MMS/PGDM Programmes

PROJECT PAPER HANDBOOK

Guidelines for the dissertation
 PREFACE

This project paper handbook aims to facilitate and guide our MASTERS DEGREE

students in conducting their research for their project paper requirement. The guidelines

provided in this handbook serve an important role to help ensure the quality of project

papers. The guidelines have been produced in a handbook for easier reference and greater

convenience to both supervisors and students. We hope you will find this handbook

helpful. We welcome feedback from students and supervisors.

INTRODUCTION

This document is only a guideline to enable you to complete your Dissertation in the
most effective and efficient manner. It is not designed to be all encompassing, nor is it
designed to put restrictions or boundaries to the work done by each student. While using
the guideline, to avoid missing any point, the student is expected to use his/her creativity,
enthusiasm and self motivation to achieve even better heights in the completion of his/her
Dissertation.

A good project paper should have the following characteristics:

It should demonstrate that a student is capable of conducting research, writing a

critical review of the literature, applying statistical tools to analyze data and
interpreting the results.
• It makes a contribution to the academic literature and business policy
and/or practice.
• It makes evident the link between research objectives, literature review,
conceptual framework and findings.
• Its writing quality reflects that considerable effort has been invested in
producing the final draft.
• It is well edited and has been thoroughly checked for spelling,
grammatical, punctuation and typographical errors. Text citations and
references conform to the Harvard Referencing style. The language is kept
simple and concise and there is a minimum of unnecessary words.

The project paper will have to show an overall coherence. The examiners will look for
a link between one chapter to the next, so that the logic of the connections between
chapters and of the points made within the chapters is clear.

This guideline is prepared specifically for students with the intention of providing
specific and detailed particulars of procedures to prepare and submit the project paper.
Please read and follow these procedures carefully to avoid unnecessary, costly, and
time-consuming revisions.

I. MILESTONES

The entire of Process of completion of a Dissertation, could be determined by the

Milestones that have to be achieved along the way. The Milestones envisaged are as
follows:

1. Hypothesis/Problem Selection: Selection of the hypothesis, business problem,

business opportunity, business threat etc. solution to which will be the objective of the
dissertation, on the basis of Extensive Literature study and meetings with Company
executives, if the Dissertation is to be done on a Problem of a specific
Company/Industry... Three alternatives are to be presented to your Faculty Guide, who
will question you about them and then select the one which, in his/her opinion, the
student could do the best justice to. This is an iterative process, and in case the Proposals
are not acceptable, the student will have to provide a fresh set of three proposals till the
final Problem Statement/Hypothesis is firmed up. The student will request meetings with
the Faculty Guide to discuss the proposals, so that the final proposal is firmed up in the
period specified herewith. (Due end of week 3 – viz. Saturday Midnight)

2. Aim, Objectives and Scope of Project: Laying down the scope of the work, based on
the Aims and the objectives to be achieved. Ensuring that the scope of work is sufficient
to achieve the goals and objectives of the Dissertation. This is where the limitations,
based on the scope is listed out. These limitations should not be such that the value of the
dissertation becomes unacceptable. (Due end of week 5)

3. Methodology and Schedule: Arriving at the methodology of research and making out
a time bound plan, laying out the different phases in which the work will be done. The
Milestones to be achieved at each phase of the Plan is to be specified and analyzed for
confirming the logical and seamless sequence of each phase. The Research Plan will go
to the detail of Activities to be undertaken, the Cost and time factors for each activity and
the resources (financial, time, human resource, equipment, space/infrastructure etc.)
required for each activity. This is a very important phase, as it takes the student to a point
of no return, and any creep in the commitments made at this stage could jeopardize the
entire project. The Research Plan will include, but will not be limited to, the specifying of
the Population to be the source of the information, the sampling plan (with justifications),
the mode/methodology of collecting data, with time estimates for each activity, Samples
of the proposed tables in which the data will be put for analysis (dummy tables), the
proposed Structured, Unstructured questions with the questionnaires where applicable,
the mode of administration of the Questionnaires (personal/by e-mail, through a web
page etc. Care should be taken at this stage that all the objectives as specified in point 2
above are being achieved.(Due end of week 7)

4. Research Activity/Data Collection: Actual research and activities, in line with the
Research Plan laid down in point 3 above. (Completion by end of week 15)

5. Analysis of Data/Information: The analysis of information received and getting

initial findings for review. At this stage, the student confirms that the objectives of the
survey are being achieved, and might enhance the scope or plan to go into greater depth
in a particular aspect, which seems to be promising or beneficial in making the outcome
more meaningful and of better value. (Due end of week 17)

6. Conclusions and Recommendations: Follow-up on decisions taken in Point 5 above,

by doing the additional research required. (Due end of week 18)

7. First Draft of Final Report: While the structure of the Report should be made after
the Third Milestone, this should go through necessary changes/modifications through
Milestone 6. Finally, make out final tables and the final form of the report on the
Dissertation. (Due end of Week 19)

8. Review and reinforcement of Findings: Review, and conduct an experience survey to

confirm that the findings have no obvious lacunae, or shortcomings. Decide on further
action, on the basis of this survey. Complete the actions so as to fine tune the information
and analysis/conclusions, and have the Final Draft ready. (Completion by end of week
21)

9. Finishing Touches before Submission and Presentation: Further fine tune and put
finishing touches, as decided in point 8 above. Be very careful at this stage to comply
with all the specifications of the Report as detailed later in this Manual, including the
Cover Page, the Index, the Font size and spacing, the Paper size, the Referencing style
ensuring that the Bibliography contains ONLY sources referenced in the main body of
the report etc.(Completion by end of week 22)

10. Final Submission of Report and Presentation: Submit final Report and Power
Point for Presentation of the dissertation. (Report submission by end of week 22 –
Presentation week 24)

After Final Submission, the timing of the Viva for Defense of the dissertation will be
firmed up by the Faculty Guide, in consultation with the Dissertation Coordinator.

The explanation of the tasks involved in each of the Milestones, the opportunities to be
grasped and the pitfalls to be avoided is given later in this report.

III. DISSERTATION GUIDE

While to some of you, the Milestones would be easy to understand, there are others who
would need guidance and support in planning to achieve each of the Milestones on time.
For this each student has a Dissertation Guide, who will be available to the student for
guidance. The process of interaction with the Dissertation Guide is explained later in this
report, under “Relationship with your Guide” and will form one of the core factors of
your Dissertation experience.

A student should understand that the dissertation is linked to a real life

situation/experience, and the interaction and activities involved are with real time
persons, Companies, Data sources. The importance of this Dissertation therefore cannot
be underestimated, . It will determine your effectiveness in transitioning from a college
academic theoretical environment to the rough and tumble jungle of corporate existence.
You should therefore plan well to ensure that you take the best advantage of this
experience, by ensuring that you allocate specific time (It is found that one requires 21 to
27 hours per week, to do a good Dissertation) and resources for this project, and take full
advantage of the wide and rich experience of your Dissertation Guide.
A part of the experience gained through this Dissertation is getting the student to take on
responsibilities and taking the ownership of doing an excellent valuable and unique
dissertation, in strict adherence to the Milestones mentioned herein. The student will find
that he/she is no longer a follower of an Instructor, but is the “Captain of your Ship” in
steering the Dissertation to a successful completion. From another perspective, the
student is the CEO of the Company, and the Guide is a valuable Consultant with
knowledge which will help you steer your Company to success. The CEO needs to get
the best of his Consultant. The Consultant will not initiate anything; he/she will only
provide information asked for by the CEO. The student therefore does not have an
Instructor, but a Guide. The student should proactively push for completion of the
milestones, on time, and take the initiative in using the services of the Dissertation Guide
to get their queries cleared, and their direction progress confirmed buy the Dissertation
Guide.

A. Relationship with your Guide:

A Dissertation Guide will be assigned to your Dissertation field

(Finance/Marketing/HR/MIS), and you will be introduced to him, prior to the
commencement of the Dissertation Process. The details of the introductory meetings and
the introduction of the Dissertation Guide are given in the Schedule of the Dissertation
Process below. However at this stage, it is essential to understand that the Dissertation
Guide has been chosen to act as a Counselor, Friend and Guide to you, and the extent of
your gaining from his availability would depend on your efforts to develop a close and
personal relationship with him/her, so that the guidance is given in the correct perspective
of your personal situation and environment. You should not hesitate to tell your mentor
about your personal background, your likes and dislikes, your aspirations in life, your
usual daily schedule, background about your Family (Parents, Siblings, Spouses and
Children) etc. This would give the dissertation Guide an accurate picture of you and your
environment, which he will keep in mind when guiding you through your Dissertation.
To enable you go give him the required information, you could keep this information
available in the format given in annexure “A”, and talk to him/her personally during the
initial introductory session. Remember, that a good relationship built with your Guide,
very often goes beyond your dissertation, and lifelong Mentor relationships and
friendships have been known to develop between Dissertation Guides and Students.

Students may expect their supervisors to give advice about the nature of the dissertation
(title, viability, methodology, university regulations), literature and other sources,
required techniques ,the planning of the dissertation (organization into chapters, sections
etc.), the standard of work expected (without prejudging final grades) and improvements
to draft chapters. The role of supervisors is to guide students towards the production of
their dissertation by discussing each part of the process. They will advise on relevant
areas of literature, help a student to develop their thoughts on their topic, give guidance
on the development of chapters and on the conventions of dissertation writing. They will
not act as proof-reader of the student’s work. They are not obliged to read the whole of
the final draft submission. If they do so, however, it is on the understanding that the result
of the final examination is not in any way pre-judged.
It is, however, the responsibility of the student to take the initiative throughout the
dissertation writing process: raising problems or difficulties, discussing issues arising
from feedback, taking appropriate action, and maintaining the progress of work as
agreed with the supervisor.

IV.PROCEDURES & PROCESSES

B. Commencement of the Project Process

All Masters students should make note of the following points: identification of research
question, and assessing whether it is researchable; planning and undertaking a literature
review; finding a supervisor and the supervisor's role; writing and structuring a
dissertation; plagiarism; and planning and time management.

The expert faculties may take the sessions as follows:

The first session will be an interactive session, when students can seek clarifications and
directives for the efficient and effective completion of the Dissertation process. This
session will also include the introduction of the Guiding Faculty for each of the
functional areas. You need to note the e-mail ID, Phone Number and other details of the
Faculty who will be guide to the functional area in which you will be doing your
dissertation.

C. Getting to know your Faculty Guide.

You will send an introductory mail to your Faculty Guide, giving him all your details,
along with a personal details form, which is given in Annexure 1. The Faculty Guide will
set up an Interwise session for introductions, when you will not only meet the Faculty
Guide, but also the other students doing Dissertation in the same functional area. At this
meeting you will present your initial three topics for Dissertation, and justify your choice.
This is a meeting at which students get to know their colleagues, as well understand their
trend of thought and directions for the Dissertation process.

D. Regular Contact
You will keep in touch with the Faculty Guide, primarily through e-mail.
While you are free to send mails, as and when the needs arise, you are
expected to send a mail at least once a week , covering the following three
sections:

1. Progress: Progress on the activities you had planned for the week in
your previous report.
 2. Sharing: Share new experiences, new perspectives new information
sources, new insights into the problem/thesis etc. and seek advice, if you
feel you need advice regarding the same.

3. Plan ahead: Detail your plan of action for the following week, keeping
in mind the progress made so far, the Milestones to be achieved and your
own personal capability of performing some activities.

E. Milestone achievement Report

Make out a Milestone Achievement Report, on the completion of each
Milestone. In your report you will explain where you were at the end of
the last Milestone, what activities you performed to complete this
Milestone, list out the difficulties you surmounted and the lessons learned
while achieving this milestone. You must ensure that your Milestone
Achievement Report is submitted by midnight on the schedule day for
completion of the Milestone. Any delay should be explained to the
Guiding Faculty.

F. Faculty Interactive sessions.

There will be four Interwise sessions for the first four weeks, attendance to
which is Compulsory. This is the period when you will be guided and
given the direction and the confidence to become “The Captain of your
own Ship”. Thereafter, there will be an Interwise interactive session at
least once every 6 weeks, which will be arranged and intimated to you in
advance. At this session, the entire group doing Dissertation will be
present to get a feel of the progress of the other students and also to seek
new perspectives, suggestions, encouragement for their peers.

G. Exceptional Contacts.
In addition to the contacts listed in A to E above, you can contact the
Faculty Guide, at any point to seek clarification or guidance. This can be
done by e-mail or telephone. It is prudent to ask the Faculty the time when
he could spend time over the phone with you, before ringing up, as there
might be times when he/she might not be able to entertain your phone call.
Many students have found it convenient to put their Faculty Guide in their
Buddy’s list of their MSN messenger or Yahoo Messenger. Thus they can
get in touch whenever they are on-line. Also the voice capabilities of the
Messengers help the student to overcome high expenses on normal
telephones. Use SMS extensively, to keep regular contact and to plan out
meetings/chats.
 H. Final Report and Presentation
Your Final report should be made according to the guidelines given in this
Manual. This should be done at lest 2 weeks prior to any proposed period
of Presentations. Your presentation of the report will be scheduled by the
Faculty Guide, in consultation with the Dissertation Program Coordinator,
who will invite two other members, to form a panel of evaluation

V. THE PROJECT PAPER PROPOSAL

1. Completing the Proposal Form

To ensure that the proposal is submitted in good form, please note the following
instructions:

a) All proposal forms are to be completed in all respects.

b) Follow the University Guidelines

c) Title of Project Paper

This is to be typed in accordance with normal rules for title, i.e. all words will
begin with a capital letter except for articles, conjunctions, etc. For example:

Correct : Corporate Social Responsibility in UAE

Incorrect : CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN

UAE

Incorrect : Corporate social responsibility in UAE

d) Problem Statement or Hypothesis Statement
This is where the student will put the proposal for the Dissertation. This could be
a Problem in a real life Company or a Problem in an Industry or a Hypothesis to
an existing Problem. There are two factors which MUST be evident in the
Problem/Hypothesis statement:
a. The Proposal MUST have high value to the Company or the Industry or to
the General Body of Knowledge. Part of your grading of the dissertation is
linked to the usefulness of the topic Researched in the Dissertation.
b. The Proposal MUST be unique. This is ascertained by extensive literature
research. If at any time it is found that your proposal is similar or the same
to any work already done, the dissertation will be terminated.
 e) Research Aim and Objectives

In this part, students are required to list the Aim and Objectives of their proposed
research. The Aim must correspond with the Proposal and overcoming any
problem or proving any Hypothesis stated therein. The objectives (There should
be anywhere between 3 to 10 objectives) give specific methods of achieving the
Aim.

f) Proposed Research Method

The Research Proposal will be made to achieve the Objectives mentioned in point
1(E) above. This should include the specific sequence of activities/research
programs, the source of date (Secondary or Primary), the specification of the
Population from which the information will be gathered (names of persons in case
of an experience survey, or base of selection of sample in case of an Exploratory
Survey), the Sampling strategy with justification, the methodology of collecting
information, Guidelines questions for unstructured interviews and full fledged
Questionnaires for surveys, whether the surveys will be conducted personally,
over the phone ,by e-mail, or thorough a web page, precautions to ensure accurate
responses to ensure that the outcomes are not biased etc.

In addition, Students are required to indicate the research methods to be used, by

ticking the appropriate method listed in the Research Proposal form.(Annexure
–“E”) Please note that the category “Secondary Data’ refers to research studies
which will utilize (i.e. use, analyze and interpret) data from secondary sources
e.g., company annual reports, government statistics, financial data from
Bloomberg, etc.

2. Proposal Review and Presentation

The Dissertation Guide will then review the proposal forms. Students are then required
to make a brief presentation of the proposed area of research to the Guide. The
proposal presentation to the Guide requires students to make a brief outline of the
proposed area of research. The Dissertation Guide may then question the student
further on certain aspects of the research. The purpose of the proposal presentation is
to enable the Guide to assess the following matters which are crucial in determining
the potential successful completion of a project paper:

• Suitability of the topic

• Focus of the research
• Manageability of the research in relation to time
• Availability of the literature
• Sample selection and sample size
• Potential supervisor’s area of expertise and/or research interest and the proposed
research

The proposals will then be evaluated and the decision will fall under three categories:
 • Proposal is approved as is. Students whose proposals are under this category may
then proceed with the research study under the guidance of the respective
supervisors.
• Proposal is approved with minor corrections. Students will then have to re-
submit their Research Proposal forms, within 3 days, to the Guide for approval.
• Research area not approved. Students will be required to change the focus of
research, as determined by the Dissertation Guide. The revised Research Proposal
will have to be re-submitted within a week to the Dissertation Guide for
approval. The student will then have to make another brief presentation of the
new proposal.
•

3. The Research Process

Upon approval of the proposed area of research by the Dissertation Guide, the student
may proceed with the research. Students are required to attend regular virtual meetings
with the Guide, in keeping with the contact with the Guide as specified in.
“Procedures and Processes” sections A to E above.

Statements & Declaration

The dissertation must contain the following statements, which should be incorporated
on to a single page at the beginning of the dissertation, as shown in Appendix C.
a. A declaration, signed by the candidate, to certify that the work has not already
been accepted in substance for any degree, and is not being concurrently
submitted in candidature for any degree.
b. A statement, signed by the candidate, that the dissertation is being submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree.
c. A statement, signed by the candidate, showing to what extent the work
submitted is the result of the candidate’s own investigations.
Acknowledgement of other sources must be made.

VI. PROJECT REPORT WRITING

(Use this section ONLY when writing your Report as

required in the Milestone 7 above. This should not be
misconceived as the sequence/schedule of work, which is
laid out exclusively by the Milestones listed above).

The Final Report is the most important deliverable of the Dissertation Process. All
your efforts in the completion of the Dissertation could bear fruit or be lost,
depending on how you make this crucial document. You should keep in mind that
 it will be read by and discussed with a constructively critical audience, who are
equipped with practical domain experience and domain knowledge, based on
sound theoretical foundations in the subject. Hence the report, while not being too
elementary, should focus on the key issues, and effectively defend all thoughts
conclusions drawn.

A. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT PAPER

1. Sequence of Chapters

A typical format of the project paper will usually have the following sequence of
chapters. However, students may decide on the specific title of each chapter of the
paper depending upon their individual style, area of research etc. It is always useful
for the student to discuss with his/her supervisor on the structure or organization of
the project paper before writing commences.

a. Chapter One: Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to state the research problems/issues/ hypotheses that
will be examined in the project paper. This should provide the background of the
study and indicate to the reader in general terms what the researcher intends to
study. Generally, the following sub-sections are included in writing the
introduction chapter of project paper:

i. Background of the Study – This section should inform the reader with the
problem to be dealt with, by establishing a frame of reference for the problem.
It is generally expected to give a generic Fobal perspective to the environment
in which the problem exists, and then filter down to the Country Perspective,
the Industry Perspective and finally the specific Company Perspective.
ii. The specific “Problem Statement” or “Hypothesis”. This statement sbould be
concise, focussed, and reflect the scope and the importance/value in resolving
the problem.
iii. Aim, Goals and Objective) of the Study, Research Questions and/or
Hypotheses – This section should describe in detail, the Aim, Goals and
research objectives, research questions, and/or hypotheses of the research.
iv. Significance of the Study - This section should state the contribution of the
research to theory, practice and policy.
v. Limitations of the Study - This section should discuss the
limitations/constraints of the study.
vi. Definition of Terms. This section provides operational definitions of all
principal variables in the study.
vii. Organization of the Project Paper. This section is always placed last in
chapter one and informs readers on the summary of contents to be presented
in each of the remaining chapters.
 Note:

a. It is a common practice to write the first chapter of most research writings last,
although there is no hard and fast rule about this.
b. Some authors prefer to discuss limitations of the study in the last chapter. Either
approach is acceptable, as long as the limitations of the study are presented and
discussed.

b. Chapter Two: Literature Review

The main purpose of the literature review chapter is to expand upon the context and
background of the study, to further define the problem, and to provide empirical and
theoretical bases for the research. In other words, this chapter needs to clarify the
relationship between the proposed study and previous work conducted on the topic.
Sub-headings should reflect the major variables of the literature review. It is
recommended that the sub-section under each sub-heading begin with a sentence
introducing the purpose, content or relevance of the literature to be reviewed in the
sub-section and end with a sentence summarizing the conclusions or trends evident
from the literature reviewed in that sub-section1.

c. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology

The methodology chapter describes the exact steps that will be undertaken to address
the Goals and Objectives and hypotheses and/or research questions. The aim of this
chapter is to provide a complete description of the specific sequential steps to be
followed, in sufficient detail, to allow a reader to replicate the study. The usual sub-
sections in this chapter will vary, depending on whether the research is quantitative or
qualitative-based.

The following sub-sections may be relevant in the methodology chapter in a

quantitative study:

 Subjects or respondents – Target Population of Respondents.

The Plan for each Target Population is then detailed as below:

 Justification for selection of the Target Population.

 Sampling Plan with emphasis on desired confidence levels of results.
 Instrumentation and channels used for information collection.
 Procedures and practices to be adopted for ensuring accurace and eliminating
systemic and investigator bias errors.
 Data analysis proposed, and
 Summary
 Qualitative studies must meet the same criteria for completeness that quantitative
studies do, that is, they must be able to describe in sufficient detail the methods and
procedures to permit replication of the study. However, it should be noted that the sub-
headings for different project papers using a qualitative approach might vary,
depending on the actual research method used. In discussing the methodology,
whether for quantitative or qualitative research, it must always be linked to what has
been said in the problem/ hypothesis statement and the Aim, Goals and Objectives in
the introduction and the literature review chapters. This is important to justify the
choice of method used in the study2.

d. Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findings

Tables and graphs are usually essential to a data analysis and findings chapter, with
the text describing in words what are shown in the tables and graphs. Most data
analysis and findings chapters begin with a description of the sample. Simple
demographics can be presented in written or tabular format. After describing the
sample, the next step is probably to address the research objectives or the hypotheses
of the study. The first research objective or hypothesis may be the first sub-heading.
The second research objective or hypothesis may be the next sub-heading, and so on.

The data analysis and findings chapter of a qualitative research will be slightly
different; however, the main concern should still be “making sense” of the data. The
methods of analyses may differ, the standards upon which reliability and validity are
judged may not be the same, and the raw data upon which analyses is based assumes
very different forms. Nevertheless, clearly written and documented analysis, the use of
tables and graphs, and a careful consideration of the order and logic of the presentation
7 of research3.
serve as the foundation of quality research, regardless of the type

e. Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations

This chapter is often the most difficult to write because it is the least structured. In the
introduction, literature review, methodology, and data analysis and findings chapters,
the details of the research dictate the content, but not in the conclusions chapter. This
chapter, however, does have a frame of reference – the introduction chapter. The
points raised in the introduction chapter, specially the Aim, the Goals and Objectives,
must be responded to in the conclusions chapter.

The conclusions chapter ties the results of the study to theory, practice and policy by
pulling together the theoretical background, literature review, potential significance for
application and results of the study. It does help however, if we understand the
function of this chapter. The last chapter has the following functions:

i. To conclude or summarize the findings of the study in the form of

conclusions. It is useful to begin the last chapter with a summary of the main
findings. This helps to orient readers to the discussion that follows.
 ii. To interpret – Here, this section is designed to answer the following
questions:
What do the findings mean?
Why did the results, if any, not turn out as expected?
What circumstances accounted for the unexpected outcomes, if any?
What were some of the limitations of the study?
What are the reasons for contradictions, if any, between information
collected from different Target Populations?
iii. To integrate – This section attempts to tie the results together to achieve
meaningful conclusions and generalizations.
iv. To theorize – Wherever possible, the conclusions chapter should also attempt
to integrate the findings into an existing theory or generate original theory. (In
the former case, you should state in either the introduction chapter or the
literature review chapter, the existing theory that is to serve as a frame of
8
reference).

v. To recommend or apply – Since management and business administration are

applied fields, research in these areas should provide recommendations that
can be applied in practice.
vi. To suggest extensions – This chapter should be concluded with suggestions
for further research, replications, or refinements, thus indicating directions
that future research should take. The suggested extensions can be offered in
general or more specific form4.

2. Some Common Errors in Project Papers

a. The problem statement:

• The problem statement is too long or too trivial or not important.
• Problem statement is ambiguous, wordy and too long.
• Important definitions are omitted.
b. Literature review:
• Not related to the objectives of the study.
• Merely a list of summaries – lack of connection or flow of ideas.
c. Methodology:
• Research method is inappropriate.
• Sources of data are not identified.
• Tests of validity and reliability not undertaken.
• Inappropriate statistical procedures.
d. Findings:
• Incomplete findings.
• Discussions of major findings are not linked to the research objectives, research
questions and/or hypotheses presented in the introduction chapter.
• Biasness in reporting.
• Not sufficiently supported by empirical evidences and facts.
 • Results and analysis poorly summarized.
• Over generalization – concluding beyond the data collected and the scope of
study5.

3. The Arrangement of the Contents of the Project Paper

All project papers should be divided into appropriate chapters. The onus is on the
students to provide a well-organized and well-written work. The following ordered list
of project paper contents is supposed to serve as a guide. Not all project papers will
include all items listed below, so students are advised to discuss this with their
respective Guides well in advance before they start writing to avoid unnecessary
changes in the final version of the project paper.

List of Sections

a. Preliminary pages (Roman Numbering)

i. Title Page – (counted as page i, but not numbered )

ii. Abstract
iii. Approval Page
iv. Declaration and Copyright
v. Acknowledgements - optional
vi. Table of Contents-
vii. List of Tables
viii. List of Figures/Illustrations
ix. List of Abbreviations, Symbols/Specialised Nomenclature
(If any - optional)

b. Text (Page 1 begins with Chapter 1)

i. Chapter One: Introduction

ii. Chapter Two: Literature Review
iii. Chapter Three: Problem/Thesis Background & Scope.
iv. Chapter Four: Research Design and Methodology
v. Chapter Five: Data Analysis and Findings
vi. Chapter Six: Conclusions and Recommendations
vii. Chapter Seven: Further Research pointers.
viii. Bibliography

c. Supplementary Pages (No Pagination)

i. Appendices
ii. Glossary (if any – optional)
iii. Index (if any - optional)
 4. Submission of Temporary-bound Copy (follow the University
Guidelines)
Upon completion of the project paper, and getting the approval of his/her Dissertation
Guide, the student may submit the Final Project Paper to the Guide and Internal
Examiners for evaluation. The electronic copy of this Final Project Papers MUST reach
the Internal Examiners, at least 1 week before the scheduled presentation in defence of
the Paper,

B. GENERAL FORMAT OF WRITING THE PROJECT PAPER

1. General Presentation Guidelines:

a. Language

The language of the project paper is English. Use short curt sentences. Be very
careful to avoid spelling and grammatical errors.

b. Font size and type

Candidates must use Times New Roman font. No other fonts are acceptable.

Font Size:
• For text use 12-point font.
• For tables and figures, use 10-point.
• For footnotes, 10-point.
• For title page, please refer to Appendix VI.
• For Table of Contents, use the Word facility for automatic preparation of
the Index, which automatically sets the Font size based on the Font size in
the Body of the report, and automatically adjusts the page numbers, on the
fly.

Please type in bold for headings and subheadings. Headings should be typed in
all upper case letters while sub-headings are to be typed in upper and lower
case letters.

c. Font style

Only one font style (Times New Roman) may be used through the entire thesis,
including the title page, approval page, acknowledgment, table of contents, main
body, bibliography and appendices. Exceptions to this can only be made for
tables/figures/illustrations imported from other sources. Italic variants of the same
font style may be used for labels, foreign words, book titles or occasional
emphasis. The usage of bold variants of the same font style and underlining in the
 text of headings and titles is at the student’s discretion. The font styles in the
Bibliography will follow the Harvard Referencing System.

d. Headings

Chapter headings are to be centered and written in bold, upper case letters. The
font size for chapter headings is 16 point. Other sub-headings are to be aligned to
the left margin and should be 14 point in font-size. Sub-headings should be in
upper and lower-case. Underlining and boldface in the sub-headings is at the
student’s discretion.

e. Paragraphs

Spacing between two paragraphs in the basic text should be set at 4.0 spaces. The
first sentence of a paragraph should be indented to 6 spaces. A heading that
appears as a last line on a page will not be accepted. There should be a minimum
of two lines of a paragraph at the bottom of the page under the heading.

f. Line spacing

The project paper should be typed on one side of the page. The text should be
double-spaced throughout, with single-spacing for the following exceptional
circumstances only:

i. Abstract
ii. Explanatory footnotes
iii. Appendices
iv. Long headings or subheadings
v. Long captions to tables, figures, or plates
vi. Bibliography
vii. Tables
viii. Quotations

g. Margins and justification

Set the justification to “full” and the margins to the following measurements:

TOP : 1”
BOTTOM : 1.5”
LEFT : 1.5”
RIGHT : 1”

h. Pagination
 The following plan of page numbering has been standardized and must be
observed. All page numbers should be centered at the bottom of the page. When
you insert the page numbers, set your position to “bottom of page (footer)” and
alignment to “Centre”.

a. Title page. This page should not be numbered though it is counted as page
number (i).
b. Preliminary pages. Preliminary pages include all the sections that precede
the text. They are arranged and numbered using small Roman numerals (i, ii,
iii, etc.).
c. Text pages. Use Arabic numerals. Page one should be the first page of
Chapter One.
d. Supplementary pages. No pagination.

No hyphens, periods, underlining or other marks should appear before, after or

under the page number.

i. Use of Footnotes

Footnotes must not be used for citing references. They should be used only for
useful extensions and excursions of information in the body of the text. Footnotes
should be numbered consecutively with superscript numerals. Footnotes should be
in single spacing, using font size 10-point.

2. Text Citations
All Source Material given in the Bibliography must be documented in the body of the
paper by citing the author(s) and date(s) of the sources. The underlying principle here
is that ideas and words of others must be formally acknowledged. The reader can
obtain the full source citation from the list of references that follows the body of the
paper.

i. When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal
structure of the sentence, the year of publication appears in
parentheses following the identification of the authors. Consider the
following example:
Wirth and Mitchell (1994) found that although there was a
reduction in insulin dosage over a period of two weeks in
the treatment condition compared to the control condition,
the difference was not statistically
significant. [Note: and is used when multiple authors are
identified as part of the formal structure of the sentence.
Compare this to the example in the following section.]
ii. When the authors of a source are not part of the formal structure of the
sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in
 parentheses, separated by semicolons. Consider the following
example:
Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded
that at least some types of religious behaviors are related to
higher levels of physical and mental health (Gartner,
Larson, & Allen, 1991; Koenig, 1990; Levin &
Vanderpool, 1991; Maton & Pargament, 1987; Paloma &
Pendleton, 1991; Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins,
1991). [Note: & is used when multiple authors are
identified in parenthetical material. Note also that when
several sources are cited parenthetically, they are ordered
alphabetically by first authors' surnames.]
iii. When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are included
every time the source is cited.

iv. When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors
are included the first time the source is cited. When that source is cited
again, the first author's surname and "et al." are used. Consider the
following example:

Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded

that at least some types of religious behaviors are related to
higher levels of physical and mental health (Payne, Bergin,
Bielema, & Jenkins,1991).

Payne et al. (1991) showed that ...

v. When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the first author's
surname and "et al." are used every time the source is cited (including
the first time).

vi. Every effort should be made to cite only sources that you have actually
read. When it is necessary to cite a source that you have not read
("Grayson" in the following example) that is cited in a source that you
have read ("Murzynski & Degelman" in the following example), use
the following format for the text citation and list only the source you
have read in the References list:

Grayson (as cited in Murzynski & Degelman, 1996)

identified four components of body language that were
related to judgments of vulnerability.

ix. To cite a personal communication (including letters, emails, and telephone

interviews), include initials, surname, and as exact a date as possible. Because
 a personal communication is not "recoverable" information, it is not included
in the References section. For the text citation, use the following format:

B. F. Skinner (personal communication, February 12,

1978) claimed ... 6

3. Quotations

i. Short quotations. of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated into the text
and enclosed by double quotation marks (“……”).

ii. Long quotations. Display quotations of 40 or more words in a double-spaced

block typewritten lines with no quotation marks. Do not use single-spacing.
Indent five (5) to seven (7) spaces from the left margin without the usual
opening paragraph indent. If the quotation is more than one paragraph, indent
the first line of second and additional paragraphs five (5) to seven (7) spaces
from the left margin. Exact page reference MUST be given for all quotations.

A Note on Plagiarism (cut/copy/paste)

Making proper text citations and providing accurate referencing for quotations are
crucial to help ensure that students do not intentionally, or otherwise, plagiarize the
work of others. Plagiarism occurs when people “steal the words, the ideas, and/or the
work that rightfully belong to others and then present these words, ideas, and/or work
as if this material were their own words, ideas, or work”7. Students are advised to pay
serious attention to this matter, as it is a very serious offence to plagiarize the work of
others. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make proper documentation of the
sources to which referred to in the project paper. Students are strongly cautioned that
if there is evidence that a part or parts of a project paper has/have been plagiarized,
the project report could be rejected, and the usual rules laid down by the Mumbai
Unviersity will apply. To safeguard against inadvertent plagiarism, the student must,
at regular intervals, in the development of his/her report, pass the same through
Turnitin, and use the similarity report to rectify any lapses. Turnitin can also be a
good source of finding new sources of information on the topic.

4. Bibliography

Any research work, which makes use of others’ works, either in direct quotation or by
paraphrasing/reference, must contain a bibliography, listing all of these sources. Only
works directly cited or quoted in the text should be included in the bibliography.

The bibliography must be presented according to the Harvard Referencing System

format. The bibliography should be single-spaced, with a font size of 12-points. All
the references cited are listed in alphabetical order. Do not number the references.
• Pagination: The bibliography begins on a new page.
 • Heading: BIBLIOGRAPHY (centered, in upper-case letters, on the
first line).
• Format: The references (with hanging indent) begin on the line
following the Bibliography heading. Entries are organized
alphabetically by surnames of first authors. Most reference entries
have three components:

i. Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the

source, using surnames and initials. Commas separate all
authors. When there are seven or more authors, list the first six
and then use "et al." for remaining authors. If no author is
identified, the title of the document begins the reference.
ii. Year of Publication: In parentheses following authors, with a
period following the closing parenthesis. If no publication date
is identified, use "n.d." in parentheses following the
authors.
iii. Source Reference: Includes heading or title if article. Italicize
titles of books, titles of periodicals, and periodical volume
numbers , and finally city of publication, publisher (for book).

Examples of sources

i. Journal article

Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women and

judgments of vulnerability to sexual assault. Journal of Applied Social
Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.

Book

Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.).

Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

iii. Web document on university program or department Web site

iv. Stand-alone Web document (no date)

Nielsen, M. E. (n.d.). Notable people in psychology of religion. ,Available

from <http://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/psyrelpr.htm> [Accessed
August 3, 2001]

v. Stand-alone Web document (no author, no date)

 Gender and society. (n.d.)., [online] Available from
<http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html> [
[Accessed December 3, 2001]

Journal article from database

Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). [online] A closer look at the drug abuse-
maternal aggression link. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 503-
522., from ProQuest database. [Accessed May 20, 2000]

Abstract from secondary database

Garrity, K., & Degelman, D. (1990). [online] Effect of server introduction on

restaurant tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 168-172.,
from PsycINFO database.[ Abstract Accessed July 23, 2001]

x. Article or chapter in an edited book

Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker

(Ed.), Religion and Mental Health (pp. 70-84). New York: Oxford
University Press.

5. Tables and Figures

Use font size 10-point and single spacing. Number all tables and figures with Arabic
numerals in the order in which the tables are first mentioned in the text. Title of the
tables and figures must be placed on the top. Charts and graphs must be centered.
Source(s) of data must be placed at the bottom left of the tables and figures, printed in
font size 10-point. Please refer to the example given in the next page.

Example: Table

Table 1: Car Sales, Selected World Markets, 1991-97

000’ Units Growth (%)
1991 1994 1997 1991-97
SEA-4 621 261 585 14.0
Japan 4868 4210 4492 -1.3
NAFTA 9445 10154 9333 2.0
Western Europe 1350 11934 13408 -0.1
0
World 3343 33359 36161 1.3
2
Source: IMF (1999).
6. Appendices

All appendices should be placed after the bibliography. This section is optional and
will depend on the content of the individual project paper. It contains supplementary
illustrative material, original data, and quotations too long for inclusion and not
immediately essential to an understanding of the subject. This section may be divided
into sections as Appendix I, Appendix II, Appendix III, etc., with appropriate titles.
Any figures or tables included in the appendix should be numbered and captioned as
for all text tables and figures.

7. Cover and Spine

a. Cover

The information printed on the cover must be with gold-coloured letters of 16 point
font size and must be in the following order:

The TITLE of the project paper appears at the top of the cover. It should include
meaningful keywords descriptive of the subject and content. Formulae, symbols,
superscripts, Greek letters, acronyms and abbreviated forms in general are to be
spelled out.

The NAME of the student used on the cover must match the name that appears on
the Approval Page and Declaration and Copyright Page.

The top and bottom margins for the cover must be 2.5”. All information printed on
the cover must be centered.

b. Spine

Information printed on the spine must be with gold-coloured letters of 16 point font
size, and must be in the following order:

• Name of author
• Acronym of the name of the degree (MASTERS DEGREE)
• Year e.g. 2002
• Acronym of the name of the University i.e. IIUM

The top and bottom margins of the spine should be 2.5”.

 C. A NOTE ON WRITING STYLE

1. 1. Abbreviations

Unless an abbreviation or acronym is so familiar that it is used more often than the full
form (like GATT, IMF, NATO, OECD, PLO, PORIM, ISIS, UMNO), write the words
in full on first appearance: thus Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC). After the
first mention, try not to repeat the abbreviation too often; for example, write the
organization rather than NATO, the institute rather than ISIS, and the authority rather
than MIDA. There is no need to give the initials of an organization if it is not referred
to again.

An abbreviation that can be pronounced (like NAFTA, ASEAN, UNESCO, UMNO,

ISIS) does not generally require the definite article (use of the before the
abbreviation). Other organizations, except companies, should usually be preceded by
the; for example, the BBC, the KGB, the UNCHR, the EPU.

Abbreviations that can be pronounced and are composed of bits of words rather than
just initials should be spelled out in upper and lower case: Comecon, Unimas,
Maybank, Petronas.

In the text, abbreviations, whether they can be pronounced as words or not (GNP,
GDP, FOB, CIF, LIFO, SDR, IOU, R&D) should be set in capitals, with no points.

Use lower case for measures (like kg, km, lb, mph). Abbreviations like i.e., e.g.,
should be followed by commas. When used with figures, these lower-case
abbreviations should follow immediately, with no space (9am, 25kg, 35mm, 45kw,
100kph, 89rpm, 19th), as should AD and BC (200BC, 1850AD), though they are set in
capitals.

2. 2. Capitals

The general rule is to use capital letters for organizations and institutions, but not for
people.

People: Use upper case for ranks and titles when written in conjunction with a name,
but lower case when on their own. Thus, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed, Vice-
President Gore, Queen Elizabeth, Profesor Idrus, Chairman Mao. On their own, we
write, Dr. Mahathir, the prime minister of Malaysia; the vice-chancellor, Professor
Yusof; Mr. Chuah, the chairman of ABC.
Organizations, Departments, Ministries, Acts, Political Parties, etc.: Generally
take upper case when their full name is used. Thus, Ministry of Trade and Industry,
Amnesty International, High Court, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Petroleum Act,
Treaty of Pangkor, Bank Negara Malaysia, Democratic Action Party, Republican.
Places: Use initial capitals for definite geographical places, regions, areas or countries
(The Hague, Britain, Middle East, East Asia, the West, the Gulf, South-East Asia,
Peninsula Malaysia), but use lower case to indicate direction (northern Malaysia,
south-east of Sarawak). The third world (an unsatisfactory term now that the
communist second world has all but disappeared) is lower case. So is Kuala Lumpur
city, Samarahan district.

Historical Periods: These are in upper case: the Great Depression, Renaissance,
Middle Ages, Industrial Revolution, New Economic Policy.

3. 3. Currencies

Normally, we use $ to refer to the United States Dollar (USD) as the standard
international currency and in general convert currencies to $ on first mention. To
avoid confusion, it is advisable to use US$.

Other dollars are differentiated by the initials: A$ (Australian dollar), C$ (Canadian

dollar), NZ$ (New Zealand dollar), S$ (Singapore dollar), etc.

For Malaysian currency:

RM150 (no space between RM and 150)

RM6 (not RM6.00 or 6RM)
RM3,000 - 5,000 (not RM5,000 - RM5,000)
RM3m - 5m (not RM3m - RM5m)
RM3 billion – 5 billion (not RM3 - 5 billion)
40 ringgit 25 sen RM40.25

For other currencies:

1m pesos (Philippines)
200 rupees (India)
2m rupiah (Indonesia)
Y 5 billion (Japanese Yen)
DM678 (German Deutschemark)
 4. 4. Dates

Stick to the conventional: day, month, year, in that order, with no commas:

6th July 1990s

6th July 1999 Monday 7th June
August 1976 1980-85
10th – 12th May 1995 mid-1990s
1st May – 2nd June 2001
20th century
21st century ideas

5. 5. Figures

Never start a sentence with a figure; write the number in words instead. Use figures
for numerals from 11 upwards, and for all numerals include a decimal point or a
fraction (e.g., 7.35, 8 ¼). Use words for simple numerals from one to ten, except: in
references to pages; in percentages (e.g., 3.5%); and in sets of numerals some of which
are higher than ten (e.g., There were 12, 8 and 6 cases respectively).

Fractions should be hyphenated (one-third, three-quarters, two-fifths) and, unless they

are attached to whole numbers (4 ¾, 25 ½), spelled out in words, even when the
figures are higher than ten (a tenth of them, a thirtieth anniversary).

Do not compare a fraction with a decimal. Avoid statements like The rate increased
from 5 ½ to 7.15. Compare decimals with decimals, and fractions with fractions. Use
fractions for rough figures (e.g., 20 ½ million population, about 1 ½ hectares) and
decimals for more exact ones (e.g., The index fell by 2.3 per cent).

Use m for million, but spell out billion, which means 1,000m, except in charts or
tables, where bn is permissible. Thus, 4m, US$4m, 6 billion, RM6 billion.

Use 2,000 – 3,000, 2 – 3%, 2m – 3m (not 2 – 3m) and 2 billion – 3 billion or 2bn –
3bn. But in a sentence, Sales rose from RM5m to RM5.8m (not RM5m – 5.8m); …
estimated to be between 7m and 8m (not 7m – 8m); They decided by nine votes to
six… (not 9:6).

Where a ratio is being used adjectively, figures and hyphens may be used, but only if
one of the figures is greater than ten: thus a 25-20 vote, a 12-8 vote. Otherwise, spell
out the figures and use to: a three-to-two vote, a ratio of one-to-ten.

Avoid using from 1950-60 or between 1950 – 60. Instead, use in 1950-60 or from
1950 to 1960.
 In a full sentence, use per cent (e.g., About 15 per cent of the population were ….), but
% can be used in tables and charts or in parentheses. Thus, 38%, 21.4%, or in a
sentence: Of about 1,200 students who sat for the examinations, nearly 300 (or 25%)
failed. Always write percentage, not %age, though in most contexts proportion or
share is preferable.

6. Measurements

In most contexts, go metric: prefer hectares to acres, kilometers (or km) to miles,
metres to yards, litres to gallons, kilos to lb, Celsius to Fahrenheit, etc.

7. Full stops

Use plenty. They keep sentences short and simple.

But do not use full stops in abbreviations or at the end of headings or rubrics.

8. British and American English

For conventional reason, preferably use British English rather than American English
or any other kind. But American English, especially American spelling has been
widely accepted now. The final choice is up to the writer, but the key rule is: be
consistent. Decide early which English to use, then stick to it. For names of
companies, places, and titles, keep to the original spelling9.

VII. EVALUATION (left to respective University Guidelines)

Evaluation of your Dissertation would be done on the basis of the efforts put in to achieve
meaningful Aims and objectives of the Thesis/Problem. Every stage of the Milestones
plays a vital role in defining the utility of the Dissertation and hence the marking will be
done as follows:

1. Relevance and importance of Subject of research: Selection of a relevant and useful

topic for dissertation earns you 10 % of the Grade. As the saying goes, well begun is half
done, and the selection of the problem is important. The value of the dissertation and the
potential for obtaining useful information from the dissertation will be decided at the
third Milestone, when the Methodology and Schedule report is sent to the Faculty Guide.

2. Adhering to Milestone Schedule: Adhering to Schedule of the Milestones given in

this note will fetch you a further 10 % of the grade.
3. Final Report and Presentation: The final Report and its presentation will fetch you
80% of the grade (70% for the Report, and 10% for the presentation).
The Final Report will be evaluated on the following basis:
a. The quality and effectiveness of research done during the project. (20)
 b. Soundness of logic in deriving conclusions and recommendations.(20)
c. Application of Theory in the preparation of the Dissertation.(10)
d. Clear sequential and logical flow of thoughts through out the report(7)
e. Proper referencing of all sources of information according to the Harvard
Referencing System(7)
f. Clear Precise and error free English.(7)
g. Cross Functional references and linkages to the Dissertation.(3
h. Ability to communicate ideas effectively within the specified Word Limit.
(3)
i. Format and Visual Presentation of the Report.(3)

IX. SAMPLE OF COMMENTS FROM GUIDE

Below are some sample comments on the final project papers. Students are strongly
advised to review these comments and try as much as possible, to minimize the
possibility of getting similar comments on their project papers.

1. The paper needs to be edited for overall coherence. There are numerous grammatical
errors found throughout the entire paper. In some instances, there are problems with
sentence structure. The Committee requires that you send your project paper for
professional editing to ensure that the paper meets minimum acceptable standards,
and in particular, be free from obvious and glaring grammatical errors.

2. The references listed in the bibliography appear to comprise largely, textbooks,

rather than periodicals. This is not acceptable for research papers. The Committee
also observed that you had not cited all items listed in the bibliography, in the main
text. You MUST ensure that any work not cited within the text, is NOT listed in the
bibliography.

3. Your literature review does NOT lead to a theoretical and empirical justification of
the research objectives, i.e. your literature review fails to reveal the relation between
what has previously been done by others in your area of research and what you did
in your research. Consequently, your literature review chapter needs to be re-written.

4. The methodology chapter does not make any mention of a pilot test for the self-
developed questionnaire instrument. It is however, unclear if the pilot test was
carried out but you did not make any mention to it or, alternatively, you did not
conduct a pilot test. If it is the latter case, this is a major flaw of the research process
and may lead to unreliable and/or invalid findings. In the case of the latter, you
should at least have referred to it in your discussion of the limitations of the study.
 X. EXPLANATION OF
MILESTONE TASKS

1. Hypothesis/Problem Selection: (Due week 3)

You need to select a Thesis or a Business Problem to research, which has to be approved
by your Dissertation Guide. To enable you to get an approval, you need to present at least
three alternatives to the Dissertation Guide, and explain the reasons for your selecting the
Projects. This is a crucial stage, as the Project selected would be the basis of your work
for the Dissertation Process. While selecting a Project, please ensure that you have
adequate access to information on the subject, and support from the organization, as you
might need to get some confidential information during the course of your research. This
involves some preliminary work, and meetings to ensure that the Projects proposed are
feasible and of practical use. If it is a Business Problem you are researching, the Business
Problem Statement should be clear and precise. This statement should be approved by the
organization on which you are doing the project. This ensures that there is no drift in the
requirements of the Project, during the actual research, s this would put your schedules
out of gear. The written statement, duly approved by the Company should be sent to your
Dissertation Supervisor, so that he could guide you in making a selection.

2. Aim, Objectives and Scope of Project:

The Aim of the project should be to resolve the problems, or to prove the Hypothesis of
the project. You will need to then list out specific objectives that have to be achieved to
satisfy the Aim of the project. These should be very specific, and at this stage you will
delve briefly into the type of information and the format in which they would be
presented to achieve each objective. (Due end of week 5)

3. Methodology and Schedule:

To arrive at the Methodology to be used in collecting information/Data, one needs to
know some of the methods available for collection of information. These could include
any one or a combination of the following:

a. Secondary Research: Getting information which is already available, relevant to

your Project. One has to be careful to ensure that the secondary information is authentic,
and is not biased because of the reasons of its compilation e.g. If the data is to justify a
cause, it could be biased. The sources of Secondary Research could be Government
Records, the Internet, Earlier Surveys conducted on a similar/ subject. Please ensure that
when secondary information is collected that it is properly referenced.

b. Primary Research, where the information is collected directly by you for the
specific purpose of this report. This could be divided into:

i) Exploratory Research: To gain further knowledge and information before

plunging into the full scale research.
ii) Experimental research where one controls the environment and applies a few
variables and checks out the effect of those variables.
 (iii) Survey Research: Here you need to define the population for whom you are
trying to get information, and select a sample to survey, so as to derive this information.
You need to know some of the models of sampling, and the methods of conducting
surveys e.g. questionnaires, Open-ended personal interviews, telephonic interviews,
observation, internet surveys etc. You should read some books/articles on the Research
Process. You will need to discuss this topic in detail with your instructor, prior to
undertaking the actual work.

This is the point at which you also specify the scope of your Project, and specify
what is included and what is not included in your Project. This scope should be sufficient
to achieve the objectives listed earlier. (Due end of week 7)

4. Research Activity/Data Collection:

You will need to do some Time Management, and set up some schedules for yourself to
ensure that you are on track with the completion of work. Procrastination is the biggest
pitfall at this stage of the project. This is the time, when your weekly reports to your
Dissertation Guide will help you to keep up with your work schedule. Here one needs to
remember to make notes on all information collected. Especially for information
collected from the net, capture the URL, even while you capture the information. This
will save you a lot of time searching for the sites while completing the Bibliography and
References in your Final Report. (Completion by end of week 15)

5. Analysis of Data/Information:
This stage really starts even as you collect Data. Make sure you plan out how the data
will be compiled for analysis, and check the results even as some information comes
through during your data collection in point 4 above. This will avoid the pitfall of finding
that some relevant information has not been collected during the sate 4 above, and the
need of re-doing the survey. Remember, if your planning right from the scope stage, with
ideas of how the information will be arranged for analysis, will save you a lot of
headaches at this stage. (Due end of week 17)

6. Conclusions and Recommendations:

Make sure that the Conclusions tally on a one to one basis with the Aim and Objectives
of the Project. It is helpful to repeat each objective, and then show the findings and
conclusions, along with the recommendations. By doing this, you are sure you have not
overlooked some objective of the survey. (Due end of week 18)

7. First Draft of Final Report:

Make final tables and the rough report on the Dissertation. In this report you will follow
ALL the guidelines on writing the report as given earlier in this report. You will treat this
as your Final Report, with all the Analysis and conclusions complete. This will form the
base of your further investigation/refinement as given in point 8 below. (Due end of
Week 19)

8. Review and reinforcement of Findings:

 This is usually done through an “Experience Survey” where you meet some
knowledgeable persons on the subject and discuss your findings and conclusions. You
might find some questions being asked, which you have not clarified well in your draft
report, and you might be able to make the Report fully self explanatory. You mighe even
find some information lacking, in which case you will attempt to conduct a quick
research to get the deficient information. (Completion by end of week 21)

9. Finishing Touches before Submission and Presentation:

Further fine tune and put finishing touches, as decided in point 8 above. Here you will
look into the language. Make sure there are no anomalies in the referencing. Check that
there is no repetition in your report. Check for having the report within the Word Limit
prescribed, and compress/expand it if necessary. Check that all the References in the
Bibliography are actually referenced in the Main Body of the report. Make sure that the
Table of contents is correct and with correct pages (this problem is solved by using the
Indexing capability of Word, which changes the Headings/Subheadings and pages on-
the-fly.(Completion by end of week 22)

10. Final Submission of Report and Presentation:

Submit final Report and Power Point for Presentation of the dissertation. (Report
submission by end of week 22 – Presentation latest by week 24)
 ANNEXURE II

Brief Guide to the Harvard Referencing System. ) Please log into the URL
below to get this guide.

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 ANNEXURE III (respective University Guidelines to be followed)

Layout for the declaration page to be included in the dissertation:

DECLARATION
This work has not previously been accepted in substance for any degree and is not being
concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree.

Signed ....................................................................…. (candidate)

Date ......................................................................….

STATEMENT 1
This dissertation is being submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree
of:

..............................................................……………….. (ie MA, MSc, MBA, etc)

Signed ..................................................................….. (candidate)

Date .....................................................................…..

STATEMENT 2
This dissertation is the result of my own independent work and investigation, except where
otherwise stated. Other sources are acknowledged by footnotes giving explicit references.
A bibliography is appended.

Signed ..................................................................... (candidate)

Date ........................................................................
 ANNEXURE IV
(respective University Guidelines to be followed)

Schedule of the Dissertation Process

(DISSERTATION ACTIVITY SCHEDULE)
(Please refer to a separate Excel sheet provided by the Dissertation Supervisor)
 ANNEXURE V
(respective University Guidelines to be followed)

: Research Proposal Form.

SUMMARY OF DISSERTATION

APPENDIX 4 Summary of Dissertation

(1)

(2) (Please attach separately a Literature Review of at least 10 pages covering a minimum
of 25 reliable sources of information that relate directly and support your Topic as Unique
and Valuable.
(This is a general write-up of at least 3 pages, in your own exclusive style, explaining your
project and justifying your selection of the topic)