PROJECT, THESIS, AND DISSERTATION:
FORMAT GUIDELINES
 
I. Introduction / II. Deadlines / III. Deposit procedures / IV. Copyright /
V. Plagiarism / VI. Faculty, department and degree titles / VII. Library resources use / VIII. Format requirements / IX. Mathematical expressions/equations / X. Citations and referencing styles / XI. Technical information / XII. Theses samples
I. INTRODUCTION
The Project, Thesis, and Dissertation guide aims to insure that the same layout is adopted across all faculties at the University of Balamand. This guide addresses only matters of format and presentation, such as arrangement of content, pages, spacing, headings and referencing. The final work shall be approved by all jury members with regards to quality and content.
If a student has questions regarding the form at of the project/thesis after reading through the directions and examples in this guide, he/she may contact the Graduate Services Office (Issam Fares Library Learning Center, Office 012, Ext. 4044, e-mail: graduate.services@balamand.edu.lb). It is advisable to ask questions at the beginning of the writing process to avoid any extensive modifications later.

 
II. DEADLINES
The deadline for submitting the final work to the Library, as required by the Registrar's Office, would be the date on which the semester ends. In exceptional cases, and with the approval of the Supervisor, the Chairman of the Department, and the Faculty Dean, the graduate student may be allowed to make an incomplete work and present the final submission before the drop/add period of the next semester.


III. DEPOSIT PROCEDURES
Before the defense:
  • First meeting:
    A soft copy of the work and the full TURNITIN report must be submitted to the Graduate Services Supervisor in the library for correction and verification at least ONE MONTH (for projects/theses of two semesters) and TWO WEEKS (for projects/theses of one semester).  

  • Second meeting:
    Once the corrections are applied and the TURNITIN report is received, the Graduate Services Supervisor confirms that the student(s) is/are ready to defend.
    N.B.: As per the University Council, 15% is the maximum percentage allowed; in case it is more, it should be justified by the supervisor.

After the defense:
  1. Once all revisions required by the Jury/Committee and the Library have been made, the graduate student(s) should:
    1. Get the electronic signatures of the supervisor and assigned moderators on the “Signature Page” as final approval.
    2. Submit a soft copy of the final manuscript in PDF to the Library within the deadline set by the Registrar’s Office (check section II).
    3. Fill, sign, and submit theProject/Thesis/Dissertation Deposit Form (English-French-Arabic)by the student(s) and the supervisor.
  2. After checking the documents, the Graduate Services Supervisor signs and sends the Deposit Form to the respective Dean’s Office for graduation procedures.


IV. COPYRIGHT
Students are required to submit a copy of their work to the University of Balamand Libraries for preservation and research purposes in order to make it available to the public. Students are required to sign the Project/Thesis/Dissertation Deposit Form, which includes a non-exclusive copyright release that gives the University the right to:
  • Deposit a copy in the UOB Libraries and in not-for-profit repositories when required;
  • Make the work openly accessible to the public in any medium for research and educational purposes only;
  • Reproduce, copy, and/or translate the work in print or electronic formats without changing the content for preservation and access purposes.
Any subsequent agreement including publishing contracts should take into consideration the above-mentioned rights and respect the eligibility of the University to exercise these rights as permitted by the laws.
V. PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty, means intentionally or unintentionally carelessly passing off another person’s work as one’s own. It is taking and using information, ideas, opinions, theories or another person’s actual words without acknowledging the source, thereby creating the impression that the work is one’s own. The Graduate Services Supervisor will randomly check proper citation to ensure that the work doesn’t involve plagiarism. In the case of plagiarism suspicion, the librarian notifies the supervisor in order to revise the work with the student and provide justifications. Plagiarism is entirely prohibited by law; therefore, any form of plagiarism used in the work is subject to the annulment of the entire work. Hence, students will certify that:
  • They read, understood, and agree to the content of Appendix B in the University of Balamand Student Handbook
  • They understood that failure to comply with this policy could lead to academic and disciplinary actions.
  • The work is substantially original, where all sources used in their manuscript are properly acknowledged, by using in-text citations and list of references.

VI. FACULTY, DEPARTMENT, AND DEGREE TITLES
The following link lists the Faculty, Department and Degree Titles as set by the Admission’s Office.

VII. LIBRARY RESOURCES USE
The usage of any resources and services made available to users by the University of Balamand Libraries are subject to the following conditions. Users are asked to:
  • Adhere to the regulations governing the use of any service involved in the provisions of access to the resources whether these services are controlled by the Library, the University or any other organization.
  • Do not remove or alter the copyright statement on any copy or output from resources used by the user.
  • Ensure the security and integrity of any copy released to the user.
  • Use the resources only for research and educational purposes, on copyrighted computer systems or networks.
  • Do not reverse, engineer, decompile the software products, or attempt to do so unless this is explicitly permitted within the terms of the agreement for the use of the resources.
For the above-defined reasons, the user shall use the resource or part of it in any produced work.
  • to the extent authorized by law;
  • with the express permission of the licensor;
  • or under the permission of a specific and mutual agreement.

VIII. FORMAT REQUIRMENTS
  1. Text Formatting
    Paper size A4.

    Font type:
    • Times New Roman (English and French)
    • Traditional Arabic (Arabic)

    Font size:
     Project/Thesis title and subtitle
    Chapters’ title (1st level headings) and 2nd level headings:
      • 14 point (English and French)
      • 18 point (Arabic).
    All text
    • 12 point (English and French)
    • 16 point (Arabic). الخط المناسب
    N.B.: Boldface type may be used in the headings of the preliminary pages, i.e. title page, signature page, acknowledgements, etc…, but not in the body of the text.
  2. Margins
    • Right, Left, Top, and Bottom: 1 inch (2.54 cm).
    • Page numbers are the only items that appear in the top right header for English and French, and in the top left header for Arabic.
    • Do not justify, align text left ONLY and leave right margin ragged all through the work.

  3. Spacing and Indentation Preliminary pages, tables, figures and appendices:
    • English & French: One-and-a-half space (1.5)
    • Arabic: Single space (1)
    Table of contents: Follow the sample posted in section XII as per font size, spacing, indentation, bold/italic characters, underline, capitalization and upper/lower case.
    N.B. For the list of tables, figures, and abbreviations use a table format but do not forget to remove the gridlines.
    Footnotes: Single space (1), font size (10)
    Body:
    • English & French: Double space (2.0)
    • Arabic: EXACTLY 32 pt.
    • Paragraph indentation of 0.5 inch (1.27 cm).
    • No indentation for headings and/or subheadings.
    • One blank line before each heading and subheading section.
    • NO BLANK line between heading and/or subheading and the text that follows.
    • One blank line after Tables/Figures.
    References:
    • English & French: Double spacing (2.0). Alignment left margin only.
    • Arabic: EXACTLY 32pt. Alignment right.
    • Hanging indent of 0.5 inch (1.27cm)

  4. Numbering of pages
    Preliminary pages:
    • Title page, signature page, acknowledgments, abstract, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, etc… Small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv…) are placed at the upper right-hand corner, ½ inch (1.27cm) up from the top edge of the page (header margin).
    • Title page is considered page "i" but is not numbered. The next page is "ii" and continues until first page of the text.

    The rest of the work:
    • Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3…) are used starting the first page of the text (Chapter 1: Introduction) all through the appendices and placed at the upper right-hand corner, 0.5 inch (1.27cm) up from the top edge of the page (header margin).

  5. Footnotes
    • Limit the use of footnotes, unless they are important enough to give more information or explanation to the main document.
    • Use footnotes as explanatory, supplementary notes or personal commentary of the author that does not belong in the main text; as well as to acknowledge copyright permission status. Footnotes should not include complicated, irrelevant or non-essential information.
    • DO NOT use footnotes for referencing or bibliographic citations.

  6. Figures
    • Figures include photographs, charts, graphs, maps, diagrams and drawings.
    • Figures’ captions must appear centered below the figure, containing the figure number according to chapter and sequence, i.e. the first figure in Chapter 1 would be Figure 1.1, the second Figure 1.2, and so on. The figure caption is in upper and lower case, bold, and 10 pt. font size. Use 1.5 as line spacing.
      Example: Figure 1.3: The Variations in Scholastic Performance
    • Figures placed in landscape position (oversized figures) on the page should be oriented so that the top is on the left margin. The caption must also be placed in the same orientation.

  7. Tables
    • Tables’ titles must appear centered above the table and contain the table number according to chapter and sequence, i.e. the first table in Chapter 1 would be Table 1.1, the second Table 1.2, and so on. The table title is in upper and lower case, bold, and 10 pt. font size. Use 1.5 as line spacing.
      Example: Table 2.1: Percentage of Dropouts across Ten Years
    • Tables placed in landscape position on the page should be oriented so that the top is on the left margin. The table title must also be placed in the same orientation.
    • Explanation of each term and sign used is compulsory with the table when needed.

  8. Formatting Figures and Tables
    • The figure caption serves as both title as well as explanation of the figure.
    • Give a brief but clear and explanatory title to every table.
    • Remember to include an acknowledgement of the source in the caption/note of any figure/table you use, and state the copyright if available; also cite the source in the list of references.
    • Use a capitalization scheme when you refer to figures or tables within your text. For example, use “Figure” or “Table” throughout your document. Example: In Figure 2.1 note that…
    • In cases where numerous figures or tables would disrupt the flow of the text, group them at the end of the chapter, in the order they appear in the text.
    • Oversized figures/tables:
      • If you have trouble fitting a large figure/table within the margins, place the figure/table, its number, and its caption/title sideways (landscape position) on the page. Example.

  9. Major Headings & Subheadings
    • Levels of headings and subheadings establish the hierarchy of sections in order to orient the reader.
    • Headings function as an outline to reveal the organization of the workflow.
    • One to five levels of headings can be used depending on the structure of the work.
    • Each chapter should begin on a new page while the pagination is continuous.

    The format of the five levels of headings is as follows:
    Heading level 1: Chapter title: centered uppercase (bold; 14pt.) (Arabic: 18pt.)
    Heading level 2: Regular upper and lower case (regular; 14pt.) (Arabic: 18pt.)
    Heading level 3: Italics upper and lower case (italics; 12pt.) (Arabic: 16pt.)
    Heading level 4: Regular lower case (underlined; 12pt.) (Arabic: 16pt.)
    Heading level 5: Regular lower case (regular; 12pt.) (Arabic: 16pt.)

    EXAMPLE:
    Level 1:
    CHAPTER 3
    ASSESSMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

    Level 2:   3.1 Aggregate Economic Growth
    Level 3:   3.1.1 Developments in the External Trade Sector
    Level 4:   3.1.1.1 Exports and imports by country
    Level 5:   3.1.1.1.1 Export revenues
    مستوى العنوان الأول:        الفصل الثاني: دراسة وضع المصطلحات
    مستوى العنوان الثاني:        2.1 وضع المصطلحات
    مستوى العنوان الثالث:            2.1.1 الاشتقاق
    مستوى العنوان الرابع:            2.1.1.1  نماذج
    مستوى العنوان الخامس:          2.1.1.1.1 النموذج الاول

     
  10. Translation of Headings
    Signature Page Forme d’Approbation استمارة الموافقة
    Acknowledgements Remerciements الشكر / الاهداء
    Abstract Résumé مستخلص
    Table of Contents Table des Matières المحتويات
    List of Abbreviations Liste d’Abbreviations لائحة المختصرات
    List of Tables Liste des Tableaux لائحة الجداول
    List of Figures Liste des Figures لائحة الرسوم
    Chapter 1 Chapitre 1 الفصل الأول
    Conclusion Conclusion الخاتمة
    References Références ثبت المراجع والمصادر
    Appendix Annexe ملحق


IX. MATHEMATICAL EXPRESSIONS/EQUATIONS
  • If the text contains more than one equation, then equations of key importance should be numbered consecutively in parentheses at the right margin.
  • Derivations of equations or examples where values are substituted for variables need not be numbered.
    • An equation shall be referenced in the text by the word Equation and its number:

  • f(x)=x+3 (XX.YY)
    Where XX is the chapter number and YY is the sequence number of that equation in that chapter.
  • If an equation is previously quoted in an earlier chapter, say as Equation 4.5 and need to be re-quoted in chapter 5, its number will remain as Equation 4.5.
  • If referring to two or more equations in the same sentence, each should be named separately. For example, use “see (2.1), (2.2), and (3.2)” instead of “see Equations (1) through (3).”
  • When referring to an equation, use the word “Equation” to begin a sentence [Equation (2.4) proves…], but within a text mention the number within parenthesis [As calculated above in (2.3)…].
  • Although the stacked style of fractions is preferred, exceptions shall be made in the text to avoid printing more than two lines of type. For example,
  • The general rules regarding the use of upright and italic text in equations are as follows:
    1. Quantity symbols (including the symbols for physical constants), subscripts or superscripts representing symbols for quantities, mathematical variables, and indexes are set in italic text.
    2. Unit symbols, mathematical constants, mathematical functions, abbreviations, and numerals are set in upright text.
Example 1:  

X. CITATIONS AND REFERENCING STYLES
STYLE FACULTY OF DEPARTMENT

American Psychological Association (APA) Numeric Sorting Style Manual
Engineering

Medicine and Medical
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Engineering Management
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Biomedical Sciences

American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual
Arts and Sciences

Business and Management
  • Education
  • Physical Education
  • Psychology
  • Mass Media and Communication
  • Business and Management
  • Accounting and Finance
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics
  • Chemistry
  • Biology
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Food Science and Technology
  • Library and Information Science
  • Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage Management

Chicago Style
Arts and Sciences
  • Political Science and International Affairs

The Modern Language Association (MLA) Style Manual
Saint John of Damascus Institute of Theology

Arts and Sciences
  • Theology
  • Languages, Translation
  • Arabic Language and Literature
  • English Language and Literature
  • French Language and Literature
  • History
  • Philosophy
  • Christian Muslim Studies

Vancouver Style
Health Sciences
  • Clinical Laboratory Sciences


XI.TECHNICAL INFORMATION
  1. Formatting mathematical expressions/equations.
  2. Formatting page numbers.


XII. THESES SAMPLES

For more information about citations and styles, kindly refer to the resources available at Issam Fares Library Learning Center.

Updated September 2020