What are the limits of permissible assistance in helping graduate students prepare their theses?

The student must prepare his academic thesis himself, starting from choosing the topic and outlining the plan, to preparing the indexes and documenting the references. It is permissible to seek assistance from others in formal matters that are not considered cheating, such as: suggesting a title, providing references, printing and formatting, arranging sources, translating the thesis abstract, or transcribing audio interviews.

However, the substantive aspects of research that are considered academic cheating may not be performed by anyone other than the student, such as: summarizing studies, statistics, analysis, discussing results, critiquing research, drafting, and linguistic proofreading in literary and Sharia studies. This is because it is considered a falsification of the student's effort and a form of betrayal, leading to the student obtaining a degree he does not deserve. It has been narrated in the Hadith: "The one who pretends to have been given what he has not been given is like one who wears two garments of falsehood."