Good essay writing: a social sciences guide. 3rd ed. London: Open University in assoc. with Sage. Rader, T., 1912.Theory of Microeconomics. New York; Academic Press Inc.

• Books by two or more authors: Adams, R. J.,Weiss, T.D. and Coatie, J.J., 2010. The World Health Organisation, its history and impact. London: Perseus. Barker, R., Kirk, J. and Munday, R.J., 1988. Narrative analysis. 3rd ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

• Editor as author: Mansfied, E., ed. 1977 .Principles of Microeconomics. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc. Silverman, D.F. and Propp, K.K. eds., 1990. The active interview. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Editor’s name in addition to author: Wijeratne M.; Piyadasa V.H., 2006.The outcome of farmers’ field school in Southern Sri Lanka, In Self Sufficient Agriculture: Labor and Knowledge in Small Scale Farming Edited by Triro. R. London: Earthscan Ladd, J.N. 1985 . Soil enzymes in soil organic matter and biological activity. Eds. D. Vaughan and R.E Malcolm, pp. 176-221 .Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.

• Dissertations and thesis: Chathuranga, A.L.K, 2011.Technology innovation to improve the cinnamon bark processing. BSc Thesis, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka. Pieper, R.D. 1963. Production and chemical composition of arctic tundra vegetation and their relation to the lemming cycle. Ph .D. Thesis, Univ. of California, Berkeley, USA.

• Dissertations and thesis(E-versions): Fisher, C. W., 2008. The legacy of leadership - a study of leadership influence within a single organisation. DEd. University of Sheffield. Available at: <uk.bl.ethos.489114> [Accessed 30.07.2012].

• Report: Central Bank of Sri Lanka, 2012. Sectorial output, policies, institutional support and issues, Annual Report - 2012, Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Marks & Spencer, 2004. The way forward, Annual report 2003-2004, London: Marks & Spencer.

Website: NHS Evidence, 2003. National Library of Guidelines. [online] Available at: <http://www.library.nhs.uk/guidelinesFinder> [Accessed 10 October 2009].

Other sources, refer following link: http://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/harvard.htm

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3. General Format and Style of the Dissertation

3.1 General guidelines

The draft dissertation of the final year research project should be submitted on or before the

date announced by the Head of the Department, Faculty of Agriculture for evaluation. Final

bound copies should be submitted within one month after the final presentation is completed.

Three copies of the dissertation should be submitted to head of the Department; one copy to

be retained in the Department and another copy in the library for permanent reference and

the third copy is intended for the Internal Supervisor. It is the responsibility of the student to

hand over a copy to the External Supervisor if the research component is carried out outside

the faculty of agriculture.

3.2 Cover page and color

Each dissertation should have a cover, preferably of a durable material in following colors

depending on major field of specialization.

Crop Science Green

Agricultural Biology Purple

Soil Science Brown

Food Science and Technology Red

Agricultural Engineering Blue

Animal Science Black

Agricultural Economics and Extension Maroon

The front cover should have the title, name of the candidate and the address of the faculty in

capital letters and year of submission. If there are botanical or zoological names they should be

in italics.

3.3 Margins

Dissertation should be neatly typed in English only one side of good quality A4 (210 X295 mm)

paper. For all pages, including those with figures and tables, the left and right margin will be

3.0 cm (1.18 in.) and 2.5 cm (0.98 in.), respectively. Top and bottom margin will be 2.0 cm.

3.4 Line spacing, justification and indents

All text in abstract, acknowledgements, dedication and body of the text including references

should be in double spaced. Table of contents and Lists of figures and tables are single-spaced.

All text in paragraph form should be fully justified. First line indents are 1.5 cm (0.5 in.).

No spaces should be kept before and after the titles. However, in the text, it is necessary to

kept 6 points space before and after the paragraphs.

3.5 Fonts and symbols

All text of the dissertation (including headings) should be neatly typed using Times New

Roman, 12 points. Text within figures, charts and other raster or vector graphics should be of a

font type and size that is consistent with standard times new roman font style. It is prefer to

use same font style for tables also. However, other font types may also be used other than

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Times New Roman in tables (e.g. Arial) and size must be at least 8 point. Words that are not in

English (e.g. Sinhala names, Latin names, species scientific names) and the titles of books

should be italicized. A standard font for symbols and mathematical notation should be used.

In the title page; title, name and the year should be in 12 points, bold, upper case and

centered. Address of the academic department where research was performed should be in 12

points, bold and center.

In the approval page; title, name of the author and department should be in 12points, upper

case, bold and center. The first letters of the names of the degree except prepositions should

be in upper case and bold type.

3.6 Units and Measures

Units of measure and nomenclature should be in SI (System International) units. Use correct SI

unit abbreviations (e.g. s, min, h, cm, km, etc., NOT sec, hr, Km, or KM). Insert a space between

values and units of measure (e.g. 1200 km, NOT 1200km).

3.7 Equations

Equations should be indented and numbered by chapter and equation number consecutively.

For example, “(Equation 4.2)”, where the number 4 represents the chapter number and 2

indicates equation number in the chapter 4. The parentheses are required for equation

number and numbers should be right justified.

3.8 Use of numbers in the body of the dissertation

Numbers are frequently used in the text of the dissertation and following points should be

considered when numbers are used in the text.

It is necessary to spell out numbers less than ten. Numbers which are more than ten should be given in figures.

Any number at the beginning of a sentence should be spelled out. Example: The University of Ruhuna produces 110 agricultural graduates each year. Sixty percent of them are employed in government institutions.

It is incorrect to write 1980’s or MP’s. The correct usage is to drop the apostrophe and write 1980s and MPs.

Physical quantities such as weight, height, mass, volume, area, pressure and temperature are expressed as figures

Decimal fractions and percentages are written in figures. Use ‘%’ in statistics and natural sciences and the word ‘percentage’ in social sciences

Use an additional “s” for plurals of spelled out numbers. Plurals of numbers are like plurals of nouns.

Example: Mid thirties

When putting ranges in the text, following example can be followed, Example: From 150 to 200 (not from 150-200)

Between 200 and 225 (not between 200 to 225)

In figures of more than one thousand, a space or a comma is used between every group of three digits, counting from the right.

Example: 1 220 or 1,220 45 000 or 45,000

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3.9 Headings

Chapter titles and headings including subheadings in the dissertation should be properly

formatted as given follows.

Chapter title: All letters in chapter tile should be in upper case, bold and 12 points and

title should be centered.

First level heading: First letter of the words except articles and preposition in first level

headings should be in upper case. Heading should be in bold and 12 points. First level

heading should be left-justified.

Second level heading: Only first letter of the second level tittle should be in upper case.

Tittle should be bod and 12 points and left-justified.

3.10 Foot notes

Foot notes are special notes that appeared at the foot of a page. Numbers are frequently used

in footnotes and they should be Arabic numbers and should be typed as a superscript. Foot

notes can be used to,

Cite the authority of statements

Make acknowledgements

Make cross- references

Make any comments

3.11 Tables and figures

Tables and figures (literature review, results and discussion, etc.) are used to improve the

clarity of your presentation.

Tables and figures should be given in Arabic numbers according to the chapter number with decimals according to the sequence of the text (Example: Second table in chapter three should be numbered as ....Table 3.2) and cited in the text by its number.

The ‘T’ of Table and ‘F’ of the Figure should be capitalized.

Table title is to be set above the body of the table and titles of figures (captions) should be kept at the bottom. Table and figure titles should be align to the left.

Example for headings

Chapter title

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

First level heading 4.1 Characteristics of Tea Waste Activated Carbon

Second level heading 4.3.1 Effect of contact time on adsorption

dffg

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Tables should be arranged according to the dimensions of the printed pages and the number of the columns should be kept to a minimum. No vertical lines are used in the tables.

Describe overall result and do not describe all the details in the tables or figures in the text.

Refer all the tables and the figures within the text. Tables and figures should appear in the first possible space after the paragraph where it is mentioned.

If you arrange tables or figures published elsewhere, the source must be acknowledged.

Figures should be kept in-line with the text and normally do not have a line around the figure.

Figures and tables may be placed on the page in portrait or landscape orientation and may appear on a single page or in-line with the text depending on the size of the figure.

Regardless of format or type, all figures must be clearly legible at the size required for inclusion within the dissertation.

Normally, graphics should be no less than 300 dpi and line work within vector graphics no less than 1-point width.

Axis titles of charts should be in bold face.

Generally, tables do not have vertical lines and only horizontal lines should be used.

Figure 4.8 Pseudo-second-order kinetics for adsorption of AY36 on TAC at 29±10C.

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160

t/q

t (h

/mg/g

)

Time(h)

80mg/l

60mg/l

40mg/l

20mg/l

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3.12 Spelling and punctuations

It is a responsibility of the writer of the dissertation to check the spelling before submitting

dissertation. Either the American style or the British style English should be used. Never have a

mixture of both for the same word. Correct use of the punctuations is required, if not it alters

the meaning of the sentence

Comma (,) indicates the smallest interruption of continuity of thoughts or sentence Structure (Example: Farmers are small holders, and many do not have enough lands to cultivate fodder).

A semicolon (;) indicates a pause longer than a comma and shorter than a colon (Example: Synthetic fungicides commonly used today are very expensive; many are toxic to human and pollute the environment.)

Colon (:) indicates a pause longer than a semicolon (Example:The ideal conditions for plant growth can be stated as:…...).

Other punctuation marks such as dash (-), parendissertation (), and brackets or square brackets [ ], are also used commonly in scientific writing.

3.13 Numbering of pages

Numbering of the pages in the dissertation is very important and following guideline should be

followed.

The preliminaries should be numbered in Roman numbers and placed 1.27 cm (0.5 in.) above the midpoint of the bottom edge of the page (Header and footer from the edge of the page should be 1.27 cm).

The numbering should begin form “ii”; the title page should be counted as “i” but the number should not be typed on the title page.

The body of the dissertation and appendices are numbered in Arabic numerals starting with page 1 and continuing until the last page of the dissertation.

3.14 Mathematical formulae

Equation and formulas should be indented from the margin and separated from the text.

3.15 Appendices

Appendices should be given at the end of the dissertation. Each appendix should have a title

and appendix label by ascending letters (e.g. A, B, C, etc.).

Table 4.3:Pseudo-first-order kinetic and Pseudo second order kinetic parameters of AY36

adsorption on RTAC

Initial AY36

Con. (mg/L)

qe-exp Pseudo First Order Parameters Pseudo Second Order Parameters

k1 (min-1

) qe-cal

(mg/g)

R2 SSE% k2

(g/mg.min)

qe-cal

(mg/g)

R2 SES%

20 19.69 4.145x10-3

22.26 0.94 0.6425 5.4471x10-4 20.1207 0.99 0.1077

40 39.38 2.303x10-3

44.84 0.88 1.3650 1.4746x10-4 40.4858 0.99 0.2765

60 58.92 2.303x10-3

137.40 0.67 19.620 6.31849x10-5 60.2410 0.99 0.3302

80 71.97 6.909x10-4

39.56 0.97 8.1025 4.10575x10-5 73.5294 0.99 0.3899

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