Proposed Guidelines for writing M.

Phil/ PhD Thesis As

Per APA- Style

There is no hard and fast rule in terms of the structure for a thesis. However, Iqra
University would prefer the thesis/dissertation writing to follow the APA style for the
purposes of referencing and footnoting the manuscript as well as the bibliography.

Appendices are enclosed which briefly define the approximate content and time
requirements for completion to set a guideline for candidates to plan their approach. Brief
description of writing a research proposal is also enclosed as a guideline.

The following sections lay down broad guidelines for the formatting that will be
considered to be the necessary requirements for submission of the dissertation/thesis.
This format will provide a standard to facilitate printing and subsequent use in the library.

Guidelines for writing all average time M. Phil / MS / MBA Thesis

Chapter
or section Topic % Words Months

1 Introduction 5 1,500 1
2 Literature review 30 10,000 2
3 Methodology 20 6,500 1.25
4 Data analysis 25 8,500 1.5
5 Conclusions/limitations
and
Implications 20 6,500 1.25
100 33,000 7

Format of the Thesis

Title Page Required

Copyright Notice If Used
Table of Contents Required
List of Tables Required*
List of Figures Required*
Preface, Foreword, Acknowledgments
Abstract Required
Introduction** Required
Literature Review** Theory Required
Theoretical framework and research hypothesis Required
Research Methodology Required
Results Required
Discussion*** Required
Conclusions*** Required
Summary
Literature Cited or References Required
Appendix If necessary
Index If necessary

Brief Description of Thesis Format

1. Title Page
Please note that the title page must be formatted exactly as it appears in the sample.
• The title page does not receive a number, although it is considered page i of the
document,

• Beginning with the first page of the able of Contents, or Copyright page, if applicable,
use small Roman numerals for all prefatory pages,
• Original signatures, not photocopies, are required on the masters thesis and doctoral
dissertation title page,
• The signatures should be written in black ink using a medium point pen,

2.Table of Contents

The first page of CONTENTS is numbered ii (iii if a copyright notice is included), centered in the
bottom margin, and subsequent pages are similarly numbered to end of CONTENTS.
All numbering and lettering of titles of parts and sections of the document must correspond
identically to their placement within the document.

3. List of Tables
Number this page(s) consecutively in lowercase Roman numeral page continuing from the last
numbered page of CONTENTS.

All numbering, lettering, and captions in the LIST OF TABLES must correspond identically to
their placement within the document.
4. List of Figures
Number this page(s) in lowercase Roman numeral page consecutively from the page preceding it.

The term Figure includes graphs, photographs, plates, and all other types of illustrations.

All numbering, lettering, and captions in the LIST OF FIGURES must correspond identically to
their placement within the document.

5. Foreword, Preface, Acknowledgments

These are optional references which may describe how your study started and evolved, how the
material has been organized and presented, or who assisted you throughout your studies.
Continue to use lowercase Roman numerals consecutively from the preceding page.

6. Abstract
An abstract contains a statement of the problem, describes procedures or methods used, and
briefly reviews results and conclusions. Continue to number these pages consecutively from the
preceding page using lowercase Roman numerals.

• For the masters thesis, there is no specific limitation on the length of the abstract,
• For the doctoral dissertation, the abstract submitted to Iqra University is also not limited
except where it will be required in the future for maintaining abstracts of the thesis in a
digital library when created. For the purposes of keeping abstracts in a separate reference
folder in the library, an abstract of 350 words or a maximum of 2,450 characters will be
required.

7. Introduction

This section is the beginning of the main body of the thesis.

Note that the INTRODUCTION begins with the page numbering, 1, 2, 3, etc., through to the last
page of the thesis, including the separate tables and figures inserted at the appropriate points in
the text and any appendices at the end.

8. Literature Citation and Footnotes

References to relevant literature normally follow the commonly accepted practice in the
candidate's field. For the purposes of thesis at Iqra University the referencing method adopted
will be the APA referencing style. An indicator of the method of referencing is attached. Further

• Where the use of footnotes is accepted practice, these may appear at the bottom of a page,
at the end of the thesis, or at the end of long chapters.
• Footnotes are indicated by superscript numbers inserted in the text at the appropriate
point.
• Footnotes may include references to pertinent literature, or may simply consist of
parenthetical elaboration.
 A Sample of American Psychiatric Association (APA) Writing Style

Type Style and Spacing – all documents -- The text should be spaced no closer than four
lines per inch. The same font should be used throughout the text and main body. This
print should be 12 point preferably Times New Roman or Arial. The font in any case
should not be less then 10 point size. You can use a different font for titles of figures,
formulae, or to meet a specific need of the thesis, e.g., use of italics for quotes.

Margins: all documents.

• Top = 1"or 30 mm
• Bottom = 1" or 30 mm
• Outside = 1" or 30 mm
• Inside or Binding Edge = NO LESS THAN 1 1/2"

Page numbers in the upper right hand corner should be in line with the right hand margin
with a minimum clearance of 1/2" from the top of the page. Page numbers appearing at
the bottom of the page should be centered, again with a minimum 1/2" clearance between
the number and the bottom of the page.

Pagination – all documents.

• All pages except the title page must be numbered.
• Begin the numbering of the “front matter” with small Roman ii, the title page
counting as i, but remaining unnumbered.
• Use the Arabic number 1 to start the Introduction or Chapter I of the body or main
text of the thesis, and continue throughout the text, figures, tables, maps,
appendices, etc., numbering pages consecutively to the end.
• The number of each text page is placed in the same position on all pages at the
upper right in line with the right hand margin and at least 1/2 inch down from the
top of the paper so as to allow two trims at the bindery. However, pages which
are the beginning of a major section should have the page number at the
bottom center.
• Another acceptable method for positioning the pages numbers is placing all
numbers in the bottom center with the page number at least 1/2 inch from the
bottom of the paper.
• Landscape pages – the page numbers should appear in the same area of the page
as the rest of the manuscript.

Footnotes– all documents - Cite all sources in an appropriate "Bibliography or

References" section(s) at the end of the manuscript. Apply this formatting while using
footnotes to elaborate a point made in the text that may be relevant to explanation.

Reproductions– Reproductions, typically used in figures, tables and appendices, should

be placed within the normal margins.
Use of Copyrighted Material– all documents-When copyrighted material (beyond brief
excerpts) is included in the thesis, the author should obtain written permission
authorizing use of the material from the copyright holder. Ownership of the copyright can
be determined by inspecting the copyright notice which by law must be on the backside
of the title page. Proper acknowledgment should be made in the thesis of any work done
by others.

REFERENCES: References should be embedded in the text in the APA style—for

example ‘(Moon, 1994)’ or ‘(Moon, 1994, p. 45)’ ‘Note: Page numbers in the text are
necessary only if the cited portion is a direct quote). Citations should be first alphabetical
and then chronological—for example, ‘(Moon, 1994; Sandee, 1995, 1997; Zander,
1993)’. More than one reference of the same date for one author should be cited as
‘(Moon, 1994a, 1994b)’.

Examples of the detailed APA style of referencing follow:

Books:Korten, David (1995), When Corporations Rule the World, San Francisco,
CA: Berrett-Koehlar.

Edited Volumes: Spears, Larry (ed.), (1996), Reflections on Leadership.

New York: John Wiley.

Articles from Edited Volumes: Moon, C., (1994). ‘Changing Patterns of

Business-Government Relations in South Korea’, in A. Maclntyre (ed.), Business
and Government in Industrializing Asia, pp.222-46. St. Leonards, NSW: Allen
and Unwin.

Articles from Journals: Parke, Barbara, Yoram, Z. & Tarek, H., (1996).
‘International Joint Venture Managers’, Journal of International Management, 2
(1): 1-29.

Unpublished Works:Sandee, H., (1995). ‘Innovations in Production’,

unpublished Ph.D. thesis. Amsterdam: Free University.

FIGURES AND TABLES: Distinguish between figures (diagrams) and tables

(statistical material) and number them in separate sequences, i.e., ‘Figure 8’ and ‘Table
8’.
 Format of Writing Thesis Proposal

Research proposal structure keyed to the Thesis Structure

At many universities, candidates in PhD/Mphil programs are usually required to present a

research proposal during or at the start of their candidature. This note provides a
suggested outline for a proposal that fits with the structured approach to presenting
theses.

As a rule of thumb, the proposal should be a minimum of about two or three pages and a
maximum of about seven to ten pages in length (with the list of references and any
appendices of support material not being included in this page count), so the estimates of
word and page lengths given below are very tentative. The proposal could have about
twenty or so references for a PhD proposal and about ten or so references for an MPhil
thesis.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM

1 Introduction

The introduction is a five- to ten-line picture of the whole research, showing the major
controversies or gaps in the literature which leads to the research problem. This
description may become section 1.1 in the final thesis.

The research problem is presented at the end of this section. Note that readers of a
research proposal cannot be expected to know the jargon of every discipline, and so the
title and research problem should be expressed in as simple terms as possible, and any
specialist terms should be defined in this section as they are introduced.

2 Justification for the research

This section is about one page and justifies the research, usually on four dimensions:

• Scope of research or area of the industry involved,

• Gaps in the literature (provide several references in support and refer to section 3
below),
• Unusual methodology to be used (provide several references in support and refer
to section 4 below), and
• Possible benefits of outcomes for policy and for practice.

This section may become section 1.3 in the thesis.

RELATION TO PREVIOUS RESEARCH

3 Preliminary literature review and theoretical framework

In about two pages, show the major issues and schools in the literature and the gaps in the
literature, and then briefly justify some likely research questions (for qualitative research)
or propositions (for quantitative research) or a combination arising from the gaps which
may be the focus of data collection and data analysis. A model of the theoretical
framework would be impressive. This section becomes the later parts of chapter 2 in the
thesis. Define key terms as the section progresses or have a definition sub-section.

Incidentally, having read a completed PhD/MPhil thesis similar to the planned one is a
good inspiration and guide for the task ahead.

4 Contribution of the research

A contribution is a change to a body of knowledge created by a research project. This

section complements section 2 above about the justification for the research. This section
describes the specific outcomes of the research which may become part of the
implications of research in the final thesis, and describes their importance. For example,
it discusses a model which will be developed to fill the gaps in the body of knowledge
noted in section 2, or a checklist which will be developed for managers who have no
guides at present. In brief, this section is specific about likely outcomes and their
importance. A candidate could also mention a conference at which a paper about the
research could be presented. As well, the title of a journal which might publish an article
about the research could be mentioned if known.

5 Limitations
Outline and justify the major limitations that will be placed on the research, for example,
industry, level of management, states, etc. No claim for generalisability will be made
beyond these limits. This section could be kept to about one third of a page.

6 Background of researcher (Optional and May only be relevant to PhD thesis)

This is a brief section outlining any pilot studies that the researcher has done, and his or
her research qualifications and experience, for example, titles, methodologies and word
lengths of dissertations. Please ensure before adding too many details of yourself that this
will not be construed negatively and that these personal details are directly relevant to the
thesis.
 Guidelines for Supervisors and Examiners of M. Phil / Ph. D. Thesis

1. Evidence of an Original Investigation or the Testing of Ideas

• Was the aim of the research clearly described?

• Were the hypotheses to be tested, questions to be answered, and methods to be
developed clearly stated?
• Was the relationship between the current and previous research in related topic areas
defined, with similarities and differences stressed?
• Is the nature and extent of the original contribution clear?

2. Ability to Make Critical Use of Published Work and Source Materials

• Was the literature referenced pertinent to the research?

• To what extent could general reference to the literature be criticised on the grounds of
insufficiency or excessiveness?
• Was evidence presented of skills in searching the literature?
• Was due credit given to previous workers for ideas and techniques used by the
author?
• Is evidence displayed of the ability to identify key items in the literature and to
compare, contrast and critically review them?

3. Appreciation of the Relationship of the Special Theme to the Wider Field of

Knowledge

• Was the relationship between the current and previous research in related topic areas
defined, with similarities and differences stressed?
• Was literature in related disciplines reviewed?
• Was an attempt made to present previous work within an overall conceptual
framework and in a systematic way?

4. Originality as Shown by the Topic Researched or the Methodology Employed

• To what extent was the topic selected novel?

• Was there evidence of innovation in research methodology compared with previous
practice in the field?

5. Competence in Independent Work or Organization

• Was the methodology employed appropriate?

• Was the methodology selected justified?
• Was the methodology applied adequately described?
• Were the variables that might influence the study recognized and either controlled in
the research design or properly measured?
• Were valid and reliable instruments used to collect the data?
• Was there evidence of care and accuracy in recording and summarizing the data?
• Was evidence displayed of knowledge of and the ability to use all relevant sources?
• Were limitations inherent in the study recognised and stated?
• Were the conclusions reached justifiable in the light of the data and the way they
were analyzed?

6. An Understanding of Appropriate Techniques

• Given the facilities available, did it seem that the best possible techniques were
employed to gather and analyse data?
• Was full justification given for the use of the techniques selected?
• Were the selected techniques adequately described?
• Were the techniques selected related to the stated aims of the research?

7. Distinct Contribution to Knowledge

• What new material was reported?

• To what extent would the new material be perceived as a valuable addition to a field
of knowledge?
• To what extent do the conclusions overturn or challenge previous beliefs?
• Were the findings compared with the findings of any similar studies?
• Was the new contribution clearly delimited and prospects for further work identified?
• To what extent does the work open up whole new areas for future research?

8. Implications for Academics, Entrepreneurs, Policy-Makers and Practitioners

• Has the study made a contribution to theory?

• Has the study identified novel research questions / hypotheses / propositions worthy
of additional research attention?
• How can this study be extended / replicated in another industrial, location or cultural
setting?
• How can potential and current entrepreneurs benefit from this study?
• What are the managerial implications associated with the study?
• What methods of ‘best practice’ highlighted by entrepreneurs / firms / enterprise
agencies has the study identified?
• What policy debates has the study addressed? Has the study identified a new policy
angle that needs to be considered?
• How can policy-makers and practitioners disseminate the identified methods of best
practice?
 9. Worthy, in part, of Publication

• Was the organisation of the report logical?

• Was the style of the report attractive?
• With appropriate extraction and editing could the basis of articles or a book be
identified?

10. Advice for Students

• READ WIDELY

• FOCUS IDEAS

• REVISIT OR ATTEND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY COURSE

• MUST TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE THESIS AS AN

INDEPENDENT PROJECT

• DISCUSS IDEAS WITH OTHER STUDENTS

• REGULARLY CONTACT SUPERVISOR/S

11. Links to Research Journals.

Following are the URLs/websites from which Iqra University students, faculty and staff
members can download research articles, journals and books from within Iqra University.

http://www.digitallibrary.edu.pk/ipcheck.php

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/

http://search.epnet.com

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/oso/public/index.html

http://www.springerlink.com/journals/

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/consortia/periproducts.asp

http://peri.etailer.dpsl.net

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/browse~db=jour~thing=title~by=title