As far I could know to how many used this template, Daniela Oliveira wrote and published her Ph.D. thesis using this template version. You can check her work in https://repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt/handle/1822/76582. I thank her for her confidence. Just note that there are discrepancies in the font quality and the cover because she edited the PDF file to add the location and date to the statment of integrity - to digitally sign you can add the location and motif in the signing application. The cover and verse are different from the default in this template, because for PhD theses, UMINHO mandates to use the full cover and verse like the image below:
This can be achived by incluind the generated PDFs with the pdfpages package. More on that below.
A template for covers can be found here. Some coding has been added that isn't on Github. For now, only UMINHO's School of Engineering is featured. Check it out. https://github.com/b-pereira/UMINHO-PHD-MSc-Covers
The original repository is in github.com/joaomlourenco/novathesis
This version is a fork from an older version from NOVAThesis. The information in the NOVAThesis main repository doesn't apply to this version.
For this particular version, you can contact me via Facebook via PM, or by email. My profile is https://www.facebook.com/pereirabruno05/ and my email [email protected]
NOTE 1: To use in Overleaf, just get the copy of the repository in the ZIP file and upload the file. Note that the template only works with the XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX compilers so you have to change as shown in https://it.overleaf.com/learn/how-to/Changing_compiler from PDFLaTeX to XeLaTeX or LuaLaTeX. Likewise, the recommended Tex Live version to use is 2019, and change the version just below the compiler (same for Linux). To use on Linux there is a Makefile and it's just make install; make debug for compiling and debugging or make for compiling less verbose and faster.
NOTE 2: To change the template configurations is ONLY (recommended) to change the main.tex file. In addition to the msc option, there is also mscplan for the 'RPD' (pre-dissertation report), phdprop for the thesis proposal, phdplan for an eventual intermediate thesis report. The bsc, which would be used for a final graduation report, is not implemented.
NOTE 3: Additionally, following some requests from people from the Masters in Mathematics and Applications and the Doctorate in Medicine, I created two versions for the School of Science and the School of Medicine, in addition to the existing version of the School of Engineering.
NOTE 4: Given that the thesis and dissertation formatting rules are the same for all UMINHO schools and institutes, just changing the UOEI logo, I may implement commands to generate the logos of other schools. I recognize that LaTeX is not the type of many people, particularly people who are not from the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. However, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity to anyone who wants to do it, whether in the fields of Arts, Humanities, Economics Management, as well as Psychology, Nursing, etc.
NOTE 5: If you think the math fonts are too small, put \DeclareMathSizes{12}{13}{12}{11} in the preamble of the document. Note that the first size must be the same as the rest of the document, that is, 12pt in normal font also \DeclareMathSizes{12}{... To know what is what in this macro see https://www.texfaq.org/FAQ-mathsize. Equally important about equations and formulas in LaTeX, is don't use blank lines before or after the equations. If you want to have empty lines in the source code just insert percent signs to prevent the paragraph effect.
NOTE 6: To change the school, just change um/eeng to um/ec or um/emed and change the name of the master or doctoral degree according to the examples in main.tex. It works on Linux (Ubuntu, Mint) and can be imported directly into Overleaf. I haven't tested for Windows with MikTex, so I'll probably have to change the way fonts are read by the template. If you need help, please send PM to Facebook or email me.
NOTE 7: Instructions for the template's configuration in the main.tex file. Please read them. There's everything that you need to know for customizing the template, like bibliography, link colors, etc. Please also note that some configurations cannot be changed, like the font type and one side options. The font type is because this template's version doesn't have case-control for other fonts. So if you change it, it will give you an error. The oneside option is set like that and you must not change it. The UMINHO standards mandate that there must be no blank pages. This can be confusing at first glance because if you want to print the thesis or dissertation the twoside option works better because it gives a blank page before a chapter. One of the caveats of oneside is that the headers will not be like in a book: odd and even pages have the header different (outwards the page), because is for printing. If you find yourself wanting to change to two-side, just note that the requirements expressly say no to blank pages.
A configuration that might be unnoticed is the copyright. The following code (with comments) is the preamble of main.tex.
%------------------------------------------------------------------
% IMPORTANT --- LICENSING
%------------------------------------------------------------------
%%%%%%%%% Important package for the licensing.
\usepackage[
type={CC},
lang=portuguese,%*
modifier={by-nc-sa},
version={4.0},
]{doclicense} % By default English is used, however, is necessary to
% explicitly define the language if the license is in Portuguese. The
% modifier must be changed accordingly to user preferences. If the
% licensing is different from any of the Creative Commons (all rights
% reserved for instance) just uncomment the line with \copyrightfile below
% and add your custom file and the doclicense package will be ignored.
% Here the custom file has the name *copyright*
%%%%%%%% The custom copyright file.
%\copyrightfile{copyright} % Uncomment to include yours. There is
% a template in the Chapters folder with a defined command, but you can
% change however you want.
Marked with an * is the language. This isn't automatic. If you're writing in English, just comment on that line. The modifier options can be found in the package documentation at https://www.ctan.org/pkg/doclicense. Also, because your copyright can be different like "All rights reserved", I managed to make the template use such a file. If you want, you can find the file under the \Chapters folder, include what you want and uncomment the above line. The template will use that and ignore the doclicense one.
As it is, you can use the macro \thetitle as in \textbf{\thetitle} in the abstract. However, further customization has to be added to differentiate between languages. As it is \thetitle refers to the document's main title in that language. Another shortcut is to copy and paste the title into the language that is supposed to.
- Edit the AI files from the official channel (https://alunos.uminho.pt/PT/estudantes/Paginas/InfoUteisFormatacao.aspx Support Files (Covers and logos)), with Inkscape for example, removing the bleeding by exporting with -3mm. You don't need to remove the bleeding. Jut bear in mind that the dimmension below have to change to have +6mm in width and in height, on the line
\pdfpagewidth=440mm \pdfpageheight=297mm. The filescover.pdfandverse.pdfare just illustrative examples, you can name them all you want. However, the order is cover PDF first and verse PDF second. Both files can be at the LaTeX project root directory, just like images and other files. - Change the line of code in `template.tex like this:
\setcounter{page}{0}
\eject \pdfpagewidth=440mm \pdfpageheight=297mm
\includepdf[fitpaper=true]{cover.pdf}
\setcounter{page}{0}
\includepdf[width=440mm, height=297mm, fitpaper=true]{verse.pdf}
\eject \pdfpagewidth=210mm \pdfpageheight=297mmand here is where to put it, like this:
%% Begining of document
\begin{document}
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\thesisfrontmatter % Before the main text (TOC, etc)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\setcounter{page}{0}
\eject \pdfpagewidth=440mm \pdfpageheight=297mm
\includepdf[fitpaper=true]{cover.pdf}
\includepdf[width=440mm, height=297mm, fitpaper=true]{ccover.pdf}
\eject \pdfpagewidth=210mm \pdfpageheight=297mm
\printcoverpage % The cover page
\printaftercoverFind this highlighted line in the novathesis.cls file and comment on it. The digital signature can have the same fields (Location and Date), so you don't need to add them by editing the PDF file. You can keep the signature line and digitally sign it on top.
Some standards of this template don't meet the RT-31/2019 Standards For Formatting Doctoral Theses And Master's Works. They are:
- The Abstract must have the title of the thesis;
Other elements might be not exactly as mandated in the standards like elements metrics and colors from the cover and front page . As far as I know,, there is a differentiation between the digital version and the printed one, and UM doesn't stress the exact metric standards from the former as they do in the latter at least with master's dissertations. For the doctoral thesis, the case is different. Whilst the printing companies will deal with the printed version cover and front page, for instance, the stationary stores near campi, that already have the Adobe Illustrator file for that effect, the cover and back-cover must be like it is in Manual from the Standards - Full Cover and Full Back-Cover. In meanwhile, you have to edit the Ai file in here, remove the excess border of 3mm (in Inkscape just export with a margin of -3.0mm), and the final covers must have the final size of 440x210mm (2 A4 pages plus a spine of 2cm - while the spine's width is irrelevant, the exported PDF will have that margin). I'll post THE quick fix here that I HAVE in the meantime, so don't worry.
EDIT: The previous template as in the stable version from March 2021 (IF YOUR VERSION IS BEFORE THIS DATE, PLEASE UPDATE) had the following format in the logo. The light gray one was supposed to be like the UM logo color and they had to be separated by 0.5mm. Also, the code of the School of Engineering Logo was taken from another template and it was wrong - the center of the [circle that makes the] pentagon was misplaced and the radius was calculated from the outer margin of each bar. The code was corrected taking into account drawing each bar from each bar center to the pentagon center.
The reason to maintain this is that many dissertations were delivered with this and it was not enough to be rejected. As I said before, UMINHO doesn't stress that with the dissertations, given that many were delivered and nothing was said. However, given that some supervisors misunderstood what I said and compelled some of my colleagues to change the template I fixed that.
Also, the latest enhancement. A thesis from the original template (not this one, J. Lourenço template) was rejected on the basis that the font size was too small. LaTeX uses Donald Knuth's specification of 1/72.27 of an international inch (24.5mm) for point (pt), rounded from the American point system. In. 1984, Adobe Postscript was invented and the creators rounded the 1/72.27 to 1/72 of an international inch. This is known as the DTP point (DeskTop Publishing point) and is what Adobe and Office documents use. Any LaTeX uses the Tex point and the font is 3% smaller and it isn't perceptible to the naked eye. Anyway, the font size in this template and the original was scaled 3% to match the DTP point, and the cover and front page measurements were changed from pt to bp (big point - the equivalent to the DTP point in TeX).
As of now February 4th, 2022, the template is stable. This update might not be necessary. However, March 2021 is, because it has bug fixes and not enhancements.
Maybe I might be nitpicking at some irrelevant details. As I said in the previous paragraph, some supervisors mandated that the student completely changes from this one to the main NOVAThesis template. Because some of you are still using this template and to ensure to the supervisors that this template is 99.99% compliant with the Doctoral Theses and Master's Works' Formatting Standards - less the doctoral theses covers, back-covers, and spines - I will show what I meant in the first paragraph with the following figure:
As I noted in the image, there's a way to put the exact match to the 180mm for the elements near the circle. This template supports 3 UM Schools: the School of Engineering, the School of Science, and the School of Medicine. To make this change you have to go to the folder /novathesis-files/Schools/um. There are 3 folders for each school and the code is somewhat the same: eeng, ec, and emed. Choose your school and open the file defaults.clo and find this code snippet:
% Advisers
\coveritem[l]{2}{%
\optionaladvisers{
\fontsize{14pt}{16.8bp}\selectfont% DON'T CHANGE THE FONT SIZE PT TO BP. The second argument is the leading in DTP points
\thedissertationstr[\novathesis@opt@docdegree,\novathesis@opt@coverlang]\\[6mm]%
\fontsize{14pt}{16.8bp}\selectfont% DON'T CHANGE THE FONT SIZE PT TO BP. The second argument is the leading in DTP points
\theadviserslabel[\novathesis@opt@coverlang]\\%
\fontsize{14pt}{16.8bp}\selectfont% DON'T CHANGE THE FONT SIZE PT TO BP. The second argument is the leading in DTP points
\textbf{\printadvisersaslist}%
\\\rule{0pt}{6mm}
}
}The second parameter of\coveritem[l]{2} is the spacing, in this case, 2. This command with an integer as a parameter will put somewhat spaced in that amount, e. g., 1 - one big space, 2 - two big spaces, etc. Note that this is relative to the content and the available space. However if you can put a quantity with a measuring unit, to set the exact space you want. The measure units for vertical alignment are: ex, mm, cm andin. em is for horizontal alignment. As an example, you can set it to \coveritem[l]{20cm}.
However, if you are not content with what was said, the UM's Informatics Department published a PDF with forms where you can edit the content for a UM Engineering School's master's dissertation