Thesis/Directed Project Report Requirements

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Introduction

This web page is provided to CIT graduate students and faculty as checklists for:

• the PROCESS of completing your thesis or directed project report
• the FORMAT of your thesis or directed project report

These checklists have been compiled from various sources. They will help you avoid common mistakes that can delay your graduation until a future semester.

TECH 646 (a course taken by most CIT graduate students) assists the student in developing their proposal and therefore covers how to format the thesis or directed project report. If you did not take that course, the following provides some guidelines you should follow to ensure your thesis or directed project report is acceptably formatted.

Thesis and Directed Project Templates

Theses and directed projects follow the same structure and formatting rules. Most students use either Microsoft Word or LaTeK to develop their thesis or directed project report. The Graduate School has developed templates to make formatting less cumbersome.

• Students who prefer Microsoft Word should use one of the following Word Thesis Templates from the Graduate School's website. The Graduate School also conducts seminars on the use of these templates, and following the formatting requirements.

• Students who prefer LaTeK should NOT use the LaTeK template provided by the university through the College of Engineering. Instead, they should use this Purdue Polytechnic Institute endorsed LaTeK Thesis Template.

Note that there are a few things that the Word template will not do. Even when using the thesis template, students must:

• Ensure that tables do NOT include vertical lines.
• Properly format captions for tables and figures (including proper italics for each).
• Ensure proper tabs for each paragraph and proper hanging indents on references.

Other specifics of the format can be seen in this example document that can be used as a guide for formatting theses.

Required Formatting Review for Theses and Directed Project Reports

Students are required to meet with the CIT Thesis and Directed Project Format Advisor, Professor Jeff Whitten, at least two days before they defend their thesis or direct project. This formatting appointment is mandatory. If you do not meet with the CIT Thesis Advisor and get the appropriate approval signature on the Form 9, you will not graduate on time. The Thesis Formatting Review requires the following steps:

1. Schedule the formatting meeting to occur before the thesis defense. This meeting should be scheduled through the CIT Program Coordinator, Kari Ludwig, at the same time as you schedule your actual defense (= final examination).
2. Submit an electronic copy of the thesis or directed project final report via email to the Thesis/DP Advisor two days prior to the review meeting for submission to the iThenticate plagiarism checking software.
3. Attend the Thesis review meeting. Failure to attend the meeting will delay your graduation.

Providing an iThenticate Copy

Two days prior to your scheduled Thesis Advising appointment, you should email a complete copy of your thesis as a single Word or PDF document with no images to the CIT Thesis Advisor. After receiving your document, the Thesis Advisor will submit your electronic document using the iThenticate application to verify there is no plagiarism within the document. At the Thesis Advising appointment you will be able to review the results of the check as well as receive the electronic results.

Attending the Formatting Appointment

When a student goes to the Thesis or Directed Project Advising meeting, she or he should bring:

1. A 100% complete, unbound printed copy of the thesis or directed project final report.
2. A digital copy on a USB drive.
3. At least one copy of the GS Form 9 for Thesis Advisor to sign (applies only to a thesis, not a directed project)

Thesis or Directed Project Report Pre-review

If a student is in doubt whether their document is formatted correctly, they may email a sample from their thesis to the Thesis Format Advisor for review and comment. Please allow one week for a response. “Pre-review” meetings are also a possibility. Schedule such meetings through the Program Coordinator, Kari Ludwig.

Thesis and Directed Project Report Format Checklist

For your convenience, a CIT Thesis and Directed Project Report Checklist, in printable PDF format, is provided via the link in this sentence.