NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED BIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY

BSc Honours and MSc degree Dissertion Guidelines (Ammended July 2015)

1.1 General Structure and layout of dissertation

The report shall contain the following:

1.1.1 The Preliminaries:

1.1.1.1 Title page

This should indicate the approved title of the thesis, the candidate’s full name and
registration number, and an inscription “ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Applied Biology and
Biochemistry or Master of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ” followed by
Department of Applied biology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Applied Sciences, National
University of Science and Technology, month and year eg October, 2012. The outer Title page
shall duplicate the inner Title page except that it shall not bear the University logo and shall not
have the inscription “ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Applied Biology and Biochemistry or
Master of Science degree in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology ”

1.1.1.2 Abstract

This should be short and informative. It should cover what was done, what the results
were and the conclusion or inference that was reached.. It should be one page only and single
spaced. There should be no paragraphing in the abstract.

1.1.1.3 Table of contents

As the table of contents appears soon after the abstract, it should index these
preliminaries in Roman numerals. It does index, titles of divisions eg Introduction, Literature
review etc. and subdivisions of the thesis in Arabic numerals. Each heading should be single
spaced and double spacing used to separate the headings from each other.

1.1.1.4 Lists of tables, figures, appendices, abbreviations

These should appear on separate pages following Table of Contents. Each Table or
Figure heading should be single spaced with double space separating each Table or Figure
heading from the other. No terminal punctuation is used.

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1.1.1.5 Declaration

Each thesis should have a declaration of where the work was done. If parts of the work was not
done by you, the reasons why it was not done by you must be stated as well as where that part
was done. The declaration page follows immediately after the abstract page followed by an
acknowledgement page.

The declaration may be of the form:-

I, …….., declare that the work described in this thesis was carried out in the Department of ,
NUST, from (date) – (date). This work represents my own work and has not been reproduced
from someone’s work. Where use has been made of the work of others, it has been duly
acknowledged in the text.

Signed: ………………………….

Date………………………………

1.1.1.6 Acknowledgements

This section shall due credit to persons who would have made significant contributions
to the research e.g. supervisors, technical staff, financers, etc. No religious statements should
be made in this section. Double spacing should be used for typing this section and should not
be longer than one page.

1.1.1.7 Dedication

This section may come before the Title page. This may contain religious statements

1.2 The Text

The text should be printed on International A4 size paper in Times New Roman , size 12 font,
double spaced and right justified. There shall be a margin of 40 mm on the left hand side of the
page to allow for binding and 15-20 mm on the right hand side of the page. There shall also be
a 20 mm margin on the top and bottom of the page.

1.2.1 Introduction

An introduction should describe the background of the project i.e. historical and theoretical
background, the scope of the project, the objectives of the project defining the current
problem to be investigated and the hypothesis of the project (where applicable).
Literature review

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 The literature review presents the relevant theory and up-to-date knowledge
available in the literature related to the problem. Appropriate sections sub-sections
dealing different aspects of the work may be required here.
1.2.2 Materials and Methods

The methods used should be described in sufficient detail such that another worker
of similar competency could repeat the work. (In the Sciences, experimental
methods detailing the analytical methods and laboratory techniques should be
detailed. Do not list apparatus used but mention them in the text. It is useful to
identify equipment used down to the model.). Statistical methods used in the study
should also be included here.

1.2.3 Results

The results should be a factual description of experimental data generated through

observation and measurement by the candidate. The results should not be cluttered
by an attempt to interpret or discuss them. Tables and Figures should have headings
which fully describe their contents and should not duplicate each other. The
headings of tables should be written at the top whilst that of the figures should be
written at the bottom and should be of single line spacing. There is no limitation on
the size of the figures/graph and tables but these should not spill over to the next
page.
In quantitative work, it is important to show the degree of uncertainty and the
methods used to calculate these should be mentioned here. Appropriate units for all
quantities should be included here.
The Scale Rule that permits flexibility and rational convenience in stating quantities
should be followed. When a quantity is quoted to two or more significant figures,
the choice of unit should preferably allow its numerical component to fall between
1 and 100, but when only one significant is available, it should normally lie
between 1 and 10. For example, 32.8 mg rather than 0.0388 g or 38200 µg; and 10-
20 plants m-2 rather than 100 000-200 000 plants ha-1 should be written. The student
should familiarize himself/herself with multiples and submultiples for SI units i.e.
hecto, kilo, mega etc. or nano, micro, milli etc. Words should be used for numbers
up to ten and numerals for larger numbers (eg six metals were chosen and 12 fish
sacrificed).

1.2.4 Discussion,

This is the most important part of the thesis and should be treated as such. The
results obtained in the study should be related to existing knowledge and
interpretation and deductions drawn in a critical, objective and logical manner.
Results should be compared with published or other available values for similar
work citing the reference.

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 1.2.5 Conclusion

Often times, the study may not have conclusions as unsolved aspects of the study
emerge. It is therefore pertinent to include concluding remarks in the discussion and
also recommendations for further study. However, conclusions and
recommendations can be stand alone sections.

1.3 The References

Candidates must adhere strictly to the following guidelines in listing their references.
(List in alphabetical order; no numbering required) Use either full journal name or
accepted abbreviation of the journal but be consistent and not use both. Each reference is single
spaced but double spaces separate references. Punctuation should be consistent and should
follow the system shown below.

1.3.1 Citing in Reference list

1.3.1.1 From a journal:

Mwenje, E and Ride, J.P. 1999. Purification and characterization of an endo-

polygulacturonase (PG1) from and Zimbabwean species of Armillaria. Physiological and
Molecular Plant Pathology, 55:131 – 139.

1.3.1.2 From a Conference/Workshop Proceedings:

Siwela, A.H. and Caley, A.D. 1989. Aflatoxin contamination of stored groundnuts in
Zimbabwe. In Aflatoxin contamination of groundnuts: Proceedings of the International
Workshop, Hall, SD. (Ed.). ICRISAT Centre, India. Patacheru, A.P. 502 324, India pp 59-63.

1.3.1.3 From a book or book chapter:

Dhlamini, Z. 2009. Agricultural Biotechnology. In : Biosafety of Genetically modified

Organuisms: Basic concepts, methods and issues. Chowdhurry MKA, Hoque MI and Sonnino
A (Eds). FAO , Rome pp 1-50. .

1.3.1.4 From a book of Abstracts:

Ngwenya, N.R. 1994. Physico-chemical, nutritional and microbiological changes during

Marula (Slerocanya birrea) fruit juice fermentation. East, Central and Southern Africa Food
Science and Technology Conference. 20-22 September. Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. pp 5.

1.3.1.5 From a Thesis/Project:

Njikizana R. 2002. Developing a molecular based test for diagnosis and characterization of
New Castle disease virus. B.Sc. Hons Research Project, National University of Science and
Technology, Zimbabwe. 40 pp .

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1.3.1.6 From the world wide web/Internet page:
Mackenzie, K.S., Kubena, L.F., Denvir, A.J. ,Rogers, T.D. , Hitchens, G.D., Bailey, R.H.,
Harvey, R.B., Buckley, S.A. and Philips, T.D. 2003. Aflatoxicosis in turkey poults is
prevented by treatment of naturally contaminated corn with ozone generated by electrolysis
[on line]. Available from: http//www.ozoneapplications.com [Accessed 17 April 2003]
NB. It is important to indicate the date of access.

1.3.1.7 E-journal article

Sturve, J., Stephensen, E. and Forlin, L. 2005. Effect of redox cycling compounds on DT-
diaphorase actitivty in liver of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Comparative Hepatology,
[on line] 4: Accessed 15 January2007.
Insert page numbers , if known, as usual.

1.3.1.8 E-book

Dronke P. 1968. Medevial Latin and the rise of European love-lyric.[On line]. Oxford,
Oxford University Press. Available from: netlibrary http:/ wwwnetlibrary.com [Accessed 6
March 2008].

1.3.1.9 Internet Blog

Rotheram, B. 2008 Straws in the wind. Sounds Good 11 June [Internet blog]. Available from :
< http://web.mac..com/simonft/Sounds _Goog/Blog/Blog.html> [Accessed 24 June 2008].

1.3.1.10 Newspaper article

Although it is generally discouraged to quote newspapers, often times the newspaper may be
the only source of information.

Sunday News (or author if any) 2004. Government re-introduces DDT use for mosquito
control. Sunday News (issue number or page if any) 10 January.

1.3.1.12 Personal Communication

Often times, the source of information may be the spoken word and in this case, this may be
cited in text but not listed in the reference list (see References in text). Extensive citing of
personal communications is discouraged.

1.3.1.13 References in text

References in the text are cited as Black and White (1990) or (Black and White, 1990). A
series of references in the text should appear in chronological order, e.g., (White and Black
1989; Black and White 1990). References having three or more authors are cited Black et al.,
1990. References to papers by the same authors in the same year are distinguished by letters a,
b, c, etc. (e.g., 1988a, or 1990a,b,c). Author’s initials should only be used when two or more
authors being cited have the same surname and have published in the same year, in which case
they should be identified by initials in order to avoid confusion. Publications having no
obvious authors are cited as (Anon, 1990) in the text and bibliography. Citations from personal
communications are written (B.D. Jones, personal communication). At the end of the
manuscript, all references in the text except personal communications are listed alphabetically.

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No numbering is required. References with three or more authors should be placed in
chronological order after taking account of the names of the first and second authors. The
candidate must ensure that references cited in the text agree with those listed in the
bibliography. Author’s initials should only be used when two or more authors being cited have
the same surname and have published in the same year, in which case they should be identified
by initials in order to avoid confusion.
Secondary citing or referencing is discouraged but may be used to a limited extent. This is
when an author cites a piece of work mentioned or quoted within another author’s work but has
not actually seen the original source themselves. In the text cite both the original source and the
secondary source where you actually read about it, using
the words ‘quoted in’ or ‘cited in’.

1.4. Appendices.

The appendices contain material that would clutter the text such as forms used to collect data,
raw data such as absorbencies, calculations, derivations, notes, published papers submitted in
support of thesis, extensive computer output or other similar material.

1.5 Length of the thesis

1.5.1 The length of the thesis shall be determined in consultation with the supervisor but
the following shall generally apply:

1.5.2 A BSc thesis shall be between 20 and 40 pages long including the reference
list but excluding the appendices. There are no strict guidelines on the length of each
section. However, in general, the abstract should be no more than 1 page single spaced;
Introduction - no more than 5 pages; Literature review – about one third of the thesis ie
around 6-12 pages; Methodology - about 3-6 pages; Results - about 3-6 pages;
Discussion - about 3-6 pages; Conclusions and recommendations (if any) - about 1-3
pages. The remainder shall be references.

1.5.3 An M.Sc thesis shall be between 30 and 60 pages long including the reference
list but excluding the appendices. There are no strict guidelines on the length of each section.
However, in general, the abstract should be no more than 1 page single spaced; Introduction - no
more than 5 pages; Literature review - about one third of the thesis ie around 10-20 pages;
Methodology - about 5-10 pages; Results - about 5-10 pages; Discussion - about 5-10 pages;
Conclusions and recommendations (if any) - about 3-5 pages. The remainder shall be references.

1.6 Binding of thesis.

1.6.1. Two spiral bound copies (for easy handling) shall be submitted for examination.

1.6.2 The final MSc thesis (3 copies) shall be bound in sky blue hard cover, lettered boldly in
gold down he back or spine indicating the degree (starting 20 cm from the top edge)
name (centre of spine) and year (ending 20 cm from the bottom edge). The sky blue
cover shall bear the title of the thesis at the top, name of candidate in the centre and year
at the bottom. It is usually polite for the candidate to bind an extra copy for supervisor(s)

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 not forgetting himself/herself.

Prof A.H. Siwela

MSc Programme coordinator