1. „Thesis” course
The „Thesis” course may be signed up for in the beginning of the semester via the NEPTUN system after negotiating it with the internal tutor (supervisor). During the semester students have to give an account of the actual state of the thesis to the internal tutor at least three times, which is certified on the Consultation Sheet. The Consultation Sheet is made out and managed by the supervisor. The thesis can be submitted at the end of the semester after approving it by the supervisor on the Consultation Sheet. The grade gained for it is not identical with the grade of the evaluation of the Thesis, it is merely a grade of the „Thesis” course. The precondition of approving the course must be negotiated with the supervisor however in general 80% readiness of the thesis is the minimum requirement. The Consultation Sheet signed by the supervisor must be bound into the thesis!
2. After negotiating with the supervisor for the company providing for the thesis topic, the external tutor has to have the Form of Thesis Topic Announcement signed certifying that his/her company provides Thesis Topic for the student. Thesis Topic Announcement Form signed by the external tutor and the company must be delivered to the Department. In addition to this, the filled form without signature in MS Word file should be sent to beata.kover@eng.unideb.hu as soon as it is finalized but not later than the deadline. On the basis of this, the Thesis Sheet is constructed by the Department and it must be bound into the thesis. The data necessary for constructing the Thesis Sheet must be handed in at the department (in that case as well, if the company didn’t sign the Thesis Topic Announcement Form in time):
- name of the student,
- title of the thesis,
- tasks must be elaborated in some sentences, (commonly the same as the chapters of the thesis),
- name of the internal tutor (supervisor),
- name of the external tutor, name of the company,
- two chose subjects for the state exam (qv. state exam guide).
3. Plagiarism is strictly forbidden! Student has to sign the Plagiarism Statement must be bound into the thesis between the Thesis Sheet and the Consultation Sheet. The Plagiarism Statement must be filled electronic as well.
4. Formal Thesis Requirements (minimum number of pages, font style and size, prescriptions regarding the content, etc.) may be downloaded from the above mentioned website as well.
To be handed in: 1 bound copy of the Thesis.
In the thesis the following must be bound (in this sequence):
- Thesis Sheet (with serial number and the signature of the head of department) – can be required from the secretariat after the end of November (it is not the sheet signed by the company!),
- Plagiarism Statement – must be filled electronic and sign by the student,
- Consultation Sheet (issued and signed by the supervisor),
- occasional Confidential Agreement.
To be handed in with the thesis, but not bound:
- max. 1 page abstract* in English containing the name of the student, the title of the thesis, and the brief summary of the topic, with readable signature. This is however not identical with the “Summary” chapter of the thesis though obviously similar to its content. It contains the objective, the topics and tasks elaborated by the student, and the conclusion in some sentences regarding the topic respectively!
- max. 1 page abstract* in Hungarian containing the name of the student, the title of the thesis, and the brief summary of the topic, with readable signature,
- thesis in electronic version (tagged: name, major, title of thesis, date of state exam) on CD or DVD in MS Word or PDF format.
After the state exam the bound thesis will get back to the student.
Objective
These guidelines describe the formal principles that must be observed when writing thesis at the Faculty of Engineering. Adhering to these principles ensures comparability between different theses. Furthermore, this guidance provides you assistance to the successful elaboration and submission of the thesis.
General principles
Students majored in engineering have to write thesis for completing the academic studies. The successful elaboration and submission of the thesis is the condition of admission for the state exam. The aim of writing thesis is to systematize the theoretical and the professional knowledge of the candidates and to prove the skill in the field of constructing and seizing procedures. The thesis is a resolution of a real technical problem as an engineering task. The candidate proves by writing thesis that he/she is capable of working on engineering task independently. This is why the thesis must be elaborated and compiled with the greatest carefulness considering the specific requirements for format and structure.
The topics of the thesis are provided by the companies, firms, research institutes from their running tasks to be elaborated. Consequently, the appropriate solution of the engineering task is useful for the companies as well. Full and part time students can obtain thesis topic unaided from companies. The essay and experiment report made for the National Scientific Students’ Association Conference (“OTDK”) may be developed for degree thesis as well. For the elaboration of the thesis 3 weeks are ensured – stated in the model curriculum – after finishing the scheduled lessons in the term (before the examination period). Of course, there is opportunity to study the specialized literature and negotiate it with the supervisor earlier since the thesis topic has been issued previously. The candidate is supported by the internal tutor (supervisor) and the external tutor (supervisor) however the task must be solved individually. The internal supervisor assigned the details must be elaborated which could not be defined at the announcement of the thesis topic. The profoundness of the elaboration and the proportion of the parts are specified by the supervisors primarily and by the internal one. The thesis is pronounced by the supervisors to be appropriate for submission if it is completed and meets the formal, content and look requirements.
The structure of a paper should allow the reader to quickly gain an overview of its contents. It is thus important that the selected headings reflect the content in a concise way. The central theme should be clearly visible from the structure as presented in the table of contents.
Layout of the thesis:
The paper format is DIN A4, portrait orientation.
The thesis must be printed single-sided and bound in hardcover.
The page margin is 30 mm on left side to allow printing and binding.
The page margin is 20 mm on the right side.
The page margin is 25 mm on the top/bottom.
The recommended standard font and font size are the following:
Times New Roman CE 13, full justification
Arial CE 12, full justification
Line spacing is 1.5.
The content is structured in consecutively numbered chapters. Chapter sections and subsections should also be assigned a numerical index. E.g.: 1.Introduction 1.1. Problem definition 1.1.1. The method of inspection, measurement 1.1.1.1. Results, implication. The chapter structure should not have more than 4 hierarchical levels. Headings of the first hierarchy 14 points, bold; heading 2: 12 points, bold; heading 3: 12 points, bold and italic; heading 4: 12 points, italic. One section requires a minimum of two sub-sections or none at all.
Page numbers should be indicated on every page on the bottom / outside. Length of the thesis: The main body of the text of the thesis must be between 30-50 A4 pages in length. It contains about 1500 characters (including space characters) per page. The table of contents, the reference list and appendixes are not to be included in the count. Additional tables, calculations and graphs that are too voluminous for or not explicitly mentioned in the running text have to be placed in the appendix. Language of the thesis: The thesis in the English program must be written in English. Both UK and US spelling are possible.
Look of the thesis
The look of the thesis has to be nice with uniform appearance in some respect. This is why the following formal specifications have to be kept. The pages are not framed like a sizing record or a shop drawing. Text and figures must be built in the text.
The text has to be started with a table of contents. The table of contents (on a separated page) is followed by the list of the abbreviations and symbols. You should start the main text with an introduction that briefly and clearly outlines the topic of your work and the survey of the specialized literature. The candidate has to prove his/her proficiency in the topic. The text should be concise, clear and contain correct technical terms.
The figures and pictures have to be inserted into the Microsoft Word document. Tables and figures should be numbered and have a caption. Please be aware that also figures need to be referenced. In particular, please pay attention to copyright issues and the often-required permission to reprint figures.
The stressing and sizing procedures must be explained in the text in that way so that it can be followed by a non-professional person as well.
Before the main text begins, you should also include a list of abbreviations, a list of graphs and tables, and a list of formulas and symbols (in this order) that are used in your paper. They should also be listed in your table of contents. The list of abbreviations contains all the abbreviations that are used in the thesis except for those in common use like "e.g.", "etc.", "i.e.", which can be found in a standard dictionary. All abbreviated terms must be written out when they are first mentioned in the text.
Calculated and measured data should be compiled in a table placed either in the text or in the appendix with numbering and referring. Tables, graphs and formulas
Tables, graphs and formulas should be numbered continuously per section to make them uniquely identifiable. Example: Table 2.3 is the third table in chapter 2.
Tables and graphs are to be given a caption to characterize their content and should be explanatory by themselves. Example: Graph 3.4: Example of a table header (Source: Statistisches Bundesamt: Statistisches Jahrbuch 2008 für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Wiesbaden, September 2008, p. 58).
Additional tables and graphs that are too voluminous or are not explicitly mentioned in the running text must be placed in the appendix.
The formulas are numbered per section and the numbering must be stated on the right in parenthesis and right-justified.
Numbers
Numbers from zero to twelve should be written out.
To depict decimals use a point in English; thousands are separated by a comma in English (i.e. English: 1,234,567.89).
Units of measurement that do not follow a number are to be written out: “15 kg”, but “Kilogram is a unit of measurement.”
References
References must be displayed in the list of references. Clear references are of importance throughout the thesis and must be numbered eg. [4]. The numbering of the references is made from 1 to “n” in the order of appearances. Referring to own papers or assignments must also be in a proper way. The same applies to references from the Internet. The electronic references must be referred to in such a way that a reader can relocate your reference. The plagiarism is strictly forbidden.
The reference list must contain:
Last name and initials of the author's first name
Full title of the book, periodical or article
Publisher and place of publishing
Year of publishing For Example: [4] Budynas: Advanced Strength and Applied Stress Analysis Budapest, Mechanical Publisher, 2nd ed. 1998. p. 37-41.
Drawings
Drawings are made either by computer program or by hand and ink in on max. A/1 drawing sheet. All the drawings must be numbered. The drawing number consists of two parts. The first part corresponds with the serial number of the thesis (placed at the right top corner of the cover page). The other one numbered from 1000 is the number of the drawing according to the rules of drawing numbering (assembly drawing, part assembly drawing, shop drawing). The drawings must be fold into A/4 size and put into the bag formed in the internal side of the cover at the back. It is expedient to inform the bookbinder about the amount of drawings must be stored in it. Handing in, evaluation The thesis fulfilling the formal requirements has to be handed in to the internal supervisor in two copies on schedule. The hand in-date is indicated on the thesis sheet. The submission is approved by the signature of the supervisor. The print out has to be accompanied by an electronic version on a CD or DVD (word, pdf or image format). The thesis is evaluated by the two supervisors. The final mark is given by the Finals Committee. One 4 cm x 4 cm photo of the candidate must be bound on the internal side of the cover at the back.
Elaborating/submitting the Thesis
1. „Thesis” course The „Thesis” course may be signed up for in the beginning of the semester via the NEPTUN system after negotiating it with the internal tutor (supervisor). During the semester students have to give an account of the actual state of the thesis to the internal tutor at least three times, which is certified on the Consultation Sheet. The Consultation Sheet is made out and managed by the supervisor. The thesis can be submitted at the end of the semester after approving it by the supervisor on the Consultation Sheet. The grade gained for it is not identical with the grade of the evaluation of the Thesis, it is merely a grade of the „Thesis” course. The precondition of approving the course must be negotiated with the supervisor however in general 80% readiness of the thesis is the minimum requirement. The Consultation Sheet signed by the supervisor must be bound into the thesis!
2. After negotiating with the supervisor for the company providing for the thesis topic, the external tutor has to have the Form of Thesis Topic Announcement signed certifying that his/her company provides Thesis Topic for the student. Thesis Topic Announcement Form signed by the external tutor and the company must be delivered to the Department. In addition to this, the filled form without signature in MS Word file should be sent address as soon as it is finalized but not later than 14th November 2017. On the basis of this, the Thesis Sheet is constructed by the Department and it must be bound into the thesis. The data necessary for constructing the Thesis Sheet must be handed in at the department (in that case as well, if the company didn’t sign the Thesis Topic Announcement Form in time):