HANDBOOKFORTHESISSTUDENTS

Undergraduateprogrammeinarchitecture, FacultyofArchitecture,CEPTUniversity, KasturbhaiLalbhaiCampus,University,Ahmedabad380009 2012

TABLEOFCONTENTS

Tableofcontents.................................................................................................. 1 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 1 Tipstokickstartyourthesis................................................................................. 2 Rulesandregulations........................................................................................... 3 Reviews................................................................................................................. 5 Resources .............................................................................................................. 6 Thethesiscommittee........................................................................................... 6 Thesisformattingguidelines ................................................................................. 7 Beforeyousubmit................................................................................................ 8 Thesissubmissionprocedure............................................................................... 8 Whatdoestheinternalexaminerexamine?........................................................9 Thevivavoce...................................................................................................... 10 Frequentlyfacedproblems................................................................................. 10 References.......................................................................................................... 11

INTRODUCTION Welcome
Welcome to The Thesis. This handbook will assist you in navigating through various procedures required to complete your research and lay your hands on theB.Archdegree!However,youstillhavetodothelegworkyourself.

Rules and regulations are updated and modified from time to time by the University due to various reasons. Please check with the thesis coordinator for thelatestsetofrules. Visitushereandhereforfurtherdetails

Theguide
The guide chooses you and not the other way round! It helps to find out the research interests of your potential guide. You can do so by referring to their resume, finding out the theses that they have recently guided or by simply asking them. Do remember that a potential guide will always prefer to take on students in his/her area of interest. If I were to just write one sentence about you and the guide it would be you will always feel that you need to do more work before meeting the guide, irrespective of how much work you have done. So, whatever you do, dont postpone this meeting. A weekly meeting with the guide is strongly encouraged. The sooner you have a guide, the better your researchwillbe.

Whatisthisthesis?
A thesis is a treatise reporting findings based on scientific investigation. The writing should be systematic, clear and concise. The value of a thesis does not depend on its length or number of sketches, but on its clarity, economy of expression and direction. A thesis is not a textbook, and superfluous and extraneous matter should be excluded. A thesis should make a clear and continuous reading. Any derivations or detailed explanations should be removed from the body of the text, and compiled in appendices at the end of the main body of the thesis. There should be no vagueness of thoughts nor be any ambiguous expressions. The value of a thesis is its depth. It should be precise and penetrating. (School of Architecture) An undergraduate thesis should demonstrate an indepth understanding of the chosen subject through methodicalstudy.

Thethesiscoordinator
For all other matters, meetthe thesis coordinator. Meet the coordinator once a week till you finalise a guide for your thesis. After that, a once a month meetingtoappraisethecoordinatorofworkprogressshouldsuffice. Givethefirstreviewatthefirstavailabledate

Whydoathesis?
Theobjectiveoftheschoolinrequiringathesisistoenableastudenttogetan experience which he cannot get in design work namely to develop a scientific attitude..., thus the result for the student could be a training that would be useful in design and developing awareness, understanding and respect for research(SchoolofArchitecture)

RULESANDREGULATIONS Eligibilityandregistration
1. A student is eligible to register for thesis after successful completion of studioIX. 2. It is strongly recommended that the student clears all other backlogs including subjects, interactive studio and electives before registering for thesis. Backlogs, if any, should be mentioned and updated during each registration. 3. Acopyofthefeesreceiptismandatoryforregistration. 4. A maximum of four registrations are permitted for thesis. Relaxation of exchange semester will be given to students who go on official exchange programmesafterstudioIX. 5. A letter of authority will be required in case the student is unable to remain presentinpersonduringtheregistration. 6. Lateregistrationpenaltieswillapplyforlateregistrations. 3

TIPSTOKICKSTARTYOURTHESIS Selectingatopic
The thesis does not begin with the first registration! Please start identifying areas of interest as early as possible during final year or the architectural research methods course. The topic, needless to say, should deal with architecture.Ifindoubt,donothesitatetoconsultthethesiscommittee.

Eligibilityofguide
It is strongly recommended that a member of the core faculty of CEPT University be chosen as a guide. In case of a guide from outside, consult the thesis coordinator for approval. As a guideline, the guide should have an academicbackgroundand5yearsofexperience.

certificateofattendancetillthatstage.Theirgradereportwillmentiontheirnot havingfulfilledtherequirementsfortheBArchdegreeinstipulatedtime.

Submission
For the purposes of evaluation, a thesis is considered successfully submitted on the date it is handed over to the administration with the signature of the guide on the requisite form provided that it is approved by the internal examiner withoutmajorchanges. Incasetheinternalexaminerreturnsthethesisasineligibleduetomajorflaws, the subsequent date on which the thesis is handed over to the administration and provided that it is approved by the internal examiner will be considered as thedateofsubmissionofthesis.

Review
Review proposals will have to be submitted at least 1 week in advance on the sanity website. Students who havent submitted their proposal on sanity will notbeeligibletogivethereview A student is expected to appear for 3 reviews. The 3 reviews can be given during any of the 6 review dates during the first two semesters of thesis. A studentcannotappearforthereviewsafterhavingcompletedtwosemestersin thesis.

Plagiarism
Borrowing ideas, words, images or any other content from other sources without correct citation is considered plagiarism. Please refer to the MLA style of referencing for appropriate citation style. Other sources include but are not limited to books, the internet, conversations with friends, lectures and unpublished works. Plagiarism is an offence and is taken seriously by the thesis committee. Ensure that all citations and credits are in order before you submit thethesis.

Evaluation
Thepercentageweightagefortheevaluationofthethesisisasfollows Guide 30% Internalexaminer 10% Externalexaminer 20% Reviews(3) 30% Vivavoce 10% The viva vocegrading will be done by acore faculty member who isneither the guidenortheinternalexaminerfortheconcernedthesis. There are no penalties if the thesis is successfully submitted within 1 year (two semesters). A thesis successfully submitted in the third semester will attract a penaltyof25%marksthatisthemarksobtainedoutof100willbemultipliedby a factor of 0.75 subject to a minimum of 50. A thesis successfully submitted in thefourthsemesterwillgetaflat50%passgrade.Forthepurposeofthesis,the semesterbeginsonthedayofregistrationandendsat5pmonthelastworking daypriortothenextregistration.

REVIEWS
Thereviewdatesforeachsemesterwillbeannouncedduringtheregistration. Thereviewrequirementsareasfollows

Firstreview
Researchproposalinthefollowingformat Proposed topic, the need for the study, aim and objectives and/or hypothesis and/or research questions, research method, scope and limitation and bibliographyandprobableguides

Duration
Students, who fail to submit the thesis within 4 semesters, will stand disqualified from completing the rest of the course and will be issued a 4

Any other work done like pilot studies, motivation, background research etc. shouldbeincludedintheproposal

Membersofthethesisreviewsandtheinternalexaminerareusuallyoneofthe membersofthethesiscommittee. Thethesiscommitteecurrentlycomprisesof VishwanathKashikar(facultyincharge) NeelkanthChhaya PratyushShankar MeghalArya GauriBharat Sankalpa

Secondreview
Researchproposalinthefollowingformat Finalisedproposalintheformatfollowedinthefirstreview Literaturereviewindetail Proposedstructureorchapterizationofstudy Proposalsignedbyguide Thesisschedule Preliminaryfindingsfromcasestudies

Thirdreview
Finalisedproposalintheformatfollowedinthesecondreview Analysischapterwithanalysisandfindings

THESISFORMATTINGGUIDELINES
1. Word Limit There is no minimum or maximum word limit to the thesis. The number of words in your thesis will depend on the topic of the thesis and methodofresearch. 2. Page size and orientation A4 portrait format. Fold outs are not permitted. In case you require larger page size, use a sleeve to obtain a contiguous A3 size page. 3. MarginsA minimum of25mm on the inside. The marginshouldbe increased incaseofincreaseinthenumberofpages. 4. Font Use of standard fonts is strongly recommended. Use one font for the entirethesis.Thefontsizeshouldbearound11to12points. 5. PagenumberingAllpagesincludingplatesshouldbenumbered 6. Citations and bibliography Use MLA style for all citations and bibliography. PleasenotethatfootnotesarediscouragedintheMLAstyleofcitation.Refer towebsourcesforfurtherdetails. 7. Use of native capability of word processing software to generate table of contents, citations, bibliography, list of illustrations/tables/figures and its numberingisstronglyrecommended

RESOURCES
The library is a valuable primary resource for the thesis. Please do use the interlibraryloanfacilitiesaswellastheinflibnetfacilitiesavailableinthelibrary. Contactthelibrarianforfurtherdetails. A continually uploaded list of resources can also be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/273248069402706/ and http://www.sa nity.net.Studentsareadvisedtojoinboththesegroups.

THETHESISCOMMITTEE
The thesis committee consists of the thesis coordinator and usually 56 other members who are all part of the core faculty at the undergraduate programme inarchitecture. The thesis committee meets from time to time to discuss and suggest new guidelinesanddirectionsforthethesis. 6

BEFOREYOUSUBMIT Prerequisites
Your thesis will be processed only if you have completed all other courses. Ensure that you have completed all core subjects, RSPs, interactive studio and electives before you submit your thesis. The thesis will not be accepted if you haveanybacklogcredits. 5.

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Thethesisdocument
Proof read, proof read, and proof read before you submit. Remember that neither the guide nor the internal examiner is supposed to proof read your thesis. In case substantial errors are found in the first few pages of the thesis, the internal examiner usually returns the thesis before proceeding further. For your own good, it is suggested that you do not proof read your thesis. Get it proof read from someone who has a good command over the language. Remember,thatproofreadingcannotbedoneinahurryonthelastnight. Ensure that all citations, illustration credits, illustration numbers and titles etc. are in place. In case of drawings make sure to mark the orientation, scale, and drawingtitleswithoutfail.

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please ensure that the administration has your updated contact details. In case of changes, return to step 3. In case of approval from internal examiner,submitonespiralboundcopyandoneunboundcopyforthe externalexaminerandlibraryrespectively. Youwillalsohavetosubmit asoftcopyofyourthesisinpdfformaton aCD/DVDatthispointintime. A soft copy of the abstract of your thesis in no more than 300 words comprising of motivation/larger goal, problem statement, research method, findings and implications along with 5 key words should be submittedintheCD/DVD. Payyourvivafees. Wait for a call from the administration informing you of the dates of thevivavoce. Submit a synopsis of your thesis to the administration on the day of theviva. In case minor errors are pointed out in the viva voce, you might be asked to replace the relevant corrected pages in the library copy of yourthesis. After the viva voce, collect the no dues form from the administration andreturnedasignedversionofittocompletethethesisprocedure. Finally,youarereadytograduate!

THESISSUBMISSIONPROCEDURE
Onceyourthesisisreadyforsubmission 1. 2. 3. Get a copy of thesis approval and thesis declaration forms from the administration. Getthesignatureofyourguideinthethesisapprovalform. Submit one spiral bound copy of your thesis to the administration for internal examination. Please note that you need to have cleared all other subjects, electives, RSPs, interactive workshops and any other prerequisites for graduation before you submit your thesis. In case of any backlogs whatsoever, the thesis will be considered submitted on the day you clear all previous backlogs. Please account for this in your futureplans. In about 34 weeks time you will get a call from the administration informing you of the internal examiners decision. Needless to say, 8

WHATDOESTHEINTERNALEXAMINEREXAMINE?
The internal examiner looks for inconsistencies in your thesis argument and for deficienciesinthequalityofresearch.Spellingandgrammarerrors,incorrector missing citations, bibliography, titles and incomplete drawings are some of the most common reasons for the internal examiner to return your thesis without assessingitforinconsistenciesanddeficiencies. The internal examiner will approve of the thesis even if s/he does not agree with the content of the thesis as long as the argument is consistent and of a minimumquality.Theexaminerusuallyreferstoyourbibliographytogaugethe extentandqualityofyourresearch.Thequalityofyourthesisandthereforethe grades depend on your main analysis chapter. Try not to overdo the 9

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introduction/background chapter. An extensive introduction/background doesnt ensure a good thesis. In many cases an extensive introduction takes awayfromtheimportance/emphasisofyouranalysis. Numbersofpagesdonotmatteraslongastheresearchiscompleteinitself.Do not attempt to beef up the number of pages by including unnecessary backgroundwork.

THEVIVAVOCE
The viva voce is an examination of your skill in presenting and defending your research independent of the quality of the written document. It is also a platform to discuss issues ofarchitecture arising fromyour study. The viva voce usuallylasts1to1.5hours.Theexaminersmeetpriortothevivavocetodiscuss and grade the written document. This is followed by a 20 minute presentation by the student. Please remember that the examiners and the guide have already read your thesis. It is therefore suggested that rather than present the entire thesis, the viva voce is used as a platform to discuss and defend key findings and the validity of the research method employed. A synopsis of 2 pagescomprising oftext andgraphics is a prerequisite for the viva voce. Copies of this synopsis should be circulated amongst the audience. It is strongly recommended that you rehearse your presentation before the actual day. Do remember that your document has already been graded prior to the viva voce. It is a good practice to attend presentation by your thesis colleagues prior to yourownvivavoce!

Q. I havent met my guide for quite some time, so I will work a bit more before meetinghim/her. A.Youwillneverfeelpreparedenoughtomeetyourguide.Sojustgoahead;at themostyoumightfacethemusicforafewminutes. Q. I just cant get myself to read or write. Most of my time is spent at the canteen. A.Getoutofcampusforachange.Workfromhome,hostel,office. Q.IhaveputeverythingthatIhavereadanddoneduringresearchinmythesis. A. Doing research and writing the document are two separate things. There is absolutely noneed to give asummary ofhistory of mankind in the introduction of the thesis. Assume that your thesis will be read by senior architecture studentsorarchitects.Donotunderestimatetheirknowledge. Q.Icantseemtofindanybooks,researchpapersrelatedtomytopic. A.Ifyoufindabookorpaperwhichexactlymatchesyourtopic,thenthereisno point your doing the thesis. For all other cases, attend the architectural researchmethodscourse.

REFERENCES
School of Architecture, 1983. Thesis at School, School of Architecture: Ahmedabad.

FREQUENTLYFACEDPROBLEMS
Q.IhaveanareaofresearchinmindbutIdontknowwhattodonext. A.Attendthearchitecturalresearchmethodscourse Q.Idontknowwhomtoapproachtoguidemythesis. A.Talktoyourseniorsoranyofthecorefacultymembersandtheywillsuggest anappropriateperson.

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