M. Sc.

GEOLOGY
and
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY
DISSERTATION
GUIDELINE
2
 M. Sc. GEOLOGY
and
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY
DISSERTATION GUIDELINE
(Revised Edition)

Published by:

CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

Kirtipur, Kathmandu
NEPAL
2018

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 Message from the Head of the Department

The dissertation research is mandatory for all M. Sc. Geology and

Engineering Geology students of Tribhuvan University in partial
fulfillment for the award of the degree of Master of Science in
Geology/Engineering Geology. In order to make all dissertation
researches standard and uniform, this guideline has been prepared.
I hope this will help students to write their master thesis in
systematic and scientific way. I also hope that this will provide a
baseline for the scientific writing to the students in the future as a
professional in the field of Geology/Engineering Geology.

I would like to thank Associate Professor Dr. Khum Narayan

Paudayal for preparing this guideline.

Dr. Lalu Paudel

Head
Central Department of Geology
Tribhuvan University
Kirtipur, Kathmandu
NEPAL

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6
 CONTENTS

SECTION-I
INTRODUCTION 9
1.1. Background 9
1.2. Implementation of dissertation guideline 9
1.3. Minimum requirement of the dissertation 10

SECTION-II
PROCEDURE, STYLE AND FORMAT 11

SECTION-III
DISSETATION RESEARCH PROPOSAL WRITING
3.1. Format of the dissertation research proposal 16

SECTION-IV
DISSERTATION FORMAT 21
4.1. Technical specification 21
4.2. Citation of literature 27
4.3. Scientific writing 29
4.4. Binding 32
4.5. Order of dissertation contents 32

SECTION-V
DISSERTATION SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION
PROCEDURE 50
5.1. First two copies of submission 50
5.2. Examination through the open defense and viva 50
5.3. Evaluation 51
5.4. Final Submission after corporation the comments 52

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APPENDICES
Appendix-I. Title and cover page sample
Appendix-II. Recommendation from the supervisor(s)
Appendix-III. Letter of acceptance from the Head of the
Department
Appendix-IV. Board of examiners

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 SECTION-I
INTRODUCTION

1.1. Background

Tribhuvan University started Bachelors in Geology (B. Sc.) at the

Tri-Chandra Campus in 2024 B. S. and Masters in Geology (M.
Sc.) in 2032 B. S. In 2042 B. S. the Central Department of
Geology (CDG) was established to conduct M. Sc. program at the
premises of Tribhuvan University at Kirtipur. Since its beginning
of the masters level the dissertation research is mandatory for all
M. Sc. Geology students of Tribhuvan University in partial
fulfillment for the award of the degree of Master of Science in
Geology. The Central Department of Geology started M. Sc. in
Engineering Geology since 2072 B. S. To make the dissertation
uniform, standard and authentic this guideline has been prepared.
This guideline follows current international trends and norms of
the scientific writing in Geology/Engineering Geology related
dissertations. This includes the general procedure to be followed
prior and during inception of research, field work, laboratory
work, dissertation writing, submission and evaluation.

1.2. Implementation of dissertation guideline

This guideline has been prepared by the CDG as per the

curriculum requirement of the Tribhuvan University. The CDG
and Dean's office, Institute of Science and Technology will
monitor the implementation of this guideline. The Central
Department of Geology reserves the right to explain, extend and
amend the guideline as and when required.

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1.3. Minimum requirement of the dissertation

a. The copyright authority of the M. Sc. Geology/Engineering

geology dissertation is reserved to Tribhuvan University.

b. The dissertation must provide a distinct contribution to the

knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality as a
part of field work as well as laboratory experiments. It must be of
a satisfactory literary standard and must be suitable for
publication as a dissertation of Tribhuvan University.

c. The dissertation must consist of the student's account of his/her

own research. A student will not be permitted to submit a
dissertation consisting wholly of the work for which a degree has
been conferred on him/her in this or any other University.

d. The research proposal and dissertation must be submitted in a

form as prescribed in this document.

e. It is candidate's responsibility to prepare and assemble all

material for the dissertation, and to have the pages of the
dissertation in a correct order.

f. Close attention should be paid by the students so that the text

and all illustrative materials should be clear and free of errors.
The format and technical specification should be as guided by this
document.

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 SECTION-II
PROCEDURE, STYLE AND FORMAT

STEP 1: Inception of the dissertation proposal

M. Sc. Geology/Engineering Geology students when admitted to

fourth semester will be notified by the department to submit their
intention in the possible areas of dissertation research related to
their field of study as per M. Sc. Geology/Engineering Geology
curriculum. The student should submit the outline of the research
concept on his/her dissertation research.

STEP 2: Appointment of supervisor (s)

The head of the department of the CDG will appoint faculty

members or experts with at least Masters or higher degree in
Geology and related field, as supervisor (s). The basis of selection
of supervisor (s) generally will be based on their expertise related
to intended dissertation research. However, the main supervisor
must be full time faculty member of CDG.

STEP 3: Proposal writing, defense and approval of the

dissertation proposal

After official announcements, the student shall write and prepare

the proposal of dissertation research under the guidance of main
supervisor and with consultation to other supervisors. The
proposal of dissertation must be written in a standard format
given by this guideline. The CDG will call for open defense of the
proposals of dissertation research. The head of the CDG will chair
the committee and all faculties (and, if required experts from the
related field from outside) will be the members. The committee
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will approve the proposal. If necessary, the student shall be asked
to do corrections and amendments before the approval of the
proposal. Under special circumstances, the head of the department
can amend or revise the approved proposal in consultation with
concerned student and supervisors. In the case of any dispute or
difficulties, the final decision will be made by the head of the
department in regards of dissertation research. The student must
work as per approved or amended proposal and must follow the
instructions from the head of the department.

STEP 4: Field work

After the proposal of the dissertation research is completed the

student along with the consultation of his/her supervisors the
student should prepare for the field work. The dissertation will
ordinarily include from four to six weeks of fieldwork. The
dissertation supervisor will accompany the student to train the
basic concepts of mapping, sampling, data collection and
computing procedures in the field. The supervisor may stay in
field with the student for 1 to 2 weeks. Necessary field
equipments (if available) will be provided by the CDG for entire
field work. The students are responsible for the care of the
apparatus and equipments.

STEP 5: Laboratory work

After the field work is over the supervisor will guide the student
for the analysis of the collected data at the CDG laboratory. The
head of the CDG will contact the possible laboratories for further
analysis, if such facilities are not available at CDG. In such case
the students will be posted to the identified laboratories and such
laboratories should be well equipped, government recognized and
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also recognized by the CDG and Tribhuvan University. The
student will make close contact with supervisors for the entire
period of field work, laboratory analysis and dissertation writing.

STEP 6: Progress report

The progress report of the dissertation will be submitted by the

student to the head of the department of CDG through his/her
supervisors.

STEP 7: Dissertation write up

After the completion of field work as well as the laboratory work

or having enough data acquired for writing dissertation the
student will be informed to write up the outcome of their research
in a standard format.

STEP 8: Dissertation and manuscript submission

The dissertation shall be accepted two times a year through

his/her supervisor. Exact submission deadline will be announced
by the CDG each time. The student must submit at least two
copies loose bound or spiral bound of well prepared and duly
signed dissertation to the CDG for the approval. A manuscript
based on research also should be submitted for publication along
with the dissertation. If any student has submitted his/her
manuscript to any other academic journal, he/she should submit
the evidence of submission or acceptance to CDG. Submitted
manuscripts will be published in Bulletin of Department of
Geology after peer review process. The head of the department of
CDG will approve and will forward for the further process of
examination and evaluation of the dissertation and manuscripts on

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the basis of this guideline. The approval authority can return the
dissertation or/and manuscript to the student for necessary
amendments before its approval. The student should correct the
dissertation or/and manuscript and resubmit it to CDG within one
week.

STEP 9: Evaluation and date of viva-voce defense

The dissertation will be forwarded to internal examiner (one of

the full time faculty member of the CDG at least having M. Sc.
degree in Geology) and external examiner (appointed by Dean's
office, Institute of Science and technology, Tribhuvan University
from the roaster of dissertation examiners). The CDG will publish
the date of examination and viva-voce open defense. In general,
viva-voce open defense shall not be conducted before 7 days of
appointment of an external examiner.

STEP 10: Examination through open defense

The examination through open viva-voce defense will be held at

CDG. The dissertation will be evaluated at the public defense by
the panel of external and internal examiners, head of the
department and supervisors. However, the concerned authority of
Tribhuvan University may attend the defense as an observer.

STEP 11: Corrections and incorporation of comments

All the errors in the dissertation will be corrected by the student as

per necessary instructions given by the examiners. The marks will
not be sent to the Dean’s office until the corrected copies of
dissertation are received.

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STEP 12: Final submission/resubmission

If the dissertation is rejected with major errors either in

methodology and data, interpretation of results, the student is
required to resubmit his/her dissertation in the next session. In
case of minor corrections, final dissertation should be submitted
within one month of the examination date. After corrections and
signing the final 2 copies of dissertation, it should be submitted to
CDG. A soft copy of whole dissertation in CD in MS word or
PDF format should be submitted to the CDG. Only after the final
submission and approval of the dissertation, evaluation marks will
be sent to the examination section of Dean's office, Institute of
Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University.

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 SECTION-III
DISSETATION RESEARCH PROPOSAL WRITING

Dissertation research proposal should be written in standard

format as mentioned in this document. The proposal must be
submitted for the original research work. There must not be
duplication or replication of previously accepted or published
research work. The research should be based on field work as well
as laboratory work on respective specialized field of geology and
should be focused on field mapping, sample collection, laboratory
analysis of samples and data analysis techniques. The result
obtained from such study should be compared with one or more
standard methods to check the validity of the result.

The body of the research proposal shall not exceed 10 pages. This
pagination does not include the title page, summary, and
appendices. The proposal should be written in similar format as
given in the dissertation write up.

3.1. Format of the dissertation research proposals

1. Title page

The title sheet includes the information ordinarily encountered on

title page of the dissertation except that the proposal should be
labeled as a dissertation proposal, not as a dissertation. The title
should be concise generally within 20 words as far as possible.

2. Summary

The proposal summary is expected to be brief (not to exceed 350

words) and should be summarizing the following sub-topics such
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as introduction or background, problems, objectives, literature
review, methodology, expected results, work plan and references.

3. Introduction

This section introduces the domain of the study and provides

general overview of the circumstances, issues and background of
the investigation. The introduction section should include:
Background of the study and statement of the problem and
location of the study area. Introduction is normally 1-2 pages.

4. Literature review

This section should be brief and specific but critical review of

relevant and recent literature directly and/or closely related to the
research theme of the dissertation. The student shall review
current and relevant journal articles, books and other sources
(dissertations, conference proceedings). The student should
review all full length original articles of the study area, if
available. While reviewing the literature, dissertation work done
by previous students of CDG should also be thoroughly reviewed.
Reference should be given for each statement in a standard format
as mentioned and establish relevancy of his/her proposed research.

5. Objectives

This section should be written in bullet form or in a paragraph

form without sub-headings. While writing this section the
referencing should be done and for each statement the reference
shall be written in bracket as mentioned in reference section of
this document. The statement shall highlight why the present
research is proposed and what is the genesis of the research

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problem. While writing objectives, the use of action oriented
verbs are discouraged rather result oriented verbs are encouraged.
General objective should be directly relevant to the title of
dissertation proposal. Specific objectives should be clear, concise
and pin pointed (maximum 5 points based on hypothesis).

6. Methodology

The research methodology includes the procedure of the study.

Duration and type of field work and laboratory work should
clearly be indicated. Type of study, duration, laboratory setting
and research design should be given without subheading in a
journal article writing style. However, samples and sampling
methods, experimental methods or laboratory methods and data
collection methods should be described in detail with separate
subheadings as and when required. The method section should be
described under subheadings- field mapping, sample collection,
transportation, preservation, laboratory analysis and or secondary
data collection and analysis. The experimental procedures should
be described in detail in order to meet the objective of the study.
Research flow diagram should be included for the overview of the
research procedures.

If previously reported methods will be used for the experimental

work for each performed method reference should be given. The
reference shall be written in bracket as mentioned in reference
section of this document. Generally, at least techniques adapted in
the field and the sample preparation procedures shall be
mentioned. Separated list of the instrument and chemicals is not
required in this section but that can be listed in appendix.
Statistical analysis methods shall not be described in detail.

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However, if required the statistical tools and techniques used for
data analysis or verification shall be mentioned briefly.

8. Expected outcome

Possible outcome of the proposed research should be postulated in

this section. Expected outcome include enhancement in academic
knowledge in proposed area of the study, utility of the research
and direct or indirect beneficiaries or as major discovery.

9. Time frame of the study

Proposed time frame and activities of the study should be

presented in this section. The time frame may vary according to
the topic of the proposed research. Time frame for literature
review, field work, laboratory analysis, data synthesis and time
needed for writing thesis should be calculated accordingly.

10. Budgeting

Budgeting should be presented stating the expenses expected in

the proposed research specially, the expenses of consumables and
laboratory supplies. Budget can be mentioned under multiple
headings depending upon the nature of proposed study. However
every item and amounts allocated in the budget should be justified.

11. References

All studies cited for proposal writing should be listed in a

standard format (as mentioned in the reference section). Only the
references cited in the text should be included in the list of
references.

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12. Appendices (if necessary)

Any relevant information that is not accommodated in the main

text section is provided in the Appendices. Students should
consider the use of Appendices to present such items as
instructions, consent forms, tables, figures and lengthy
descriptions. If any of these documents are lengthy, they may be
abridged.

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 SECTION-IV
DISSERTATION FORMAT

4.1. Technical specification

1. Language

The dissertation must be written in English language. Spelling

should be either US English or British English. The mixture of
these two will not be accepted.

2. Dissertation length and volume

A typical dissertation length must be of 50 to 100 pages, but not

less than that. This does not include preliminary pages and
appendices. While maintaining the page number of the
dissertation the chapters the Introduction, Literature Review,
Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion,
Conclusions/Recommendations and References should be
numbered as paginated pages and shall be denoted by Arabic
numbers.

3. Paper

The dissertations must be printed on one side only of good grade

and quality white paper (usually of 80 g weight) of A4 size (210
mm x 297 mm).

4. Production of dissertation manuscript

Dissertation must be produced with printing done on a high

quality printer. Only original copy or good and clean photocopies

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are acceptable. Printer settings should be in A4 size. Letter size
print will be accepted.

5. Typeface and Font Size

Appropriate typeface for the dissertation is Time New Roman.

The font size should be 12 point, and the same typeface must be
used throughout the text, including heading and page numbers.
Font should not be scripted or italicized except for scientific
names and conventionally used for scientific terms and terms in
the different languages. Bold print should be used for headings.

6. Margins

The top, bottom and right margins should be 2.5 cm in width and
left hand margin should be 3 cm in width to allow for loss in
binding. The text must be justified on both sides.

7. Line spacing

Line spacing of 1.5 must be used in between lines. Two line

spacing must be used between paragraphs and sections. Single
spacing is permitted within:
a. Explanatory footnotes
b. References (except between entries)
c. Multi-line (tables, figures)
d. Appendices
e. Headings and sub-headings

A new paragraph should be at least two lines at the bottom of the

page. Otherwise, the new paragraph should start in a new page.

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8. Pagination

a. All pages should be numbered at right bottom margin 1.25 cm

from the edge of the page. Page numbers should appear by
themselves and should not be placed in brackets, hyphenated or
accompanied by other decorative devices.

b. Page should be numbered consecutively throughout the

dissertation, including page for tables, figures, photographs and
texts.

c. The preliminary pages (preceding Chapter I) must be numbered

in consecutively in lower case Roman numerals (e.g. i, ii, iii, and
so on). The title page should not be numbered although it is
counted as page i.

d. The text page must be numbered in Arabic cardinal numbers.

Page 1 begins with the first page of the Introduction (for Chapter
I) but not numbered. Subsequent pages should be numbered
beginning with page 2. Each chapter should begin on a new page.

e. Appendices are numbered consequently in upper case Roman

numerals (I, II) at the bottom right of each page, starting with I.

f. Landscape and portrait should have same page numbers.

9. Chapter Layout

The text in a chapter can be divided into major sections and sub-
sections. The major sections and sub-sections are numbered
according to following schemes:

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Arabic numbers separated by period(s). The major sections are
numbered as first level (e.g. CHAPTER I, CHAPTER II, etc.) the
sub-sections are numbered as second level (e.g. 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc.),
third level (e.g. 1.1.1, 1.1.2, etc.). After third level the section can
be numbered with subsection as (a), (b), (c), etc.

Students must ensure that it is consistent throughout the

dissertation and it is limited to 3 levels as far possible.

10. Tables

a. The general format of table is simple.

b. The table number and accompanying title is placed above the

body of the table and left justified.

c. Table numbers should be given sequentially (e.g. Table 1,

Table 2 etc.).

d. Table titles should be focused, descriptive and short. The table

caption should be of 10 pts.

e. Excessively large and complex tables that require multiple

pages are discouraged, but if necessary, secondary pages should
state 'Table x cont…' and repeat the headings.

f. Table footer legend are used to explain symbols, notes on a

statistical analysis, definition of abbreviation, amplify certain
expects of the table or recognize sources.

g. The text should cite a table when data are noted.

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h. When necessary, a smaller font may be used to allow the entire
table fit on one page.

i. When placing tables or illustrations horizontally (landscaped).

They must face the reader when turned to 90 degrees to the right
or clockwise (i.e. when in standard reading orientation, the top of
the table should be on left side of the page). Page number must
remain in the same position as the pages of regular text, i.e. at the
bottom of the un-rotated page.

11. Figures

a. Figure captions should be placed immediately below the figure.

This indicates the figure number (e.g. Figure 1) followed by
concise, descriptive statement.

b. Figure numbers should be given sequentially (e.g. Figure 1,

Figure 2, etc.).

c. Color can be used in graphs and maps. If color is used,

originals must be provided for all copies.

d. Generally a figure should occupy a separate page without page

number. However, if it is integrated within a page of text (with
page number), there must be 2 point space before and after to
clearly set it apart from the text. The figure caption should be of
10 pts.

e. The text should cite a figure when those data are noted.

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f. Handmade figures are not accepted. Graphics softwares
(ArcGIS, CorelDRAW, Macromedia FreeHand or Adobe
Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator) can be used for making figures.

12. Photographs

a. The pages of the photographs, photomicrographs and glossy

prints etc. should be placed in appropriate places.

b. The recommended size of the photograph is 10 x 15 cm.

c. Photographs, photomicrographs should not be pasted instead

the scanned copy of images should be printed in glossy paper.

d. Photographs number should be given sequentially (e.g.

Photograph 1, Photograph 2, etc.).

e. Photograph captions should be placed immediately below the

photograph. The caption should be of 10 pts.

f. Page number should not be given for the photograph pages.

g. Big geological maps and other large data sheets can be placed
at the inner side of the back cover with proper arrangement.

13. Use of color

Colored maps and graphics may be used when appropriate.

However, all copies of the thesis must be identical.

14. Correction of errors

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a. A dissertation must be free of typological errors. Corrections
made in ink or with opaque fluid are not acceptable.

b. Addition of word or phrases must not be typed between lines or

inserted by hand. The whole page must be re-typed to incorporate
the additions.

c. Pages which are obviously insert pages are not acceptable. The
surrounding pages should be retyped to incorporate the material.

4.2. Citation of literature

The bibliographical information from all the literature referred in

the text must be presented. This way the references can be
identified and the original publications can be found. Text should
include references to the original publications used. References
are shown also, when presenting tables/figure etc. collected from
data in publications. The most important in citation of reference in
text is consistency. The author date system is recommended to
provide information for readers to locate the source of
information listed in the alphabetically selected references at the
end of dissertation.

Examples:

i. For journal articles with one author

a. Paudayal (2011) reconstructed the Last Glacial climate change
in the Nepal Himalaya on the basis of palynological evidences

b. On the basis of palynological evidences the Last Glacial

climate change in the Nepal Himalaya was reconstructed
(Paudayal 2011)…
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ii. For journal article with maximum two authors
a. Tethyan Zone of the upper Burhi Gandaki and Shiar Khola
corresponds well with the Manang and Dolpo regions, but shows
some distinct individual features (Fuchs and Paudel 1998).

b. Fuchs and Paudel (1998) concluded that the Tethyan Zone of

the upper Burhi Gandaki and Shiar Khola corresponds well with
the Manang and Dolpo regions with some distinct individual
features.

iii. Citation of more than two authors

a. As it is impossible to see the diagnostic characteristics under
the Light Microscope, some pollen grains have been referred to
the wrong genus or even family (Ferguson et al. 2007).

b. Ferguson et al. (2007) described that it is impossible to see the

diagnostic characteristics under the Light Microscope, some
pollen grains have been referred to the wrong genus or even
family.

iv. Citation more than one work

a. A number of researchers reported vertebrate fossils from the
fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the Kathmandu Basin (West 1981;
Dongol 1985).

b. West (1981) and Dongol (1985) reported vertebrate fossils

from the fluvio-lacustrine sediments of the Kathmandu Basin.

v. Same author, same year, different title

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a. Illite crystallinity evidence for polyphase metamorphism and
inverted thermal structure in the Lesser Himalaya of central Nepal
has been documented (Paudel 2002a; 2002b).

vi. Same author, different year

a. Recent and future developments of Climate-Leaf Analysis
Multivariate Program (CLAMP) have been described (Spicer
2007; 2008).

4.3. Scientific writing

Scientific writing should be clear, objective, accurate and concise.

A M. Sc. thesis must be an original research study, or in any case
it must demonstrate the student’s ability for independent analysis.
Students must show that they are able to develop knowledge of a
topic to which the thesis is dedicated, even if only in an
incremental way. This certainly means mastering what is already
written on the chosen topic, but more importantly it means adding
something 'original' which others have not already said. When
talking about 'originality' one should not think about making
radically innovative contributions. A contribution can be 'original'
even when its range is limited to the proposal of a new way of
interpreting a theory or existing model, to the identification and
description of a phenomenon which no one has systematically
analyzed yet, or to the study of a phenomenon which is already
well-known, but analyzed through criteria which reveal aspects
which have been neglected up to now. The replication of research
which has already been carried out by others can also offer an
'original' contribution, as well as re-elaboration of existing
research from a new perspective. To sum up, the originality of a
MSc thesis can be found:

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# in the chosen topic;
# in the approach or perspective taken during the study;
# in the empirical study method applied;
# in an innovative combination of these factors.

Even if the discussion of research results comes at the end of the

project, it might be helpful to ask oneself at the start what one is
expecting to find at the end of the research, and which topics will
provide results. This does not mean deciding what the results of
the research questions will be from the start, but verifying if a
study has obvious or predictable results, or findings which are too
generic. This can help one understand if the question should be
fine-tuned or, in extreme cases, abandoned. The criteria of
originality which is described here should be an ideal to reach for,
even if the level of originality which is required for a M. Sc.
thesis is not the same as that required for papers published in
international academic journals. Some studies may be decidedly
less original than others, but it is clear that this element will
influence the study’s evaluation. The M. Sc. thesis must focus on
a topic which is meaningful and relevant to the student’s chosen
discipline area. Therefore the thesis should not come from the
internship experience and simply translate internship activities
into a report. Curricular internships can be, however, a source of
ideas in identifying the thesis topic and related research questions.
Internships can provide a part of the empirical data supporting
arguments developed in the thesis, but they should not be the
heart of the thesis. They can be a source of contacts which help in
elaborating and extending everything that was observed during
the internship period. Furthermore, not only do internships not
provide the conditions needed for finding an original idea for a
graduate thesis, they also are not a necessary condition. Therefore

30
it is important not to wait for the start of an internship before
searching for a good thesis idea. It is more realistic to expect that
the majority of research questions at the foundation of a thesis are
not related to one’s internship experience.

Writing conventions

a. The writing should be simple and easy to understand. The style

of writing itself should be relatively formal – the use of slang and
over use of contractions should be avoided. Scientific writing has
traditionally been written in a passive voice. The pronoun 'I', 'We'
and 'They' should typically not be used.

b. Everything that the researcher has performed is described in

past tense. This includes the summary of the experimentation
(abstract), description of material and methods, and the results
obtained from the experiment. The present tense is reserved for
researcher's conclusion about the experimental results, conclusion
of previous researchers, and any fact that are generally accepted
by the scientific field. The present tense is used in parts of the
introduction and description.

c. Arabic numerals should be used before measurement units and

should not be spelt out, e.g. '5 kg', NOT 'five kg'. Exemption is
given to the first word of the sentence.

d. All numbers should be spelt out unless they are followed by

unit of measures. Arabic numeral should be used for number 10
or more than 10. If sentence begins with number, the number
should be spelt out (e.g., Three samples were collected for
radiocarbon dating from this section…).

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4.4. Binding

1. First copies of dissertation

a. The final dissertation involves writing out the thesis according

to the indications given in these regulations. The first two copies
of dissertation should be in spiral or other loose binding with
plastic sheets as cover both sides.

b. The colored paper is not permitted for printing cover page or

title page.

c. The cover page design should be as the format given by CDG

(see appendix).

d. The dissertation proposal should not be hard bound.

2. Final dissertation

a. The final copies of dissertation should be in permanent hard

binding form in standard format.

b. The color of the final hard bound cover of the dissertation shall
be black. The binding should be as for a book in which pages are
permanently secured. The cover page shall be lettered in gold
with TNR typeface with 12 font size.

c. The design of cover page shall be as given in the format (see

appendix).

4.5. Order of dissertation contents

The following items must appear in the exact order

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A. Preliminary pages

Cover page
Title page
Recommendation
Certificate of approval
Signature of board examiners
Acknowledgements
Abstract
Table of contents
List of tables
List of figures
List of photographs
Abbreviations

B. The Text of the Dissertation

Chapter I: Introduction and Objectives

Chapter II: Literature Review
Chapter III: Material and Methods
Chapter IV: Results
Chapter V: Discussion
Chapter VI: Conclusions and Recommendations
References
APPENDICES

A. Preliminary Pages

1. Cover and Title Pages

Title of the dissertation must be all in upper case and single
spaced. The student's name, also all in upper case, must be
identical on the cover and title page.

33
2. Recommendation

This page includes the recommendation of supervisor (s). General

format of dissertation is applicable for the page. Name of the
student and title of the dissertation should be same as the cover
title page and both should be in bold type face. The supervisors'
name, title/designation, name of institution and the address and
signed with their signature and date of signing must be included
(see appendix).

3. Certificate of Approval

The submitted dissertation must be approved prior to evaluation.

The page is the certificate of approval and is signed by the head of
the department (HOD). General format of dissertation is
applicable for the page. Name of the student and title of the
dissertation should be same as cover or title page and both should
be in bold type face (see appendix).

4. Signature of the Board of the Examiners

This page is utilized during the evaluation of the dissertation.

Signatures of members of the board of examiners should be in
order—Recommended by Supervisor(s), Approved by HOD, and
Examined by (External Examiner and Internal Examiner) with
their full names and designations (see appendix).

5. Acknowledgements

The acknowledgements are brief notes of appreciation for

technical, financial or research assistance given to the student
during field works, laboratory experiments, and during write up of
the dissertation. The students should acknowledge supervisors,
34
HOD, laboratory authorities and others who directly or indirectly
contributed in the research and preparation of dissertation. It
should be simple and sincere. It should be limited to single page
write up. The source of research funding, secondary data,
personnel communication, or sources of literatures should be duly
acknowledged. The full name of the student, signature and date
must be mentioned.

6. Abstract

The abstract is a concrete and descriptive summary of the work

completed. It should begin with a brief but precise statement of
the problem or background; followed by objective, description of
the research method and design, results and conclusions. General
format of dissertation is applicable for the abstract. Abstract
should be written within 500 words and have not more than three
paragraphs. Abstract should be completed in single page. An
abstract should not include internal headings, parenthetical
citations of items listed in the reference section, diagrams, or
other illustrations. Key words should be relevant to the research
and frequently used. It should be of maximum seven words.

7. Table of Contents

The contents must provide the page location of the preliminary

pages, each chapter or headings and sub-headings, references and
appendices. It contains the list of all the chapters, normally in
upper case, preceded by their numbers in Roman or Arabic
numerals. Subheadings should be in lower case except as required
for initial letters. It is recommended that not more than three
levels of subheadings be included in contents (chapter name are
level 1 headings, subheadings of a chapter are level 2 headings,
35
subheadings of subheadings are level 3). Subsections of chapters
may be numbered with Arabic numbers separated by period(s) or
a combination of numerals and letters.

8. List of Tables

The list of tables includes the listing of tables (Table number,

Title and Page) contained in the dissertation. The table number
and title of captions of all tables must be same as in text of the
dissertation. Even if there is only one table in the dissertation, List
of Tables must be made.

9. List of Figures

The list of figures includes graphs, charts and maps. Figures

should be listed with figure number, title and page number. Figure
number and title should be exactly as mentioned in the
dissertation text. Even there is single figure; it must be mentioned
in the list of figures. The list should be limited to a single page as
far as possible.

10. List of Photographs

List of photographs include the list of photographs and

microphotographs present in the dissertation. The photograph
number and caption should be exactly same as mentioned in the
dissertation text. The list should be limited to a single page.

11. Appendices

All appendices of the dissertation must be listed. Appendices are

numbered consequently in upper case Roman numerals (I, II, III)
at the bottom right of each page, starting with I.
36
12. Abbreviations

If abbreviations or other symbols are used, they must be used

consistently and uniformly throughout the dissertation. When
many abbreviations are used, List of Abbreviations with
appropriate definition should be included. These abbreviations
must be valid and acceptable. The list should be sorted in
alphabetical order. Universally recognized scientific symbols (cm,
mm, kg, etc.) need not be listed. The list should be limited to a
single page.

B. The Text of the Dissertation

Chapter I: Introduction and Objectives

Chapter II: Literature Review
Chapter III: Material and Methods
Chapter IV: Results
Chapter V: Discussion
Chapter VI: Conclusions and Recommendations
References
APPENDICES

Chapter I: Introduction

Background

This is the introductory chapter that indicates the brief

introduction of the subject matter, statement of problem of
genesis of research, its importance, validity, research strategy. It
sets forth the context, the hypotheses to be tested and the
contribution to knowledge or expected outcome of the research.
The purpose of the introduction is to familiarize the reader to the
subject of the thesis. Introduction describes the most crucial
37
background information related to the subject studied, including
research problem, the history and state of art of the subject in
general level. Introduction is not a literature review, and as such it
is not required to refer to literature in it. Introduction is written in
standard language, special terms and abbreviation should be
avoided. The last paragraph of the introduction includes the aims
of the work condensed into a few words. The introduction is the
most important section of the research. This will be followed by
Objectives, Location, Climate, Vegetation, Drainage, Limitations
etc.

Chapter II: Literature Review

The chapter critically reviews the available literatures related to

the topic of the dissertation in order to derive and develop
problem statements and research strategies. A literature review
surveys scholarly articles, books and other sources (e.g.
dissertations, conference proceedings) relevant to a particular
issue, area of research, or theory, providing a description,
summary, and critical evaluation of each work. It is the base for
experimental or analytical section of the dissertation and is to
offer an overview if significant literature published in the topic.
Literature selected must be up to date, analyzed and synthesized
logically. The students should write with their own words. The
articles, books or other relevant literature should be recently
published as far as possible at least within last 10 years. The
students must present a review of at least 20 research articles
published in indexed peer reviewed international journals related
to Geology with high impact factor that are closely or directly
related to their dissertation research. Proper literature review is
necessary to write a manuscript based on dissertation in form of a
paper.
38
Chapter III: Material and Methods

The chapter describes the methods and techniques used during

field work and laboratory analysis for generation and validation of
data in dissertation. It must include aerial coverage of the field
area, types of field work, duration of field work and sampling
procedure in the field work. This is followed by the details of the
laboratory analysis with procedure and apparatus or equipments
used during the experimentation. The methods of secondary data
collection (if any) techniques and the description of the softwares
for data analysis should also be described in this chapter. Methods
also include the criteria for selecting such methods and the
suitability for the study, the principles, detection limits, and
sources of errors, quality control and detailed description of the
study performed. If the methods are described in details in
literature, only the essential information is written and the
reference is used. If the method is not followed completely, the
differences from the original methods are stated clearly. Research
frame and/or the progression of the study are described using
graph or table if possible. The conditions and order used should
be included in the description. In case many people are involved,
the distribution of the work can be indicated here. The statistical
analyses used are described in this chapter. The computer
softwares used for data analysis and graphical softwares used to
make figures should be listed in this chapter.

Chapter IV: Results

It presents a systematic and orderly description of findings of the

study obtained by the standard methodology and their meaningful
analyses either in the form of maps, figures, tables or text. Each of
tables or figures must be accompanied closely with the text
39
highlighting the key information. Results may consist of multiple
headings depending on the number of experimental work and/or
parametric studies conducted. The tabulation, figures, text
presentation should repeat the same findings. The result must be
presented briefly in text as far as possible. However, shall be
indicated by tables, figures for detail description. Results are
presented in logical order using subchapters. Raw data can be
presented in appendix, if required. The data given in the figure or
table should not be written in the text. The data is given either in
figure or in table, not in both. The same result shall not be
repeated in all forms (i.e. text, tables and figures). Attention
should be paid on the accuracy of the results. The precision of the
analysis determines the precision used in the results section.
General rule is to use three significant numbers. In general,
discussion is not included in results. Sometimes it is hard to
distinguish the results from discussion. The discussions that can
be concluded directly form the results and do not require further
background information from the literature can be presented in
the results. In results section no references to the literature are
made.

Chapter V: Discussions

This chapter discusses the results of the study in relation to the

hypotheses and their scientific interpretations. It highlights the
major findings, their significance and implications. Validation and
justification of findings/results is done by comparing with
relevant findings publishes in previous literatures. Reasoning and
logics with major findings should also be discussed. Each of the
findings/results may contain discussions depending upon their
significance and utility. Discussion is authors' interpretation from
his/her results. It also includes comparison to previously
40
published data. In discussion author gives reader his ideas from
the study performed. Author gives his opinions to reader. This is
why it is important to make discussion accurate, with expertise.
Though discussion includes authors opinions, all the opinions
must be based on the results from the work or from the published
results by the others. Opinions that are not based on the results
should not be presented. In case of short report, results and
discussion can be combined. However, this is not recommended,
since in his case the risk for superficial discussion is high and not
enough the comparison to literature is done. In discussion the
order of the subchapters must be considered carefully. In the
beginning the possible sources for errors, the evaluation of the
methods etc. can be given. After that the most obvious results can
be discussed. Finally, the new findings are shown. All the results
should be discussed. However, repetition with Chapter results
should be avoided. Result can be repeated shortly, a reference is
normally enough. Each paragraph includes one result from the
study. Since this is already presented in literature review, only the
most relevant references are given. There is normally no need for
describing the experimental setup. However, if the setup is
important when comparing the results, it can be described briefly.
After describing the previous knowledge, the result from the work
is given in context to the results from the literature. Author should
pay attention to following aspects: (1) does the result fit to the
results from literature? (2) If not, can author explain why they do
not follow the results from literature? (3) What new aspects do the
results give? In discussion author should also explain the
comparability of the results; if the experimental setups differ and
this could explain the difference in the results this must be
mentioned. Conclusions from the results are written in the end of
the paragraph. Finally author should think the aims of the work

41
and compare them with the content of the results and discussion.
From each aim given, result and discussion from the result should
be found. Last paragraph of the discussion is the generalization. A
successful study gives new observations and these observations
can be generalized to create new theories. These new observations
should be stressed in discussion. However, results that confirm
the theories from other authors should be also mention, together
with possible disagreements. The usability of the results should be
explained, especially if the report does not include separate
conclusions. Also, if the study rose up some new questions, it
should be mentioned. Author should also think how this study
contributed to general knowledge from the subject studied. Too
speculative or provocative discussion should be avoided. If the
report includes separate chapter ‘conclusions’, this last paragraph
of the discussion can only include the key results and the
conclusions from them.

Chapter VI: Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusions:

The Conclusion section generally sums up the key findings and

meaning obtained from the research. It should be based on
objectives and very much specific. In conclusions and summary
the text is condense and no references are given. The length of
this chapter is max 1-2 pages. The data of the results not be
repeated while writing conclusions. No individual results are
given, but the generalization and the importance of the results are
explained. Each conclusion is given in separate paragraph. The
importance and usability of the results, together with possible
applications are explained. The possible effect to studies in future

42
is speculated. Author should clearly write down those conclusions
he/she wants the reader to remember from the study.

Recommendations:

Recommendations include applications of the major findings of

the study and specific areas for further research. It should strictly
be based on the results or data obtained in the dissertation.
Recommendation should be presented in the numbered points in
the order of priority.

References

The dissertation should contain appropriate documentation – that

is, references to original literature relevant to the research
presented in the dissertation. Student should follow the APA
system to list the references. In APA system the references are
listed in alphabetical order. All the references are given in text in
form "name of the author year of publication, e.g. (Smith 1997) or
"According to Smith (1997)..." List of references is organized in
alphabetical order. If two or more references have same authors,
the references are organized by the year of publication. If referred
to the publications from the same author published in same year,
the references are separated by small letters, e.g. Smith 1997a and
Smith 1997b. Names with the prefixes de, do, van, von, etc. will
be placed in alphabetical order of the first letter of the prefix, and
e.g. Lennart von Post would appear under ‘V’ as Von Post,
Lennart. Where italics are intended, words must either be typed in
roman and underlined or printed in italics from a word processor.
Abbreviate journal titles according to standard rules.

43
The List of References should follow the following guidelines.

a. The heading ‘References’ must appear at the top of the page.

The heading must be bold, centered and without punctuation.

b. List of references (literatures) should begin the two spaces after

the heading.

c. Arrangement of entries shall be alphabetical by author’s

surname.

d. Single space within each entry and double space between

entries should be given.

e. A single entry must not split over two pages. If an entire entry
does not fit on one page, the entire entry is place on the next page.

f. These pages are counted and numbered in Arabic letters.

g. Every reference cited in the text should be listed in the

‘Reference’ section that follows the main body of the dissertation.
Likewise, citation which is not mentioned in the text should not
be listed in reference section. This one to one correspondence
between citations and listing of references is essential.

1. Journal Article:

● Authors: last name and initial(s) of the first name(s)

● Year of publication
● Tile of the article
● name of the journal (or official abbreviation), volume, number,
page number of the article
44
Examples:

Le Fort, P., 1981. Manaslu leucogranite: A collision signature of

the Himalaya. A model for its genesis and emplacement. Journal
of Geophysical Research, v. 86, pp. 10545–10568.

Garzione, C. N., Dettman, D. L., Quade, J., Decelles, P. G., and

Butler, R. F., 2000. High times on the Tibetan plateau:
paleoelevation of the Thakkhola graben, Nepal. Geology, v. 28,
pp. 339–342.

2. Book/Chapter of a Book

● Authors and/or editors: last name and initial(s) of the first

name(s)
● Year of publication
● Title of the book
● Place of publication: Publisher, edition (if not 1st), total page
numbers.
● If referred only to section (chapter) of book, reference is the
title of the section/chapter. In this reference includes authors of
the section/chapter, title of the chapter, Authors/editors of the
book, title of the book, place of publication, publisher, page
number of the chapter.

Examples:

Gansser, A., 1964. Geology of the Himalayas. Interscience

Publication, Wiley, London. 289 p.

45
Mange, M. A., and Morton, A. C., 2007. Geochemistry of heavy
minerals. In: Mange, M. A., Wright, D. T. (Eds.), Developments
in Sedimentology, pp. 345–391.

Pettijohn, F. J., Potter, P. E., and Siever, R., 1987. Sand and
Sandstone. Springer, New York. 533 p.

Royden, L. H., and Burchfiel, B. C., 1987. Thin-skinned north–

south extension within the convergent Himalayan region:
gravitational collapse of a Miocene topographic front. In: Coward,
M. P., Dewey, J. F., and Hancock, P. L. (Eds.), Continental
Extensional Tectonics, Geological Society of London Special
Publication, pp. 611–619.

3. Symposia/conference proceedings

● Authors: last name and initial(s) of the first name(s)

● Tile of the article
● Editor(s) ; last name and initial(s) of the first name(s)
● Name of the proceeding, volume, year of publication, publisher.
Also, information concerning from where the publication can be
found, e.g. the organization.

Example:

Price, P. L., 1983, A Permian palynostratigraphy for Queensland.

In: Permian Geology of Queensland: Symposium on Permian
Geology of Queensland, Brisbane 1982, Proceedings Geological
Society of Australia, Queensland Division, pp. 155–211.

46
West, R. M., Dongol, G. M. S., Munthe, J., Hutchinson, J. H. and
Gupta, V. J., 1988. Late Neogene and Quaternary Geology,
Palaeontology and Palaeoenvironment of the Kathmandu Valley,
central Nepal and the Churia Hills, Western Nepal. The
Palaeoenvironment of East Asia from the Mid-Tertiary,
Proceedings of the Second Conference (Ed. P. Whyte et al.), v. II,
pp. 916-936.

4. Thesis/Dissertation/Reports

● Authors: last name and initial(s) of the first name(s) or the

organization that made the report
● Name of the report, and identification codes (register number,
code, page numbers etc.)
● Publisher, name and number of the series, organization
published the report, place of publication, year of publication.

Examples:

Minna V., 2005. Plant macrofossil evidence of changes in aquatic

and terrestrial environments in north-eastern European Russia and
Finnish Lapland since the late Weichselian. PhD thesis,
University of Helsinki, Publications of the Department of
Geology, 37 p.

Wipanu, R., 2006. The palaeoenvironment and vegetation change

during the Late Quaternary period of southern Thailand from the
palynological record. Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in
Environment Biology, Suranaree University of Technology,
Thailand, 199 p.
47
5. Publication in the web

Full web information with accessed date should be provided if it

used.

Examples:

Hurtado, J., Chatterjee, N., Ramezani, J., Hodges, K., and

Bowring, S., 2007. Electron microprobe chemical dating of
uraninite as a reconnaissance tool for leucogranite geochronology.
Available: http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2007.655.1 [22 July
2012].

Punt, W., S. Blackmore, S., Nilsson, S., and A. Le Thomas, A.,

2004. Glossary of Pollen and Spore Terminology. Available:
http://www.bio.uu.nl/~palaeo/ glossary/glos-p5.htm [22 July
2012].

All the published material is written according to these

instructions. Electronic material is reported using the same
principles. Electronic material reference must include all the same
information as the printed reference. URL address and date is
mentioned when referring www pages. Be careful with special
symbols.

Appendices

An appendix should include materials that supplement the main

text of the dissertation. It may include:
Geological, Hydrological, Engineering geological Maps
Supplementary original data, summary tabulations
Illustrative material

48
Description of equipment
Description of testing kits
Statistical analysis
Details of the derivation equations
Computer software products/printouts
Other relevant information

Similar material should be gathered in a single appendix

The appendix material should begin two spaces below the heading.
List each appendix and its title separately in the table of contents.
The pages are counted and numbered in Roman letters (I, II, III,
IV, ….).

49
 SECTION V
DISSERTATION SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION
PROCEDURE

M. Sc. Geology students shall submit their dissertation not before

a month of date of publication of results of the examination of M.
Sc. Geology second year. The dissertation can be submitted only
two times in a year i.e. until end of June and end of December.
The dissertation submitted until end of June will be allowed to
give examination in the month of August. While the dissertation
submitted from July until December has to wait for examination
in February of the next year.

5.1. First draft submission

a. Two of the dissertation in temporary bound form (spiral or

loose binding) should be submitted through supervisor(s) to the
HOD.

b. The dissertation should be certified by the supervisor(s) by

signing page of recommendation.

c. The HOD will approve the dissertation and manuscript on the

basis of these guidelines.

d. If not, the draft dissertation will be returned to the student for

necessary amendments and resubmission.

e. Students must submit a manuscript based on his/her research

along with the dissertation. Otherwise the dissertation will not be
forwarded for evaluation. The accepted manuscript will be

50
reviewed by the research committee of CDG and forwarded for
publication in the Bulletin of Department of Geology. If any
student has already submitted his results for publication in any
academic journal, he/she should provide the evidence of it.

5.2. Examination through the open defense and viva-voce

a. The draft copy of the dissertation will be forwarded to

Examination Section of Dean’s office of Institute of Science and
Technology, Tribhuvan University.

b. The Dean’s office appoints external examiner from the roaster

of dissertation examiners prepared and updated as per rule and
regulations of the University. The HOD shall appoint an internal
examiner from the full time faculty members of CDG.

c. The dissertation copies will be provided to internal examiner

and external examiner for evaluation.

d. By the consultation with examiners, the department will

publish the date of viva-voce examination through open defense.

e. In general, unless or otherwise in special circumstances, such

date of examination will be within a month from the date of
approval of the dissertation. However, in general the viva-voce
examination shall not be held one week from the date of
appointment of external examiner by Dean’s office.

f. The viva-voce open defense will be held at CDG unless

otherwise stated by the authority. The dissertation defense
meeting will be chaired by HOD, external and internal examiners

51
will be present during the meeting. Concerned authority of
Tribhuvan University may be called as an observer.

5.3. Evaluation

The dissertation proposal and dissertation will be evaluated on the

basis of this guideline. The dissertation will be evaluated after the
open defense by the board of examiners (external and internal
examiners, Head of the Department and supervisors and at least
one full time faculty member of Geology). The evaluation scheme
will be data collection, analysis and interpretation of results, write
up (language and skills), dissertation presentation and viva voce.
The examiner(s) shall send the evaluation report to the
Examination Section of Dean’s office of Institute of Science and
Technology of Tribhuvan through HOD.

5.4. Final Submission

a. If the dissertation is rejected with major errors either in

methodology or data results, resubmission should be done within
3 months of the examination date. In the case of minor corrections
the final dissertation should be submitted within one month of the
examination date.

b. After correction and signing, at least three copies of hard bound

final copies along with the soft copy of the dissertation in CD
either in MS Word or PDF format should be submitted to the
CDG.

c. From the submitted copies of final dissertation, the CDG will

send two copies to the Examination Section of Dean’s office,
Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University along
52
with evaluation marks and one copy of dissertation from the
received copies of IOST will be collected by CDG for
documentation at its departmental library.

d. Thesis will be uploaded in tugeology.edu.np website so

submission of PDF is compulsory.

53
 Appendix-I

TITLE OF THE DISSERTATION

(12 pt. font)

A Dissertation Submitted to the

CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
Kirtipur, Kathmandu
NEPAL

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Award of Degree

of Master of Science in Geology/Engineering Geology

By
Name of the Student (UPPER CASE)
Year of Submission
Exam Roll No.
TU Registration No.

© Tribhuvan University

54
 Appendix-II

CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
Kirtipur, Kathmandu
NEPAL

Date:

RECOMMENDATION

This is to certify that ………………………………………..has

completed this dissertation work entitled……………………….
as a partial fulfillment of the requirements of M. Sc. degree in
Geology/Engineering Geology under my supervision. To my/our
knowledge this work has not been submitted for any other degree.

………………………………..
Name and signature of the Supervisor
Designation

55
 Appendix-III

CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
Kirtipur, Kathmandu
NEPAL

Date:

LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE

On the recommendation of the supervisor (s) …………………

……………….. …………………… …..the dissertation work of
……………………………. is accepted for the examination and
is submitted to the board of examination for the partial fulfillment
of the requirements of M. Sc. degree in Geology/Engineering
Geology.

………………………………..
Head of the Department
Central Department of Geology
Tribhuvan University

56
 Appendix-IV

CENTRAL DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY

TRIBHUVAN UNIVERSITY
Kirtipur, Kathmandu
NEPAL

BOARD OF THE EXAMINERS

Recommended by: ……………………………….

Full Name (Supervisor)

Examined by:
………………………………….
External Examiner

Examined by:
…………………………………
Internal Examiner

Accepted by:
………………………………
Full Name (Head of the Department)

Date:………………………….

57
M. Sc. GEOLOGY
and ENGINEERING GEOLOGY
DISSERTATION GUIDELINE

Published by:
Central Department of Geology
Tribhuvan University
Kirtipur, Kathmandu, NEPAL
Ph: 01 4332449, 4333085
Revised Edition (2018)

58