(only) 4 Secrets for Formatting Thesis in a Fast Way

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Research and writing report are different things. Formatting report is also another thing. Some time, formatting the report spends much time longer than doing the research itself, huh... But, it will never happen if we have sufficient knowledges on the word processor, MS Word.

To format your report (means thesis) following UKM style in a fast way, you only need to learn 4 items:
Styles 
Heading
3. Numbering
Caption & Cross-Reference

Gaya UKM Output Style for EndNote (Corrected ver. 24/10/11)

I got a copy of Gaya UKM output style for EndNote that officially produced by PTSL. I made some modifications to ensure the output style is in accordance with Gaya UKM. You may download both files using the below links. If you have any comments and modifications, please let us know than we can share to others.

Download:
Gaya Petikan UKM 2011 (original version from PTSL)
Gaya Petikan UKM 2011 v1-sra (corrected version 24/10/11)

How to make this format "Ministry of Health", instead of "Health, M.o"?

 When you add a reference in the Author space, put comma (,) to indicate the full name.

Ministry of Health --> you get "Healt, M.o." or "Health (2003)"
Ministry of Health, --> you get the full name "Ministry of Health" of "(Ministry of Health 2003)"
Suria Indah Sdn. Bhd., --> you get "Suria Indah Sdn. Bhd."
Mohd Najib, Hassan --> Mohd Najib 2008

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

Got headache after met supervisor? No way!

 

Yes, my friends got headache after they met their supervisors who gave feedback on thesis.

These cases usually happen when you have to do some corrections on your thesis, especially in the figures numbering. You must to add, remove or re-organize the figures numbers in your thesis. If you do not use automatic captions provided by MS Word, I suggest you to get some PANADOLs before you start editing your thesis :-).

If you are in this situation or you don't want this happens, create MS Word captions by following step-by-step GayaUKM.blogspot.com tutorial on Create (automatic) Captions for Figures/Tables or Rajah/Jadual.

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

How to create (automatic) captions for figures/tables with chapter number

Gaya UKM applies a chapter-number rule for figures and tables.

Figure 5.1 --> figure no. 1 in chapter 5
Table 3.4 --> table no 4 in chapter 3

How to create a figure's title, or we call a caption, in MS Word following Gaya UKM?

MS Word provides tools to create captions with an automatic numbering system. Term 'automatic' means if we add a figure before/after existing figures we have, we do not need to modify the figure's numbers manually. MS Word  updates their numbers for us. Using headings, we also can include the chapter number in a caption number. However, MS Word can't convert a roman value of chapter number (I, II, etc) to an arabic type of caption number (1, 2, etc) as required by Gaya UKM.

Citing Chinese Authors: First name is Family name

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Citation in paragraphs for Chinese names follows the general rules: authorname is family name. The difference is, Western people put their family name in the last name (Ex. Clinton is the family name for Bill Clinton), but Chinese put in the first name.

Complete name: Goh Chok Tong (Goh is the family name)
Citation in the text: Goh (2005) or (Goh 2005)

Ref: Gaya UKM page 19-20

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

* images.google.com

Citing Malay author Sharifah Hafsah Razak: 'Sharifah Hafsah' or 'Razak'?

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In general, Gaya UKM uses an authorname-date system to make citations in paragraphs. It takes a family name as authorname.

Complete name: Barack Obama
Citation in text:  Obama (2010) or (Obama 2010).

For Malay names, Gaya UKM applies a different rule compared to general citation format. The author's name is used as authorname, instead of the family name.

Complete name: Sharifah Hafsah Razak
Citation in text: Sharifah Hafsah (2009) or Sharifah Hafsah Razak (2009), instead of Razak (2009)

Reference: Panduan Penulisan Tesis Gaya UKM, page 19

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

* images.google.com

BeginNote vs EndNote

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BeginNote isn't a software rivaling EndNote.
It's just a beginning note of EndNote tutorials in GayaUKM.blogspot.com.

EndNote website said:

Millions of researchers, scholarly writers, students, and librarians use EndNote to search online bibliographic databases, organize their references, images and PDFs in any language, and create bibliographies and figure lists instantly.

I did it. I have used EndNote to:

1. Organize my references in a neat database. It makes easier to search, look for, read the abstract and PDF full article
2. Cite references in paragraphs of my thesis following Gaya UKM references style
3. Create bibliography instantly and there are no more missed references in the list.

So, what are you waiting for? Start your car on and navigate your GPS to Perpustakaan Tun Seri Lanang. You may ask a copy of EndNote (latest version (2011): X4) from the counter. Install it in your computer then you will have more time to a cup of coffee.

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

* images.google.com

Pirate software is HALAL for science

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Microsoft Word (MS Word) may be the most popular word processor in the world (Please, don't ask me the statistical data, hehehe...). Started in 1983, this word processor owned by Microsoft currently has the 2010 version for Windows and 2011 for Mac. We don't want to discuss its history, do we?

To the point...
If you already bought a new i5 series notebook, or you just finished formatting your laptop because of f**king viruses, or you got your windows crashed in the morning, and you don't have any MS Word software in your lovely PC, don't wait til tomorrow, do contact the supporting staff in your department, faculty or Pusat Teknologi Maklumat to get a copy of MS Office (Word included) for your tiny netbook.

UKM students are facilitated with many licensed softwares. Why do you still use the pirate ones? No more room for slogan "Pirate software is HALAL for science" since UKM has provided the legal softwares.

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

* images.google.com

Gaya UKM, what kind of fashion is it?

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Does UKM organize a fashion show?
Or... is there a UKM's birthday celebration?
Maybe... UKM decorates its landscapes and buildings for Hari Merdeka, doesn't it?

No no no... bro n sis...

Gaya UKM is a thesis format. It is a writing style that must be applied on UKM student's thesis. Yes, if you are UKM students, undergraduate, master or PhD degree, you have to follow this style. Otherwise, your thesis will be rejected by the Faculty and you can't proceed your degree. Ho ho ho, poor you... :-)