Re:
Guidelines for Theses and Dissertations
Fr:
UP College of Education (1998). Theses
and dissertations: Guidelines and
standards. QC:
UP Diliman, pp. 2-21.
I. Topic Selection (p. 2)
- Must
be theory-oriented and develop, test / validate or modify a theory
- Must
be consistent with curriculum or courses for degree program
- Criteria:
(a) relevant to major field of specialization,
(b) original,
(c) significant to knowledge,
(d) feasible and within the time and
resources available, and
(e) reflective of background and research
competence.
II. Preliminary Parts (pp. 10-15)
A.
Title Page
n = a
specific and concise statement of the topic referring to the major variables
or theoretical issues investigated
n Purpose:
to inform reader about the study; thus, should be explanatory by itself
n Content:
(a) exact title,
(b) full name of researcher,
(c) degree for which paper is presented,
(d) name of department and college to which
paper is submitted, &
(e) month and year paper is defended.
n Mechanics:
Ø Title:
uppercase (UC) & lowercase (LC) letters, centered (C) on page, typed on 8th
double-space line (DSL) from top of paper (TP); recommended length 10-12
words
Ø Name:
UC & LC letters, C on paper, typed on the 13th DSL from TP
Ø Submission
statement: begin on the 21st DSL from TP
Ø Length
of title page: last line = 1 inch from bottom of paper
Ø Pagination:
none; although considered the 1st page of the preliminaries written
on upper R hand corner of page
Ø Content
of title
--as specific &
concise as possible, suggesting clearly the purpose of the study
--superfluous: “A Study /
An Investigation / Analysis of”
--not too broad as to claim
an answer that cannot be generated, ex: “Effects of Motivation on Learning
Achievement” vs. “Immediate versus Delayed Feedback: Effects on High School
Mathematics Achievement Scores”
B. Approval
Sheet
n Location:
immediately after title page
n General
content: statement of acceptance of research report (not the same as form
signed by panel members immediately after defense)
n Specific
content:
--“Approval sheet” C in caps on 8th
single-spaced line (SSL) from TP
--statement of acceptance typed in usual
indented form
--page number (ii) appears at least 1 inch
from R hand edge of paper
C. Acknowledgment
Sheet
n General
content: researcher’s expression of appreciation for assistance &
encouragement given him/her
n Specific
content: type “Acknowledgments” in caps on 8th SPS from TP; simple
& sincere; only those who gave assistance without payment; type your
initials in caps with no spaces between 2 double spaces between 1st line &
1 inch from RH margin
D. Abstract
n = brief
summary of research giving a concise report of
(a)
the problem,
(b)
methodology, &
(c)
findings & conclusions
n Purpose:
to give readers a quick overview
n Length:
maximum 2 double-spaced type-written pages
n General
Content:
(a) [introduction]
brief description of the background & purpose of the study,
(b) conceptual
/ theoretical framework & hypothesis / es,
(c) [method]
respondents (ethnic group, age, sex, number), research design, instruments,
& data-gathering procedures, &
(d) [results]
main results & conclusions
n Length
& contents of theoretical & methodological studies: 250-500 words,
brief description of question/s & their theoretical &/or practical
relevance, summary of main arguments &^ developments, & main
conclusions
E. Table
of Contents
n General
Contents: preliminary parts, chapter titles with subdivisions, &
supplementary materials in appendix
n Specific
Contents:
Ø “Table
of Contents” in caps, C on 8th single-spaced line from TP
Ø List
preliminary parts first
Ø “Chapter”
flushed on L hand margin
Ø “Page”
flush with R hand margin
Ø Chapter
number (either Roman or Arabic numerals) should be given first, place below the
“p” in the word “Chapter”
Ø Chapter:
list 1st chapter in triple space below the word “Chapter”, followed
by double space; other chapter titles & major subdivision headings to be
preceded & followed by double space; Chapter titles in caps, begin 1 tab
space after chapter number; put dots (called “leaders”) after 1 space after
title & end 2 spaced before the space below the “P” in the word “Page”; if
chapter title is more than 1 line, start the carry-over below first letter of
title
Ø Chapter
subdivision headings: being 1 double-space below 1st letter of
chapter title; capitalize only 1st letters of principal words;
single-spaced & carry-over indented 2 spaces
F.
List of Tables
n Type
“List of Tables” in caps on 1st page of list on 8th
single space from top
n Type
“Table” 2 spaces below page heading, flush with L margin
n Use
Arabic numerals to number each table, placed under the letter “l” in the word
“Table”, followed by a period
n Capitalize
only 1st letters of principal words of table titles
n Single
space within individual title; double space between titles; carry-over of titles
longer than 1 typewritten line should begin immediately below 1st
letter of title
n Include
all tables in appendix
n Use
dots (called “leaders”) same way as table of contents
G.
List of Figures
n Content:
titles of pictures, graphs, charts & other illustrative materials
n Type
“List of Figures” C in caps on 8th single space from TP
n Heading,
page numbers, & leaders (dots) same as List of Tables
n Numbering
should appear under the “u” in the word “Figures” followed by a period
n Include
all figures in Appendix
III. Organization of the Report (pp. 16-21)
Chapter
I. Introduction
A. Background
of the Study
n A
brief statement of the origin of the problem
n Describe
the circumstances which suggested the research
n May
include a justification of the choice of the study
B. Statement
of the Problem
n Show
problem as one arising from a situation of need or unresolved difficulties
& make reader recognize this need
n State
in precise, accurate, & clear manner
n In
declarative or interrogative form
n In
one or many statements / questions or a combination of bo0th
n Must
be defined in terms of the data that can be obtained
C.
Significance of the Study
n Usually
required for research proposals for justification of research
n State
importance of problem & significance of results
n Include
statement on
(a) Relevance
of felt needs,
(b) Potential
contribution to new knowledge, &
(c) Policy
implications & other possible uses for results
D.
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
n Defines
the limit of the study
n Indicate
a reasonable area of study large enough to be significant but narrow enough to
permit careful treatment
n State
specifically scope of problem; nature, number, & treatment received by
respondents
n State
any limitations in reference population, instruments or research design
Chapter
II. Review of Related Literature and Theoretical / Conceptual Framework
A.
Review of Literature and Related Studies
n Purpose:
to tell what research has or has not been done on the problem & to explain
or clarify the theoretical rationale of the problem; to provide a general picture
of the research topic
n NB:
If long, can stand as a separate chapter right after Introduction; if short,
can be subsumed under the chapter on Introduction
n Content:
include only studies related in purpose, method, or findings; briefly
critically analyze the purpose, method, & principal findings &
conclusions of studies, i.e., point out strengths & weaknesses of each
study; clarify the relationship of reviewed studies; related studies to
problem; summarize review &provide transition / evolution from past to present
study; cite only last names of authors in the test (if 2 or more authors have
same surname, include initials)
B.
Theoretical / Conceptual Framework
n Formulate
a tentative theoretical scheme for research problem based on review of
literature
n Specify
the key variables showing their interrelationships, usually represented
in a diagram
n NB:
not necessary in qualitative research
C.
Hypotheses
n Hypothesis
= a tentative statement about a given population, serving as a tentative answer
to 1 or more questions, & subjected to statistical test
n State
in a testable form
n Set
level of significance (usually at .05) before testing
n State
both the research and null hypotheses
n NB:
qualitative research does not test hypotheses
D.
Definition of Terms
n State
clear definition for all important variables, especially if measured by
specific instruments or a combination of devices
n Include
conceptual & operational definition of important terms as used in the study
Ex: student achievement (operational
definition) = “the score obtained in a standardized achievement test”
n NB:
not needed in qualitative research
Chapter
III. Methodology
=
a description of the conditions for data collection & analysis; tells the
reader
what you did and how you did it
A.
Research Design
= quantitative
&/or qualitative designs
Ex:
(Quantitative designs) survey, descriptive, experimental
(Qualitative designs) ethnographic &
naturalistic
B.
The Sample
=
describes the (a) sample profile, (b) sample size, & (c) sample procedure
C.
The Instruments
= a
description of the adoption, construction, & administration of instruments
(which
includes test, questionnaires, interview guidelines &/or schedules,
etc.)
n Describe
apparatuses, devices, & laboratory equipments used
n Draw
or photograph complex or custom-made equipments
D.
Data Collection
n Explain
in complete detail procedures followed in conducting study
n Describe
techniques, devices, & procedures followed
n For
experiment: include instructions given to participants, formation of groups,
experimental manipulations, & control features in design
n Point
out any errors or weaknesses in procedures discovered during research & any
consequent limitations upon results
E. Data
Analysis Procedure
(1)
Quantitative Analysis
n Includes
statistics to be computed & description of statistical methods used for
testing null hypotheses
n NB:
common statistical formulas should not be listed.
(2)
Qualitative Analysis
n Uses
qualitative methods of analysis, ex: generation of patterns & conceptual
frameworks
n May
supplement quantitative analysis
Chapter
IV. Presentation and Analysis of Data
=
summarizes the collected data & presents results of data analysis
n Present
results & implication in a straightforward & unbiased way
n Gear
the presentation to the research questions & hypotheses, if any
n Present
on relevant data
n Do not
present individual scores or raw data in the text; if these need to be included
at all, they should be placed in the appendix
n Use
the medium that will present data effectively; summarize results & analyses
through table s& figures
n Do not
repeat same data in several places
n Do not
include tables with data that can be presented as well in a few sentences in
the text
n Do not
duplicate contents or tables & charts in textual presentation, but only
supplement & expand them; do not expect tables & figures to do
the entire communication for you
n Analysis
of data should be objective & logical; make a careful
distinction between fact & opinion; let facts, not opinion, prevail
n Note
all relevant results, including those that run counter to the hypotheses
n Include
the (a)value of the test statistic, (b) degrees of freedom, & (c) level of
significance in reporting results of hypotheses
n Include
in the section on Discussion of Findings the following:
(a) Explanation,
implications, & applications of findings
(b) Conditions
that limit the generalization of the findings, including a frank
discussion of weaknesses in the research design, techniques, or population that
have come to light with particular attention given to the manner in which these
factors may have affected the outcomes of the research
n Present
a reconceptualized framework as a way of summarizing findings for
quantitative studies if the results have modified the conceptual framework in
Chapter II
Chapter
V. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations
n General
Content: overview of research; (in theses & dissertations) give a brief
restatement of the (a) problem, (b)procedures, & (c) findings
n Should
not contain any new information; just briefly recapitulate the entire
content of the paper
n Imagine
being asked by a colleague: “What problem did you study and what results did
you obtain?” & briefly reply & to the point, sketching all the
important points of the study, describing the conclusions & how you had
arrived at them
n Do not
include broad generalizations not adequately supported by data; draw
conclusions only for the population & circumstances for which the evidence
has been collected
n Mention
practical implications
n Do not
include opinionated statements & suggestions not supported by evidence
n Recommendations
may be in terms of (a) further research suggested by the study giving at least
1 example, & (b) policies arising from this study
