TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

A. THESIS FORMAT AND WORD LENGTH

1. The abstract of the thesis should not be more than 500 words, inclusion of five
keywords.
2. Irrespective of the nature of the paper, the number of words should strictly follow
the range of 12,000-20,000 words, excluding appendices (attachments) and
references. Note that, the word allowance is subdivided according to chapters, it
follows: Chapter 1-3 (4,000-7,000 words) and Chapter 4 – Conclusion part (8,000
to 13,000 words).
3. The thesis should incorporate the following:

3.1. a title page g iving the title of the study in full, the name of the
student researcher, the department, the college and the institute’s
name, and the date (month and year) when submitted for the degree.
It should be ensured that the title is written in title case and should not
exceed to 100 characters (including spaces). Symbols and formatting
(e.g. bold and italic) of the thesis title should BE AVOIDED.

3.2. A table of contents

3.3. A statement signed by the student researcher declaring the

originality of the work

3.4. An acknowledgement

3.5. Chapters

Chapters 1-3 should present the following respectively: Research

Introduction; Review of Related Literature, Studies, and Theoretical
Framework (if applicable); Research Methodology. The proceeding
chapters (before the Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
Chapter) will be determined according to the nature of the research
and the extent of discussion.

3.5.1 Introduction

The introduction provides the general information and main idea of

the research. It establishes the scope, context, purpose and
significance of the research being conducted by summarizing current
understanding and background information regarding the topic. It
points out the issue/argument of the study and raises the research
problem through a hypothetical statement or a set of questions. It
explains briefly the methodological approach used to examine the
research problem, highlights the potential outcomes the study can
reveal, and outlines the remaining structure and organization of the
 paper. It is of utmost importance therefore to get the introduction right
and decide what necessary details and information should be
included. Note that, itemizing the said components under
separate subheadings is not necessary. What is more important
is to bring these elements together into compact idea and
coherent paragraphs.

3.5.2 Review of Related Literature and Studies (Chapter II)

The review is not a presentation of summaries of the literature

available. It is a critical analysis of what has been published about the
topic and synthesizes the results into a statement of what is and is not
known. The unknown or the missing piece of information or the
conflict in the literature, or the weakness in the known, is the gap that
leads to the research questions that will be answered. Note that the
study is not worthy undertaking if it does not answer a gap. The filling
in of the gap is the contribution of the student’s research to the field. If
it applies in the nature of the study, theoretical framework may be
included in this chapter.

3.5.3 Research Methodology (Chapter III)

Research Methodology should include the following components:

a. Research Design; b. Data Gathering; c. Data Analysis; d. Research
Setting (Locale of the Study)

3.5.4 Summary

The summary should present the actual process undergone by the

research and not just the findings. It should state the research
question, hypothesis; enumerate your methodological approaches;
use some examples/interpretations from literature sources but not too
much; outline the results of the study and your personal contribution.
Make a skeleton of the conclusion by writing down main points.

3.5.5 Conclusion

The conclusion should demonstrate to the reader your

understanding of the research problems. The reader should be
reminded of the strengths /key points of the paper, summarizing the
thoughts, and the new/unique contributions that your study made.

3.5.6 Recommendation

The recommendation should indicate the opportunities for future

research that have not been emphasized in your discussion.
Highlighting research to explore should also demonstrate the author’s
deep awareness of the research problem. Furthermore,
recommendations also explore avenues by which findings can be
placed in the arena of discussion and actions relative to policies,
programs and projects.

A. GENERAL FORMAT AND STYLE:

3.1. Margins
For all pages, including those with figures and tables, the
required margin will be Top: 1.8”, Left: 1.5”, Right: 1.25”,
Bottom: 1.25”
3.2. Line Spacing, Justification and Indents
All text in abstract, acknowledgement, dedication and body
text will be 1.5. Single-spaced for table of contents, list of
figures and list of tables. Quotations longer than two lines
are indented 1.5 cm (0.5 in.) from both left and right
margins, single-spaced and 10 font size. All text in
paragraph form is fully justified. First line indents are 1.5
cm (0.5 in.)
3.3. Font
All text throughout the body of the thesis is Times New
Roman, 12 pt. Text within figures and tables should be of a
font type and size that is consistent with the font used in
the body text. Words that are not in English (e.g. Latin
names, species scientific names) and the titles of books
should be italicized.

3.4. Headings
All chapter titles and headings should follow these
examples:

1. CHAPTER TITLE

Upper Case, Bold, 12 Point, Left-justified

1.1. First Level Heading

Lower Case, Bold, 12 Point, Indented (0.25 inches)

1.1.1 Second Level Heading

Lower Case, Normal, Underlined, 12 Point,
Indented (0.5 inches)

3.5. Page Numbering

All pages, except the title page, are numbered in the top
right of the page. Pagination begins with the Approval
Page, which is page ii. All other front matter is numbered in
lower case Roman numerals (e.g. ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, etc.).
The body of the thesis and appendices are numbered in
Arabic numerals starting with page 1 and continuing until
the last page of the thesis, take note that the first page of
every Chapter, the page number should be invisible.

3.6. Figures
A figure is any graphic illustration, map, photograph or
chart. Figure must be consecutively numbered all
throughout the paper irrespective of the chapter number.
Figures appearing in-line with text will normally have a
neatline with the figure number appearing outside the
neatline at the bottom of the figure. The figure number
should be followed by a brief, descriptive title or caption. If
not an original figure, the source of the figure should
appear at the end of the title or caption.

For example: Figure 4: The building of the Berlin Wall, plus defections
and escape attempts. (Provide the Source).

So, it should appear like this:

Figures may be placed on the page in portrait or landscape

orientation and should follow the page or paragraph in
which they are first referred.

3.7 Tables

Tables should appear in consecutive number all through

the body of the paper. It may appear in landscape or
portrait form.

Table numbers should be at the upper left of the table. It

should appear like this:

If not an original table, the source of the table should

appear at the end of the title and the table should be
redrafted. For example: Table 3: The population of Iligan during
American Occupation (Reports of the Governor General 1912)
 Tables should follow the page or paragraph in which they
are first referred.

3.8 References

Chicago style should be used for citing (footnote) and

referencing and must be properly categorized according to:
books (online and print), journal articles (online and print),
webpages, personal communications, etc.

follow the link: https://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/Guide68.pdf

3.9 Appendices

A cover page must precede the appendix section with the

appendix labeled by ascending letters (e.g. A, B, C, etc.)
and title.

Sources:
“Undergraduate Thesis Guidelines.” Department of Geography, Brandon University. Accessed January
26, 2018,
https://www.brandonu.ca/geography/files/2011/07/Geography_Thesis_Procedures_and_Style-
1.pdf on January 26, 2018.
"Organizing Your Social Sciences Research Paper: 9. The Conclusion." USC Libraries. February 23,
2018. Accessed March 16, 2018. http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/conclusion.
"How to Write Research Summary." EduBirdie. Accessed January 26, 2018.
https://edubirdie.com/blog/research-summary-writing.
“MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology Research Quick Guide.” School of Graduate
Studies, MSU-IIT. Accessed on March 22, 2018, www.msuiit.edu.ph
 It is hereby agreed and understood that the Technical Specifications for
Undergraduate Thesis should be followed and will take effect starting 2 nd semester
2017-2018, as approved by the faculty members of the Department of History: