Writing a Whole Thesis with 1Thesis 1File Method

Students usually write their thesis in one file for each chapter whereas writing a whole thesis in one file gives more benefits, as follows:
1.Chapter numbers can be sequentially generated using numbered headings method. See: How to create numbered headings
2. Page numbers can be inserted for all pages. If the last number of a chapter page is change, you don't need to manually update the page number of next chapter.
3. You can refer to numbered items, figures, tables or equations from different chapters.
4. A bibliography generated by EndNote will be automatically placed after your last chapter. See: Tutorial vedios on EndNote
5. References which are cited more than once in paragraphs will be listed in the bibliography once.
6. A table of contents and list of figures/tables can be instantly generated (only if you write the document using numbered headings and captions). See: How to create numbered headings
7. You can see the document map or navigation pane of all contents.

Write and Graduate! Success is in your hand.

How to use a cross-reference method

One of secrets for formatting your thesis in a fast way is utilizing captions & cross-references. A (numbered) caption is a built-in (numbered) title for a figure, table or equation as was explained here while a cross-reference is a method to refer or cite captions in paragraphs.

What is the benefit of using cross-reference method?
A cross-reference system in MS Word serves an automatic referencing method. If a referred caption was updated, then the citation in the text will be automatically updated. It saves your time and energy since no manual update for each citation is needed. In addition, a citation in text will be linked to the referred caption, therefore you may able to explore the document easily.

How to create numbered headings or outlines

As mentioned in Numbering Systems in UKM Style, Gaya UKM applies multilevel numbers for a chapter and sub-chapters until 3 levels + 2. This numbering systems can be easily created using numbered headings in MS Word. There are two keywords for this topic: Headings Style and List Style. A headings style is format for each heading (font, paragraph, tab, etc) while a list style is a mechanism for coordinating all headings used.

To visualize our work, we have an example of outline for Chapter 1 and we then need to create the numbering systems for this outline.

7 Powers of HEADINGs

Headings in MS word are hierarchies of a document. Simply, you can assign Heading 1 for Chapter, Heading 2 for sub-chapter, Heading3 for sub-sub-chapter etc. MS Word provides built-in styles and standard headings, namely Heading 1, Heading 2, until Heading 9.

There are a lot of advantages of headings:

1. Easily creating a hierarchic numbering system. In Gaya UKM, you have to make multilevel numbering with chapter number (see: Numbering systems in UKM Style). Using headings (and multilevel list), it can be easily done.
2. Applying the heading styles for each title of chapter/sub-chapter/sub-sub-chapter. It saves your time and makes consistent formats in your document. See: Make your thesis style using STYLES

Make your thesis style using STYLES

Styles in MS Word are shortcuts of a set of formatting instructions. After you set the styles up with a specific format (ex: font, color, size etc), you can apply the formats to a text by simply clicking the shortcut. In addition to saving a lot of time, a style ensures the format consistency in a document.

How to get started with styles?
Using MS Word 2010, styles can be used easily. In the Home menu, Styles group, select a style thumbnail to apply that style to a text. Click an arrow icon on the lower right corner to open the Styles window.

(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

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.

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