Thesis Writing

Chapter Guidelines

Abstract (Abstract.tex)

• Concise summary of the entire thesis (typically 150–250 words).
• Covers: motivation, problem, approach, key results, and conclusions.
• No citations or figures.

Introduction (chap:intro)

• Suggested length: 1–1.5 pages.
• Set the scene: explain the purpose and significance of the project.
• Provide an overview of the problem addressed.
• Briefly introduce the selected solution and how it fits the project context.
• Explain the structure of the report to guide the reader.

Project Background (chap:background)

• Establish domain knowledge the reader needs before understanding the problem.
• Cover relevant technologies, prior work, related systems, or theoretical foundations.
• Use citations (\cite{}) to reference academic sources.
• Include figures and tables where they aid understanding (\ref{fig:...}, \ref{tab:...}).

Problem Statement (chap:problem)

• Introduce and justify the selected problem.
• Argue for the relevance of the problem and why it needs to be addressed.
• Discuss the benefits of investigating it and the cost of not addressing it.
• End with a clearly stated, focused problem definition.

Proposed Solution (chap:Solution)

• Describe the designed solution at a conceptual level.
• Explain design decisions and trade-offs.
• Use diagrams (architecture, flow charts, UML) referenced with \ref{fig:...}.
• Connect directly back to the problem statement.

Implementation (chap:implementation)

• Describe how the solution was built.
• Cover key technical components, algorithms, data structures, or integrations.
• Include relevant code listings using the listings package (\begin{lstlisting}).
• Reference the system architecture and relate implementation choices to the design.

Software Engineering Practices (chap:SE)

• Document the software engineering process used throughout the project.
• Cover: development methodology (e.g., Scrum, Kanban), version control strategy, testing approach, CI/CD, and project management.
• Use Gantt charts (pgfgantt) if applicable to show the project timeline.
• Reflect on how SE practices contributed to or challenged the project.

Discussion (chap:discussion)

• Critically evaluate results against the problem statement.
• Discuss limitations, unexpected challenges, and deviations from the original plan.
• Compare with related work where relevant.
• Propose future improvements or extensions.

Conclusion (chap:conclude)

• Summarise what was achieved relative to the original goals.
• Restate the problem and briefly recap the solution and key findings.
• Do not introduce new material.
• End with a forward-looking statement about impact or future work.

Appendix A (Appendix.tex)

• Supplementary material too detailed for the main body (e.g., full API specs, user study raw data, configuration files, extended code listings).
• Reference from the main text using \ref{chap:appendix} or specific section labels.

LaTeX Conventions

Structure

\section{Section Title}
\subsection{Subsection Title}
\subsubsection{Subsubsection Title}

Figures

\begin{figure}[htbp]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[width=0.8\textwidth]{Images/filename.png}
  \caption{A descriptive caption.}
  \label{fig:unique-label}
\end{figure}

Reference with: Figure~\ref{fig:unique-label}

Tables

\begin{table}[htbp]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{lll}
    \toprule
    Column 1 & Column 2 & Column 3 \\
    \midrule
    Data & Data & Data \\
    \bottomrule
  \end{tabular}
  \caption{A descriptive caption.}
  \label{tab:unique-label}
\end{table}

Reference with: Table~\ref{tab:unique-label}

Code Listings

\begin{lstlisting}[language=Python, caption={Description}, label={lst:label}]
# code here
\end{lstlisting}

Citations

• Single: \cite{authorYYYYkeyword}
• Multiple: \cite{author1,author2}
• Non-breaking space before cite: text~\cite{ref}

Cross-references

• Always use ~\ref{} (non-breaking space) for figures, tables, sections.
• Use \label{} immediately after \chapter{}, \section{}, \begin{figure}, etc.

Nomenclature

Add entries with \nomenclature{SYMBOL}{Definition} and they appear in the nomenclature list.

Writing Style Guidelines

• Write in third person, past or present tense consistently within sections.
• Use active voice where possible: "The system sends a request" not "A request is sent."
• Define all acronyms on first use: "Near Field Communication (NFC)".
• Every figure and table must be referenced in the body text before it appears.
• Avoid orphaned sections — every \section should have introductory text before its first \subsection.
• Keep paragraphs focused: one idea per paragraph.
• Use \noindent after block environments (figures, tables) to avoid unwanted indentation.

Common Workflow

1. Identify which chapter file to edit: Chapters/<ChapterName>.tex
2. Draft the section content following the chapter guidelines above.
3. Add \label{} to all new sections, figures, and tables.
4. Add any new bibliography entries to references.bib.
5. Compile with: pdflatex main.tex → bibtex main → pdflatex main.tex × 2.