Students enrolled in the Seminar course 1051-706, 707, 708 may be required to attend the weekly Speaker Series in addition to the regular class hour. This requirement holds only for the first three credit hours (quarters). Attendance at the CIS Seminar Series is required unless there is a class conflict. Topic and location of talk are posted in advance.

Any graduate student who has completed her/his coursework and is working on her/his thesis must register for 1051-890, for a minimum of one credit hour. Even if you are doing your thesis externally and are not using Institute facilities, there are administrative and other costs associated with every student, which are covered by the 1051-890 tuition fee. Registration for 1051-890 is required even after completion of the minimum nine credits and until the thesis is successfully defended.

You must register during Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters

Students registering for more than one credit must request advisor's and instructor's permission, before registration.

Students who are registered in other courses that count towards their degree do not have to register for an additional one credit of 1051-890. The rule is that to be a student you must be registered at all times (except summer) for a minimum of one credit in an approved course. "Approved" means a course offered by RIT that counts towards your degree.

If you fail to register for two consecutive quarters or three quarters in total, you may be withdrawn from the program. If you want to complete your degree, you will then have to apply for re-admission to the program. Once re-admitted, you may be subject to all current degree requirements, possibly including additional course work.

All incoming Ph.D. students are required to register for one credit, 1051-706, 707, 708 for the first three quarters. After the three quarters are completed, students register for 1051-890 for the remaining research credit hours required by their program. Registration continues for as long as the student is working on the thesis and up to a maximum of nine credits for the M.S. degree and 27 credits for the Ph.D. degree. You can take a maximum of four credits of 1051-890 before submitting your research proposal and/or study plan. You must, therefore, submit your proposal not later than the end of the fall quarter of your second year, in order to register for additional research credits.

It is a policy of the Institute that anyone who has completed 9 credits of thesis research (or 27 credits of dissertation research) must register every quarter for a one credit hour Continuation of Thesis (1051-890-99) course to remain an active student. Departments may offer graduate students a one quarter extension of time before the Continuation of Thesis tuition is levied. Payment of all Continuation of Thesis tuition is waived for all Summer quarters.

1. All new and readmitted students matriculated into a graduate program after September 1, 1987 will be subject to this Continuation of Thesis policy.

2. Once work has begun on a thesis or dissertation, it is seen as a continuous process until all requirements are completed. It is the student's responsibility to register each quarter for a one quarter hour Continuation of Thesis if the student has completed the departmental thesis course work but not the thesis itself.

3. The Continuation of Thesis course is a new offering designed to accommodate this policy. The course number is 1051-890-99. This section (99) bears no credit, but a fee for the equivalent of 1 quarter credit hour is assessed (except for Summer quarters).

4. If the student does not register for the Continuation of Thesis course for one quarter hour of credit, his/her department may either:

a. Register them for Section 99 (using a drop/add form) for which one quarter credit hour tuition is assessed in order to maintain registration,

b. Remove them from the program.

NOTE: CIS will exercise option b normally, except in extraordinary circumstances. Once the student is removed from the program, he/she will have to apply for re-admission. Once re-admitted, the student may be subject to the current degree requirements, possibly including additional course work. The department will inform the Registrar of their action.

5. Students will be responsible to register each quarter and pay one quarter hour of Continuation of Thesis tuition after they have completed the thesis credits required by their department. Students should consult the Registrar on registration procedures.

6. The length of time to complete a M.S. (or Ph.D. dissertation) thesis is at the option of the department. However, the M.S. thesis and all other graduation requirements must be completed within the seven-year period after matriculation, (or for the Ph.D. program within the seven year period after first attempting the Ph.D. comprehensive examination).

1. The individual departments will send the early registration forms and a schedule of courses to the students. Departments may request address labels from the Registrar's office. The departments, however, will have to call the "Continuation of Thesis" students from the list.

2. The student should complete the registration and payment process in accordance with Institute registration/billing procedures as indicated in the quarterly schedule of courses.

3. Once the student has completed the registration procedure, his/her ID card will be validated. The validated ID card will allow the student to use Institute facilities.

4. If the student fails to register, it is assumed that the student has left the program and that re-admission policies will apply if the student wishes to be readmitted to the program. (In the case of non-registration, the department should inform the registrar as to whether the student should be put on non-matriculated status or withdrawn from the program.)

Anyone registered for Thesis, 1051-890-01, Continuation of Thesis, 1051-890-99 must hand in a report at the end of each quarter. Students who have registered for more than one credit, must clearly demonstrate that substantial amount of work has been accomplished.

Reports are due for fall, winter and spring quarters, but not for summer quarter. Reports signed by the thesis or dissertation advisor must reach the advisor or graduate coordinator by Monday of exam week.

All quarterly reports must first be submitted to the thesis or dissertation advisor, regardless of the number of credits taken. The advisor must sign the report evaluation form which should accompany the copy given to her/him, and the student should submit the signed form with the quarterly report to the appropriate graduate coordinator. An example of the form is found in the Appendix. This and all other forms in the Appendix may be photocopied.

The student must also make the advisor aware of all the rules and regulations governing the submission of reports and theses.

It is in the student's interest to keep the other two thesis committee members aware of the progress made, so you should let them have copies of all quarterly reports. This amount of interaction between student and thesis committee is a necessary minimum.

Quarterly reports must be typewritten and fulfill common sense standards of presentation. Handwriting of equations and symbols is permitted if necessary, but must be clear. Pasted figures should be avoided; photocopies of line drawings can be easily substituted for originals. Photographs can be pasted if necessary, but make sure that you use some form of binding in that case. Double spacing between lines and a good quality printer or typewriter is required.

Reports may be returned as unacceptable if they contain more than four spelling or major grammatical errors. An (I) grade will be given unless the errors are corrected in time.

The report should refer to the proposal and demonstrate clearly how the proposed work is being accomplished. It is expected that anyone reading the report and the proposal would be able to evaluate quickly the progress towards completion of the thesis. Reports are not meant to contain technical jargon exclusively; you must include enough non-technical information to allow non-experts to assess the progress. An example of such information is a project timetable and current status indicated on a chart.

Apart from the minimum requirements listed below, the specific format of the report is left up to the individual student. In some cases, the bulk of the report can be written in the form of an extended abstract, without specific sections. For longer reports, sections such as abstract, introduction, etc. would be appropriate. In all cases, the last section must be the thesis timetable.

The current status or position on chart, and a plan of work for the next quarter.

All reports should include:

1. Cover page. State your name, thesis or dissertation title, time period covered by the report, # of credits registered for, the name of the advisor, and thesis or dissertation committee members, if appropriate.

2. Thesis timetable, status at the end of the reporting period and plan of action for the coming quarter.

Students who have not chosen their thesis or dissertation topic yet should also submit reports, outlining their progress towards choosing a topic and submitting a proposal.

Thesis and Dissertation Committee members must be nominated in the research proposal or study plan, for Graduate Coordinator approval. Proposals without three thesis committee names will automatically be rejected.

M.S. thesis committee members must have a least an M.S. degree in a field relevant to the student's research. People without M.S. Degrees can serve on the committee if the Graduate Coordinator is satisfied that they possess equivalent qualifications.

At least two members of the committee must be from RIT permanent graduate faculty.

If you are nominating a committee member outside RIT faculty, you must submit their CV's together with the proposal to allow the Graduate Coordinator to approve the nomination.

You may want to inform the prospective committee members that they will be expected to attend the defense at RIT, and cover their own travel expenses. (This is standard practice across the country). If there is any difficulty about attending the defense, you should look for someone else!

Any thesis committee members that are not from CIS, must be given a copy of the next two (2) pages of this manual, "Obligation of Research Advisors and Students regarding Thesis and Dissertation."

Obligations of research advisors and students regarding Thesis and Dissertations

All candidates for Graduate Degrees in Imaging Science are required to complete a research thesis or dissertation project. The purpose of this project is to provide the student with experience in the identification, study, and solution of a problem related to his or her major field of study. While the major emphasis at the M.S. level is on the experience, it is hoped that the results of the project work will contribute to the journal literature in imaging science. At the doctoral level there is a requirement that the research lead to a demonstrable and substantive increase in the body of knowledge.

Students are required to perform the following tasks:

1. Identify a problem and search the literature to become familiar with previous work and the state-of-the-art. The source of the problem may be found in literature resources, job experiences, persons with expertise in the field, advisors, or combinations of these possibilities. It is important that the student become familiar enough with the problem and relevant background so that he/she is not simply functioning as a technician or assistant in carrying out experimental work dictated by someone else.

2. Prepare a proposal for the experimental investigation. Every student must prepare and submit for approval a formal, written proposal. This proposal must be completed in the standard form given in the course document on proposals. In general it will contain an abstract, a literature review, a statement of experimental objectives, a plan of experimentation, a materials and facilities requirements list, and a cost estimate.

3. Carry out the experimentation plan. The experimental work may be performed anywhere, but if performed at a location other than RIT, the student must be able to present evidence that he or she actually performed the work. It is usually the responsibility of the advisor to verify this fact. Exceptions can occur, of course. A frequent example is that of measurements which are made by a service group on images generated by a student. The apparatus is sometimes sophisticated and requires trained operators. The student is then responsible for determining whether the measurements are made correctly.

4. Analyze results and draw appropriate conclusions. Students are expected to use statistical methods when required. Any conclusions drawn from the experiments must be defensible from the data.

5. Prepare and submit a written thesis (dissertation) report . Students are required to submit a written report in the form of a thesis which must conform to standards given by the course documents.

6. Prepare and present an oral thesis (dissertation) defense. Students are required to participate in a course symposium. Each student must prepare and deliver an oral report on the project work and be prepared to answer questions from an audience of their peers, advisors, and other faculty. The standards for this presentation are given in the course documents.

7. Quarterly reports are required. Quarterly reports are due on Monday of exam week for fall, winter and spring quarters.

Advisors are expected to have expertise in the general area of the research topic and possess academic credentials appropriate to the degree level of the research project. Departmental approval is required for all advisors who are not departmental faculty members. The research project advisor is expected to provide guidance and general supervision of the project work during all of its phases. Advisors should anticipate the following obligations:

1. Provide guidance and counseling regarding the overall objectives of the work and specific methods to be employed.

2. Meet with the student on a regular basis to review progress and discuss the general and specific direction of the work.

3. Advise the student with the preparation of reports, in particular, the final thesis and oral presentation.

4. Evaluate the required proposal, progress reports, and final report, and inform the course supervisor at the end of each quarter about their level of adequacy by signing the appropriate forms.

5. If the project work is part of or related to areas of research being performed at other than Institute facilities, and the advisor is an employee of that facility, the advisor should be aware of and inform the advisee of any other items that are of a confidential or proprietary nature and are therefore non-publishable. All of the work performed for research credit must be fully publishable.

Students working on research projects should realize that the project advisor is a valuable resource. Advisors are interested in both the results of the experimental work and the general education of the students. Students should anticipate the following obligations to the advisors:

1. Keep the advisor informed of the general progress of the work, new developments, new information, etc.

2. While the advisor has responsibility for general supervision of the project, students are encouraged to consult with other knowledgeable persons either for specific problems such as instrumentation or data analysis, or for general information. It is the responsibility of the student to keep the advisor informed about these contacts.

3. Arrange to meet with the advisor on a regular basis for the purpose of informing the advisor of overall and specific results and discussing the general direction of the work. It is expected that students will prepare for these meetings with some care so that the time may be effectively utilized.

4. Submit reports to the advisor promptly according to the publishing schedule.

5. Pursue the work with diligence once begun. It is expected that the work will be accomplished in a timely fashion to insure its relevancy and to justify the advisor's expenditure of time and effort.

We have been using the example of experimental work for convenience. Theoretical or other work such as modelling or computer programming are in no way excluded as legitimate thesis activities.

During the third quarter of the first year you should select a thesis (dissertation) advisor and committee. Your thesis (dissertation) proposal should be submitted to your thesis (dissertation) advisor by fall quarter of your second year in the program.

Your proposal must be approved by your primary M.S. thesis advisor or your Ph.D. dissertation committee. The completed and signed form must accompany your proposal upon submission. Examples of the forms are found in the Appendix.

The other two M.S. thesis committee members need not give their approval in writing. It is assumed that they have read the proposal and agreed to be on the committee. Their agreement to serve on the committee signifies their approval. If you added their names to the proposal without asking for their approval, you are risking rejection of your thesis. After approval, proposals must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator.

Proposals must be typewritten and fulfill common sense standards of presentation. Handwriting of equations and symbols is permitted if necessary, but must be clear. Pasted figures should be avoided; photocopies of line drawings can be easily substituted for originals. Photographs can be pasted if necessary, but you must use some form of binding in that case. Double spacing between lines and a good quality printer or typewriter is required. Use 8.5"x11" white paper. Spelling errors and major grammatical errors will ensure automatic rejection of the proposal. This is because, a: we want to encourage good writing and b: copy of your proposal will be submitted to external sponsors if your thesis is to be thus funded.

The proposal should contain the following sections:

1. Cover page

2. Abstract

3. Introduction

4. Objectives

5. Background-literature review

6. Approach

7. Summary

8. Timetable

9. Budget

10. Appendices

11. References

1. Cover Page - State your name, proposed title, date, advisor and proposed committee members (3 names).

2. Abstract - Normally about one-half page. A good and informative abstract is very important.

3. Introduction - This should only be a few pages. Briefly state the problem, the context, and your proposed approach.

4. Objectives - Keep it short; be specific. This is essentially your work statement and it may be convenient to present if in the form of interrelated tasks.

5. Background-literature review - This section provides the context in which your work will exist. It should review where the current sate of the art is and point out where it is not so that the contribution you propose to make is clear.

6. Approach - This section builds on the previous one to clarify how you propose to make a contribution based on the context you have defined. The materials, methods, models, etc. you propose to use and the results you expect to achieve should be clearly stated. You should build a case in this section to show that you understand the problem, have a well-reasoned approach for addressing the problem, and have a firm basis for expecting your approach to be fruitful. Finally, based on your review in the previous section you should point out the relative importance of your proposed contribution.

7. Summary - This is simply a brief encapsulation of your proposed approach and expected results.

8. Timetable - You must divide the work into four to eight major tasks which may be listed at the beginning of this section, in the following form:

Task 1 - Do this using those.

Task 2 - Do that.

Task 3 - Compare this and that.

Do not put "preparation of oral presentation" as a task, or any such activity not directly related to performing the work. However, writing of the thesis is a legitimate task, since it forms a major part of the total work.

The next page of this section should be a listing of the tasks and estimated time to complete each task. Example found in Appendix.

9. Budget - How much will it cost? The previous task breakdown can be used to determine costs. For most theses, this section will simply be an estimate of the cost of materials and equipment.

10. Appendices - Anything that does not quite fit into the text because it disrupts the continuity.

11. References - See note below.

In scientific literature, references serve two important purposes:

As citations of earlier work, they give credit to the authors upon whose work the new paper was built, and

They provide a path for the reader to locate more material on the subject.

Do not underestimate the importance of accurate references to your readers.

The desired format of a citation depends on where the paper is to be published. Journals have preferred formats as presented in "Information for Contributors," published in most issues. Citations are usually referenced in the order of their appearance in the test, and listed at the end in numerical order. (Fortunately, the old-style footnote format has been superseded by endnote, thus preserving the sanity of typists everywhere). (See example).

The sequential list of citations may also be used in larger papers (e.g. book chapters, theses, and dissertations), but more often the references are listed alphabetically by author's last name and are indicated in the text by the authors' name(s) and date of the publication. (See example). References generally give the authors' name(s) with initials, title, abbreviated journal title, volume, issue number (optional), initial page number (or inclusive pages), and year. In some journals, the title of the cited work is optional or not allowed (e.g. in Optics Letters), but if it is allowed, it is good practice to include it as an aid to the reader. Books are referenced by author(s) with initials, title (capitalized or underlined), editor(s) if any, edition number if applicable, publisher, city, date, volume (if necessary), page number of inclusive pages.

Example: References in journal article

Alphabetical Lists for use in thesis

Text: Some current research has been directed at extending the versatility of incoherent optical systems to include space-variant (Goodman, 1981) and nonlinear (Lee, 1981) operators.

List: Goodman, J.W. "Linear Space-Variant Optical Data Processing," in Optical Information Processing (S.H. Lee, ed.) Springer-Verlag, New York (1981).

Only pre-authorized expenses will be reimbursed!

There are two kinds of expenses associated with the thesis:

Equipment necessary for performing the work (including things like rental expenses)

Presentation expenses (printing, copying, photographs, etc.)

The Center is under no obligation to cover expenses. However, any requests for coverage of equipment expenses must be clearly identified in your thesis proposal, acceptance of your proposal by your committee and the graduate coordinator signifies acceptance of your proposed budget as well. In that case, unforeseen circumstances excluded, the Center will purchase or provide the equipment listed. The purchasing procedure must be set in motion by the advisor or graduate coordinator. In the case of small items purchased locally, you must first seek approval. If such approval is not obtained, it is quite possible that you will not be re-imbursed.

You are advised to consult extensively and in advance with your advisor and the graduate coordinator, if necessary, regarding the availability of funds for any equipment you might need. Presentation expenses are to be covered by the student, and should not be included in the proposal. Rare exceptions to this rule must be cleared in advance with the graduate coordinator and/or advisor, as appropriate. The Institute makes several word-processing and printing facilities available to the students.

Clearance from the graduate coordinator must be sought in all cases where the thesis advisor is other than full-time CIS faculty.

The cover page, certificate of approval, thesis (dissertation) release and abstract page, form the first four pages of the thesis. An example is shown in the appendix. The following pages are optional: acknowledgements, dedication, nomenclature. If included, these pages should be in the order listed (also as attached). Table of contents, list of figures, and list of tables (not optional), should be placed between the dedication and the nomenclature.

The thesis should contain the following sections:

Introduction

Background

Approach

Results

Conclusions and Recommendations

Appendices

References (see earlier note)

In some cases, the above sections may be inappropriate (e.g. if your thesis was about developing a computer program). You need not always use these names for the various sections, but whatever you format use, it must result in a better presentation than would be possible by adhering to the above format.

1.Margins:

Top edge: 1.5"

Left edge: 1.5"

Right edge: 1"

Bottom edge: 1.5"

2.Page Numbering

A. The title page is considered to be page i, but the number is not typed on it.

B. All the following introductory pages are numbered consecutively in lower case Roman numerals placed to the center of the page, 3/4" from the bottom edge.

C. The first page of the Introduction section is numbered 1 and all subsequent pages are numbered consecutively in arabic numerals.

3. Spacing

Double-space the general text of the manuscript, but single-space long tables, long quotations, footnotes and captions.

4. Photographs

Large photographs should be made 8.5x11" size, to be bound as regular pages.

Small photographs should be pasted with double sided tape. Do not use regular scotch tape or wet glue. Rubber cement may also work in some cases.

5. Drawings and figures.

Do not paste line drawings, but make a clear copy of the pasted page and use it as original.

Graphs on regular graph paper reproduce very poorly and should be avoided. In most cases it is possible to trace them on clear paper.

All photographs, drawings etc. should conform to the margin requirements above.

Minimize handwriting: use india ink and templates; it does not require special artistic talents.

6. Duplex.

The thesis may be reproduced on both sides of each paper.

1. Copied photographs They do not look good! All copies should have original photographs (if clear photographs are crucial to understanding the text) or clear reproductions. There are copiers that can reproduce continuous tone originals reasonably well, using halftone screen. This could be used, for example, to reproduce a photo of the apparatus that shows three boxes on a table. A full color copier is also available on the lower level of the Library (WML). If a photograph is not important enough to be reproduced clearly, it should not be included.

2. Messy graphs Usually on graph paper, which makes labelling of the axes very difficult to see. Also there is a tendency to let these graphs run into the margins. Most copiers offer reduction options to allow your graphs to conform to page size.

3. Improper use of Appendices In many cases, several completely different subjects are placed in the same Appendix. Use one Appendix per subject and include title, e.g.

Appendix 1

Digitization Program

4. Inadequate number of copies. You must submit the right number of copies as described below.

1. One copy is retained by Wallace Memorial Library (WML),

2. One copy is retained by CIS.

3. If your thesis was supported by a grant, two copies will go to the sponsor (if uncertain, ask the graduate coordinator).

4. One copy each to your committee members.

5. Additional copies for you.

It is your responsibility to provide sufficient copies. Do not assume that the Center will make additional copies if you have not provided enough; you might end up with no copy of your own.

It is the responsibility of the student to have the thesis bound, at WML. The following procedure should be followed:

2. Sign the title page and the copyright release page.

3. Take all copies to the graduate coordinator.

4. Graduate coordinator will check to see that the presentation of the thesis is acceptable, that all signatures are collected and that enough copies have been made. Then he/she will sign the title page. This is your permission to have the thesis bound. It is strongly advised that you contact the graduate coordinator right after your defense, in person, rather than leave a pile of copies on the desk.

5. Go to the Bursar's office and pay for the binding. The current fee is $13.00 per copy at the time of handbook publication. The Center and Library will pay for 2 copies. You pay for the rest.

6. Take all copies and your receipt to the basement at WML. Binding takes 2-3 weeks.

7. The Center will be advised when your thesis is ready. At this time we will keep all the copies that can be distributed on-campus and those that go to the sponsor. All extra copies will be mailed to you. If you have advisors from outside RIT their copies will be sent to you. Also, the graduate coordinator will sign the form indicating that the thesis has been successfully defended.

Some exceptions to the above procedure will be made for students whose place of defense is not RIT, or who live out of town. In that case, you must mail all required copies together with a letter stating relevant details, a check for binding and a return address and phone number. You must still collect all required signatures yourself. You should also be prepared to accept some delay in processing. It is utterly important that you have followed all instructions to the letter in this case, to avoid long delays.

After you have finished with your thesis you must take the following steps in order to graduate.

1. Obtain a form signed by the graduate coordinator that the thesis has been successfully defended. This form will only be signed after the bound copies of your thesis have been delivered to the Library and the Center. Form example in Appendix.

2. Obtain a signed form "Termination of Research Activity". Form example in Appendix.

3. Submit these two forms together with a note requesting initiation of the degree certification procedure to the Graduate Coordinator.

The following should serve as a guide to a successful thesis defense.

Thesis defense should be scheduled only after all course requirements for the degree have been successfully completed.

1. Preliminary arrangements

When you think that you are ready for defense, you should submit copies of your thesis to all committee members and the graduate coordinator. You may expect that there will be considerable re-writing after this draft submission. You should allow at least three weeks for your committee members to read the thesis and comment; then, depending on the nature of the comments, you will need some additional time for re-writing. It is in your interest to keep in very close contact with all three committee members, so you can anticipate their remarks and accommodate them as much as possible in the draft stage.

The graduate coordinator may want to comment on the format, (e.g. improperly pasted figures, missing pages, etc.). Thus the draft copy should conform to all the regulations regarding thesis presentation. Any remarks by the graduate coordinator should also be incorporated in the final document.

After you have finished re-writing, you should re-submit the thesis to the committee members and set up a convenient date for your defense. The graduate coordinator must also be consulted. This date cannot be earlier than four weeks from the day you contact the graduate coordinator. It is your responsibility to contact your committee and inform them of the arrangements and to post announcements in the Chester F. Carlson Building at least 4 weeks before the defense.

The thesis examination will be held at RIT, and probably in the Chester F. Carlson Memorial Building.

The first part of the examination is open to the public, and will be advertised in advance. It comprises a presentation in the form of a seminar, with visual aids as appropriate. It is expected to take approximately 45 minutes plus 15 minutes for questions. During the talk, the following points must be addressed: objectives and accomplishments of the thesis; what is the problem; why is it relevant; what approach was taken and why; what were the results and conclusions. It is expected that the candidate will make a verbal presentation with only occasional reference to written notes.

After the end of the presentation, the committee will examine the candidate in private, possibly in another room. The graduate coordinator may or may not attend.

The examination is primarily concerned with the thesis work, but it is also of the nature of a final certification of your overall knowledge for the degree. Questions may relate to any aspect of the material in the thesis area and in the coursework of the degree program.

The entire examination usually lasts about one hour, at the end of which the candidate will be asked to leave the examination room while the committee discuss their decision. After a decision has been reached, the candidate is invited back into the room. In the case of failure, the candidate will be advised as to what actions can be pursued.

Upon successful completion of the examination, the first few pages of each copy are to be signed by the appropriate persons. Original signatures must be on all copies. Securing the signatures is your responsibility; it is best done immediately after the defense.

Make sure that all copies conform to the standard format and that you have enough copies. Then take all the copies to the graduate coordinator for signature. This last signature is your permission to have the thesis bound. Follow the procedure for "thesis binding" as outlined in "Guidelines for Thesis Presentation."