Avloryn LabsMTech thesis format, in short
An MTech thesis follows the UGC/AICTE master's-level format: a 7-chapter body (adding a Theoretical Framework over the bachelor's structure), a ~250-word abstract, a 1.5-inch binding margin, and engineering citations — usually IEEE. It builds on the general Indian thesis format with master's-specific depth.
This guide covers the exact structure, front matter, margins and citation rules, and shows how LivoDraft applies them automatically.
MTech format at a glance
The 7-chapter MTech structure
- IntroductionCh 1
- Literature ReviewCh 2
- Theoretical FrameworkCh 3
- MethodologyCh 4
- ResultsCh 5
- DiscussionCh 6
- Conclusion & Future WorkCh 7
The Theoretical Framework chapter is what distinguishes a master's thesis from a BTech project. A PhD thesis goes further, adding a dedicated "Original Contribution to Knowledge" chapter.
Preliminary pages
MTech theses use the standard UGC preliminary order, numbered in lowercase Roman numerals: title page → supervisor's certificate → declaration → acknowledgements → abstract → table of contents → list of tables → list of figures → list of abbreviations, then Chapter 1. See the full ordering in the thesis format guide.
The 250-word abstract
An MTech abstract is a single paragraph of roughly 250 words summarising the problem, methodology, key results and conclusion — no citations, no figures. It appears before the table of contents and is the most-read page of your thesis.
Citations for an MTech thesis
Engineering departments usually require IEEE numbered citations, though APA and Harvard are accepted. Whatever the style, every in-text citation must map to a real, complete reference — fabricated sources are a common cause of viva trouble.
See the full citation styles guide for examples of each.
What actually goes in each chapter
Knowing the seven chapter names is the easy part. What gets a thesis returned is a chapter that does not do its job. Here is what each one is expected to contain in an MTech thesis, with the rough share of your total word count.
Chapter 1 — Introduction (about 10%)
Set up the problem, then narrow to your specific question. It must contain a clearly stated problem statement, the research gap you are filling, 3–5 numbered objectives written as full sentences, your scope and limitations, and a short roadmap of the remaining chapters. Examiners look for the objectives first — if they are vague, everything after it reads as unfocused.
Chapter 2 — Literature Review (about 20%)
Not a list of summaries. Organise it thematically, compare studies against each other, and close with an evidenced statement of the gap your work addresses. Every claim needs a real citation. A review that ends without naming a gap has not justified the thesis.
Chapter 3 — Theoretical Framework (about 10%)
The chapter that separates a master’s thesis from a BTech project. Present the theory, models, governing equations or standards your work rests on, and explain why that framework fits your problem rather than simply describing it.
Chapter 4 — Methodology (about 20%)
Written so another engineer could repeat your work. Cover materials and specifications, equipment, experimental or computational procedure, the standards followed (IS, ASTM, IRC codes as applicable), sample size, and how you analysed the data. Justify each method by citing a study that used it for a similar problem. Past tense throughout.
Chapter 5 — Results (about 20%)
Your findings, presented and not yet argued. Tables and figures carry the data; the text points out what each one shows. Every table and figure must be numbered, captioned and referred to by number in the text — an uncited figure is a common correction. Report what you measured, including results that did not go your way.
Chapter 6 — Discussion (about 15%)
Where results become meaning. Interpret the numbers, compare them with the literature from Chapter 2, explain anything unexpected, and state your limitations honestly. Limitations must be consistent with your methodology — claiming field-scale validity for a lab study is the kind of contradiction a viva panel finds immediately.
Chapter 7 — Conclusion and Future Work (about 5%)
Return to each objective from Chapter 1 and state whether and how it was met. Keep claims proportionate to the evidence. Close with two or three specific, named directions for future work — not “more research is needed”.
Plagiarism and AI-use rules you must meet
Formatting gets a thesis accepted for review. Academic integrity decides whether it survives. Both are governed by UGC regulations that apply to every Indian university.
The similarity thresholds
The UGC Promotion of Academic Integrity and Prevention of Plagiarism in Higher Educational Institutions Regulations, 2018 set four levels of similarity for a submitted thesis or dissertation:
Quoted material used with permission, the references and bibliography, and standard or common-knowledge content are excluded from the calculation. A well-built thesis usually sits in single digits — most of the similarity it does show comes from certificate and declaration boilerplate and from standard code designations, each individually under 1%.
Where AI stands
UGC treats unacknowledged use of AI as a form of plagiarism, and institutions increasingly set their own rules on top. IIT Delhi, IISER Pune and NLU Delhi, among others, permit AI assistance provided it is disclosed, limited and student-led. The safe position is the honest one: use AI for drafting and formatting, do the research and the thinking yourself, rewrite the prose in your own words, and declare what you used.
Be sceptical of any tool promising to make AI writing “undetectable”. Character-substitution tricks are themselves flagged as integrity violations by modern checkers, and a viva panel will still ask you to explain your own methodology. Ask your department which checker they run — the answer changes what you need to do before submitting.
Why MTech theses get returned
Most corrections are not about the research. They are avoidable formatting and consistency errors that a supervisor spots in the first ten minutes:
- Table of contents page numbers that do not match the pages. The single most common correction. Word’s automatic TOC field frequently computes wrong page numbers in a downloaded, read-only document.
- Preliminary pages in the wrong order, or the abstract placed after the table of contents instead of before it.
- Page numbering that does not restart — preliminaries must be lowercase Roman (i, ii, iii) and the body must restart at Arabic 1.
- References listed but never cited in the text, or cited but missing from the list. Examiners check this.
- Figures and tables not referred to by number in the body text.
- Objectives in Chapter 1 that never reappear in the conclusion.
- Inconsistent citation style — IEEE numbers in one chapter, author-year in another.
- Binding margin too narrow, so text disappears into the spine after binding.
MTech submission checklist
- Title page carries the degree, discipline, institution and month/year in your university’s wording
- Supervisor’s certificate and signed declaration included, with place and enrolment number
- Preliminaries in order: title → certificate → declaration → acknowledgements → abstract → contents → tables → figures → abbreviations
- Abstract at roughly 250 words, no citations or figures
- Roman numerals on preliminaries, Arabic restarting at 1 on Chapter 1
- Contents, list of tables and list of figures all show correct page numbers
- Every figure and table numbered, captioned and cited in the text
- 30+ real references, every one of them actually cited
- One citation style used consistently throughout
- Similarity report run and under your department’s threshold
- AI use disclosed if your institution requires it
- 1.5-inch binding margin verified on a printed page
Generate a formatted MTech thesis automatically
Tell LivoDraft your topic and university. It drafts all 7 chapters, applies the UGC/AICTE format above, builds a real IEEE/APA bibliography, and hands you a print-ready Word file.