(This is a translation of the official version in Chinese.In case of any discrepancy, the Chinese version shall prevail.)

As important documents in the scientific research field, Master’s theses and PhD dissertations (collectively known as graduate theses) are the main basis to judge the academic level of degree applicants and to grant the corresponding degrees. In order to specify the format of graduate theses at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the regulations are hereby formulated for reference in accordance with the national standard Presentation of theses and dissertations.

Article 1 Basic Requirements

A graduate thesis (or one that is constituted by a series of papers) shall be a systematic and complete academic paper completed by the applicant based on the previous academic achievements in the field, under the instruction of his/her supervisor. No cheating or plagiarizing is allowed.. The graduate theses shall demonstrate clear academic insights, with accurate arguments, rigorous reasonings, reliable statistics, well-organized structures and fluent expressions. In general, the graduate theses should be written in Chinese.

Master’s theses shall carry new insights or achievements regarding the research topics, and have certain contribution to the development of the discipline, or economy and society. It should demonstrate that the author has had a solid grasp of the basic theories and systematic knowledge of the discipline, and has gained the ability to carry out scientific research and undertake professional and technological work. PhD dissertation shall reveal the innovative achievements regarding one or some aspects including material, perspective, viewpoint, methodology, theory, and so on, and have considerable contribution to the development of the discipline, economy and society. It should demonstrate that the author has had a solid and extensive grasp of the basic theories, and a thorough, systematic knowledge of the discipline, and has gained the ability to carry out scientific research independently.

Graduate theses shall use standard language, punctuation, number and units. The terminology, symbols, and codes adopted should be consistent throughout the graduate theses.

Article 2 Structure of the Graduate Theses

A graduate thesis shall comprise the following components:

(1)    Cover: The uniform cover provided by the University shall be used;

(2)    Title page;

(3)   Statement of Originality, and Copyright Authorization;

(4)  Abstracts in Chinese and English: As summary of the graduate thesis, the abstract shall highlight the innovative achievement and new insight of the graduate thesis, and describe concisely the research objectives, contents, methodology, results and conclusions. Four to six keywords shall be listed right after the abstract. The abstract should be concise and accurate, and the one in English should be in consistent with its Chinese counterpart.

(5)   Contents: As outline and subtitles for each part of the graduate thesis, the contents shall be listed in order together with the corresponding page numbers.

(6)    List of Symbols (if necessary): The meaning of the symbols and their units (or dimensions) can be described in this part.

(7)    Main body

The main body is the core part of the graduate thesis; in general it should comprise the following sections:

(a)    Introduction: As the beginning of the main body of the paper, the introduction shall be concise and compendious, and shall not resemble the abstract or work as an annotation of the abstract. Besides describing the research objective, methodology and results, a critical review of the current research in both China and abroad and the existing research achievements in relevant fields shall also be included. The introduction shall also cover the premises and tasks of the thesis work, the theoretical and experimental foundations, research scope, expected results and the issues to be solved through the thesis work based on the existing results.

(b)    Respective Chapters: The content shall be objective, authentic, well-prepared, well-arranged, logical, concise and readable. Although different disciplines may have different regulations, the academic norms generally accepted within the discipline shall be strictly followed.

(c)    Conclusion: As the end of the paper and conclusion of the whole contents, the conclusion shall be concise, accurate and complete. The innovative achievements and implication of the research within the field shall be highlighted, and some issues or suggestions related to the research can be further proposed.

(8)    Bibliography: Rigorous and realistic attitude shall be manifested in the thesis. According to the citation norms of different disciplines, the research results not of one’s own shall be listed at the end of the paper when cited.

(9)    Annotation (if necessary): Annotations, which shall not appear within the text, can be utilized as footnotes at the bottom of each page.

(10)    Appendix (if necessary): Appendix may complement the main body of the thesis.

(11) Acknowledgements: This piece of writing is a record in gratitude for the organizations and individuals who helped and supported the author when performing the thesis work.

(12) List of publications and achievements: The list may include the published (or accepted) academic papers, scientific and research achievements, patents, etc.

Article 3 Requirements of Layout, Printing and Binding

(1)    Size and font:

Level 1 heading: 16-point, bold type and Sans-serif;

Level 2 heading: 14-point, bold type and Sans-serif;

Level 3 heading: 12-point, bold type and Sans-serif;

Main body: 10.5/12-point, SimSun (Chinese) and Times New Roman (English).

(2)    Figures, annotations, bibliography and equations in the theses shall be numbered in sequence with Arabic Numerals (or within respective Chapters). The index and caption for figures shall be placed below the figure, while those for tables shall be placed on top of the table. The index for equations shall be bracketed and placed on the right side without dotted line.

(3)    Printing: The graduate theses shall be printed in A-4 size and double-sided.

(4)    Binding: The thesis submitted for archive must be bound as a book with the uniform cover provided by the University.

The Academic Degree Evaluation Committee of respective schools can define their own thesis formatting requirements according to the characteristics of the corresponding discipline.

Appendix: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Master's Degree Thesis Template (this template is for reference. Degree Assessment Committees of Colleges and departments may develop their own format templates according to the characteristics of their disciplines) . Please refer to the website of the graduate school (https://www.gs.sjtu.edu.cn/info/1136/8374.html ) for details.