Departmental review is a different, often less forgiving checkpoint than your supervisor's own review -- it tends to catch administrative and formatting issues a supervisor focused on content might not flag first.
What departmental reviewers actually check
- Accurate preliminary pages -- your correct matric number, department name, and programme, not copy-pasted from a template with someone else's details still in it.
- Both required signatures on the certification page -- institution-based and industry-based supervisor, both dated.
- Formatting matching the department's specific SIWES/IT guideline -- not a generic template, and not last year's format if it's since changed.
- Consistency between the logbook and the report -- dates, duties, and the company/unit description should match across both documents.
- Complete appendices -- any required attachments (logbook copies, company letters, photos) present and referenced from the text.
A pre-submission checklist
- Confirm your matric number, department, and programme are correct on every preliminary page -- not just the title page.
- Confirm both supervisor signatures are present and dated on the certification page.
- Cross-check your report's weekly activities against your actual logbook for consistency.
- Confirm your formatting matches your department's current SIWES/IT guideline, not a template from a previous session.
- Confirm every required appendix is attached and referenced somewhere in the body text.
- Build in time for at least one correction round before the department's actual deadline -- don't treat your supervisor's sign-off as the final checkpoint.
Why this stage catches things supervisors don't
Your supervisor is often focused on content -- did you actually do the work, does it make sense. Departmental review is more administrative: does the paperwork match, are the signatures present, does the format match this year's specific guideline. Both matter, but they're different kinds of checks, and it's worth reviewing for both explicitly rather than assuming supervisor approval covers everything.
Where UniDraft fits in
UniDraft applies your department's current SIWES/IT guideline automatically and keeps your preliminary pages, certification details, and formatting consistent throughout -- so the administrative side of departmental review isn't left to a last-minute manual check.
