BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE STUDIES OFFICE

DISSERTATIONS/THESES FORMATTING
GUIDELINES

FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDENTS

MAY 2019
Preamble

The Graduate Studies Office of Bahir Dar University (BDU) strives to realize Vision 2025 of the
University. As an integral part of the University's academic wing, the Office has now launched a
coordinated effort towards strengthening the postgraduate programs and thereby taking a leading role in
bringing the postgraduate studies to their utmost quality and standards. A preparation of this manual for
dissertations and theses is therefore believed to raise the standards a step up.
Writing a master's thesis or a doctoral dissertation demonstrates how competent a candidate is in terms of
putting data in a certain scientific form. Theses and dissertations will be made available for the public in
various forms. These theses and dissertations need to be in agreement with certain standards and writing
forms. BDU has not had a uniform set of standards for doctoral dissertations and master's theses. There
have been inconsistencies in the format these were written, submitted, and documented. The development
of this guideline will further guide the ways elements of a thesis or dissertation may appear before
submissions are made. This guideline has been developed with the intention of addressing formatting
questions/issues students typically have. In doing their research in the form of a scholarly document,
students are advised to read the relevant sections of this guideline.
Dissertations and theses turned in as part of the graduation requirements must be formatted according to
the rules laid out in the Formatting guideline for Theses and Dissertations. These format standards have
been developed to ensure a degree of consistency in the written presentation of theses/dissertations across
academic disciplines.
Formatting questions that are not addressed in these guidelines should be directed to the Office of
Graduate Studies. Failure to follow these instructions may result in rejection of the thesis or dissertation
for examination. We are pleased to wish you a prosperous stay in Bahir Dar University where we
anticipate wisdom be fetched from, and success can come out of your perseverance and hard work
throughout your endeavors in your academic arena.
The team engaged in the preparation of the original draft guidelines involved academics from different
fields. Several sources were used during the preparation of this document. We duly acknowledge all
sources which we have compiled parts of the guidelines from.

Graduate Studies Office

 Section One: General Formatting Issues

1. Preliminary Pages
1.1. Cover Page &Title Page
The first is a cover page that contains the University's logo at the top, followed by the name Bahir Dar
University in the first line, Office of Graduate Studies in the second line, followed by the name of the
Department or institute the candidate belongs to. After a double space down, the title is written with the
author's name. Title should be centered and beginning of each word should be capitalized. An example
is appended (see Appendix 2 and 3).
At the bottom the month and year of submission should be written. In the title page, the following are
included:
 Name of the university
 College/faculty/Institute/school/Academy
 Department
 Thesis/dissertation title (in caps)
 A thesis/dissertation submitted to college/faculty/Institute/school/academy in Partial/
Complete* Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of … (the name of the degree
or specialty tract, e.g. Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics)
 Full name of the postgraduate student
 Principal advisor’s name
 Co-advisor’s name(if any)
 Date of submission (month and year)
 Location of city (Bahir Dar in this case)
 Copy right
1.2 Copyright
Your copyright must contain the symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word "Copyright", the year,
the name of the copyright owner. Example: © 2009 Woinshet Tufa.
The copy right section shall be embedded in the title page.
1.3 Approval page (Signature page)
The approval sheet is available from your college, faculty, institute, school, academy or department,.
These sheets can change annually so make sure that you have the most up-to-date sheet. Include the
final approval sheet in your thesis after the board examiners sign it.
1.4 Declaration
You declare that the thesis is entirely your own work. State that you have properly cited the information
included in the thesis. Declare that the thesis/dissertation has not been submitted to any other
institution.
_____________________________
* 'Partial' is used if the study is courses + research, and complete is used only when it is research based.
1.5 Dedication (optional)
A dedication is a message from the author prefixed to a work in tribute to a person, group, or cause.
Most dedications are short statements of tribute beginning with “To ...” such as “To my family”. You
may format your dedication however you like, but the heading, “Dedication” should beat the top.
1.6 Acknowledgements
The acknowledgements section recognizes the persons and institutions that you are grateful to for
guidance and to those whom you wish to thank for support in the preparation of the study. Do not
reference religious deities as Jesus Christ or Allah; a thesis is a scholarly document prepared in a
secular institution.
Begin placing pretext lowercase Roman numerals at the bottom of this page, counting all preceding
pretext material except for the fly page (cover page). Page numbers are centered one inch from the
bottom of the page (see the section on pagination).
1.7 Abstract
The abstract is a succinct account of the thesis or dissertation containing the problem, procedure or
method, major findings, and conclusion. The heading Abstract is centered without punctuation two
inches from the top of the page. The actual abstract begins four spaces below the heading. The title of
this section (abstract) should be centered at the top of the page and in all caps. The title should not be
bolded. This is true for all subsequent section headings (i.e., the title (Abstract) is centered at the top of
the page, is in all caps, is NOT bolded). The pages preceding the body should all be in roman numerals
starting from the title page. The maximum length of an abstract shall be 500 words.
Keywords: The list shall not exceed four keywords.
 An abstract of a report of an empirical study should describe
 The problem under investigation, in one sentence if possible;
 The participants, specifying pertinent characteristics such as age, sex, and ethnic and/or racial
group; in animal research, specifying genus and species;
 The essential features of study method—you have a limited number of words so restrict your
description to essential and interesting features of the study methodology—particularly those
likely to be used in electronic searches;
 The basic findings, including effect sizes and confidence intervals and/or statistical
significance levels; and
 The conclusions and the implications or applications.
Abstracts of other studies employing different research methods may be written in the way the kinds of
the research call for.
1.8 Table of Contents
The heading Table of Contents (title case preferred) appears without punctuation centered two inches
from the top of the page. The listing of contents begins at the left margin four spaces below the heading.
The titles of all parts, sections, chapter numbers, and chapters are listed and must be worded exactly as
they appear in the body of the document. The table of contents must include any appendices and their
titles, if applicable. Use leader dots between the listed items and their page numbers. The Table of
Contents shall be prepared in a hyperlink format so that searching topics in the document can be easier.
See Appendix 1 for an example of Table of Contents.
 1.9 Illustrations (e.g. List of Tables, List of Figures)
The headings List of Tables, List of Figures, or other appropriate illustration designations (title case
preferred) appears centered in the same way for Table of Contents.
Captions should be placed differently for tables and figures or diagrams. The captions for tables shall be
placed above the tables; whereas, the captions of figures and diagrams shall be placed below the figures
and diagrams.
 Keep the captions Title Case and Italicized.
 Numbering of the illustrations should be sequenced from 1 (e.g. Table 1, Table 2, and so forth or
Figure 1, Figure 2, and so forth)
 Some documents include several types of illustrations. In such cases, it is necessary that each type
of illustration (table, figure, chart, etc.) be identified with a different numbering series (Table 1,
Table 2, and so on, or Chart 1, Chart 2, and so on). For each series, include a list with captions
and page numbers in the preliminary pages (for example, List of Tables, List of Charts, etc.).
These lists must be identified with major headings that are centered and placed at the two-inch
margin.
1.10 Abbreviations and Acronyms
You should list abbreviations and acronyms in alphabetical order.
2. Text section (Body of the Thesis/Dissertation)
First Level Heading is Centered, Bolded and First Letter of Content Words Capitalized. All sections of
the body should have a margin of 1.5 inches on the left, 1 inch on the top, bottom, and right each. In
addition, all sections should be double-spaced. Page numbering starts with a “1” on the first page. The
printing should be made on both sides of the paper. All the students do should be in compliance with
these guidelines. The text of a thesis features an introduction and several chapters, sections and
subsections.
The number and organization of chapters may vary according to the fields of study. Text may also include
parenthetical references, footnotes, or references to the bibliography or endnotes.
3. References and In-text Citation
Include a complete bibliography or reference section at the end of the document, before the appendix,
even if you have included references at the end of each chapter. The term References is the most
commonly chosen title. The heading must be centered and 2-inches from the top of the page. Include this
heading in the table of contents.
Start the reference list on a new page. The word References should appear in uppercase and lowercase
letters, centered. Double-space all reference entries. Use hanging indent format, meaning that the first line
of each reference is set flush left and subsequent lines are indented. However, the spacing between lines
of one entry shall remain to be single. For more information, how to cite sources in the body please
consult APA 6th edition. You are advised to consult it whenever you are unsure about citations in the
text.
4. Appendices
An appendix, or appendices, must be placed after the references. The heading Appendix (title case
preferred) appears without punctuation centered two inches from the top of the page. Appendices are
identified with letters and titles. For example: Appendix A: Data. Include all appendix headers and titles
in the table of contents.
5. Page Format and Layout Style
Candidates are free to select a style suitable to their discipline as long as it complies with the format and
content guidelines given in this publication. Where a style manual conflicts with Graduate School
guidelines, the Graduate School guidelines take precedence. Once chosen, the style must remain
consistent throughout the document.
5.1 Margins
Top, right, and bottom margins should be set at one-inch and the left margin should be at least 1.5 inches.
(A left margin at 1.5 inches is called a binding edge). Any pages with major headings, such as document
title, chapter/major section titles, preliminary page divisions, abstract, appendices, and references at the
end of the document should be set with a 2-inch top margin and a 1.5-inch left margin.
5.2 Font
The selected font should be 12 point and be readable. The font should be consistent throughout the
document. Captions, endnotes, footnotes, and long quotations may be slightly smaller than text font, as
long as the font is readable.
Font size for the parts other than the text shall be as follows:
Cover page and title page:
 Title of the thesis/dissertation shall be 19, all capital letters.
 The rest on these pages shall be 13, all capital letters.
 Chapter name in caps shall be15.
 Chapter title in caps (first heading) shall be 15
 First level sub heading like 1.1, 2.1, 2.2, etc shall be 14
 Second level sub-heading and others under this shall be 13
5.3 Spacing
Double spacing is preferred, but 1.5 inch spacing is acceptable for long documents. Single spacing is
recommended for references entries, long quotations, long endnotes or footnotes, and long captions.
Double spacing between each reference entry is recommended.
5.4 Titles
Each major division of the document, including appendices, must have a title. Titles must be centered and
have a two inch top margin. The use of title case is recommended. If chapters are being used, they should
be numbered and titled. For example: Chapter 1: Introduction. Appendices are identified with letters and
titles. For example: Appendix A: Data.
5.5 Page numbers
Every page must have a page number except the title page and the copyright page. If a frontispiece is
included before the title page, it is neither counted nor numbered. The page numbers are centered at the
bottom center of the page above the one inch margin. Note: You may need to set the footer margin to 1-
inch and the body bottom margin to 1.3 or 1.5- inches to place the page number accurately. Preliminary
pages (abstract, dedication, acknowledgments, vita, table of contents, and the lists of illustrations, figures,
etc.) are numbered with small Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.). Page numbering begins with ii, which is
the number assigned to the abstract. Arabic numerals are used for the remainder of the document,
including the text and the reference material. These pages are numbered consecutively beginning with 1
and continue through the end of the document.
5.6 Notation
Since notation practices differ widely among in the sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences,
candidates should confer with their advisors regarding accepted practice in their individual disciplines.
That advice should be coupled with careful reference to appropriate general style manuals.
 Arabic numerals should be used to indicate a note in the text.
 Notes may be numbered in one of two ways: either consecutively throughout the entire manuscript
or consecutively within each chapter.
 Notes can be placed at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of a chapter or document
(endnotes). Once chosen, the notation style must be consistent throughout the document.
 Notes about information within tables should be placed directly below the table to which they
apply, not at the bottom of the page along with notes to the text.
6. Writing and Editing
Finally, before the thesis/dissertation is submitted, it should pass through stages of writing, revising, and
editing. Make sure that the language you have used is clear and that it fulfills standards of a scientifically
written document. Failure to have the thesis/dissertation edited and proofread may result in rejection.
 Section Two: Crediting Sources
Scientific knowledge represents the accomplishments of many researchers over time. A critical part of the
writing process is helping readers place your contribution in context by citing the researchers who
influenced you. In this section, we provide the ground rules for acknowledging how others contributed to
your work.
When writing an assignment your own thoughts and ideas build on those of other writers and researchers.
It is essential that you acknowledge those sources of information by acknowledging the source within the
text and giving full details of each item in the reference list at the end of your assignment.
Referencing or citing your sources is an important part of academic writing. It lets you acknowledge the
ideas or words of others if you use them in your work and helps avoid plagiarism. Plagiarism is using
someone’s words or ideas and passing them off as your own, without acknowledging your source. Self-
plagiarism is using your own previously published work as new scholarship. Good referencing will assist
in avoiding accusations of plagiarism.
Referencing also demonstrates that you've read relevant background literature and you can provide
authority for statements you make in your works. When books, journals, official publications, newspapers
etc. are used to reinforce ideas in an essay; you must give credit to these sources.
There are two components to referencing: in-text citations in your work and the reference list at the end of
your work.
1. In-text citations are used throughout your writing to acknowledge the sources of your information.
There are two ways to refer to the works of other authors:
 Paraphrasing allows you to summarize another author’s ideas in your own words, whilst still
acknowledging the original source. Quotation marks are not needed. A concise well-
paraphrased account demonstrates your understanding of what you have read. When
paraphrasing or referring to an idea contained in another work, you are encouraged to provide
a page or paragraph number, especially when it would help an interested reader locate the
relevant passage in a long or complex text.
 Direct quotes can be used. However, an assignment cannot be a ‘cut and paste’ exercise.
Quotations should be used sparingly, as the person reading the assignment wants to see your
views and analysis of what you have read. When you use a direct quote always give the page
number(s) or paragraph number for non - paginated material and place double quotation
marks around the quotation.
Whenever you present a statement of evidence such as a quote, or when you use someone else's
ideas, opinions or theories in your own words (paraphrasing), you must acknowledge your sources.
The full references for the citations are then listed at the end of your work in the References list.
2. A reference list includes details of the sources cited in your work. It starts on a separate page at the
end of your work and is titled References. Each item cited in the reference list must have been cited
in your work. All sources appearing in the reference list must be ordered alphabetically by surname.
In contrast to the reference list, a bibliography also includes details of sources not cited in your work
which were used to support your research. While the APA style does not use bibliographies you may
sometimes be required to include one in addition to a References list. These items should also be
listed in alphabetical order.
Every scholarly discipline has a preferred format or style for citing sources. Widely accepted methods
used are:
2.1 Harvard referencing style
2.2 Modern Language Association (MLA) referencing style
2.3 Chicago referencing style and others
2.4 American Psychological association(APA) referencing style and others
It is important to first consult your advisor/supervisor for the preferred citation style for your disciples or
field of specialization.
2.1 Harvard referencing style
The Harvard style is one of a number of styles of referencing or bibliographic citation that is used widely
for academic writing. It is also an author – date system. For further examples and explanation please visit
the following links:
https://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_Harvard.pdf
https://libweb.anglia.ac.uk/referencing/files/Harvard_referencing_201718.pdf
2.2 Modern Language Association (MLA) referencing style
The Modern Language Association (MLA) referencing style is one of a number of styles of referencing or
bibliographic citation that is used widely for academic writing, particularly in the humanities. MLA uses
an author-page system of in-text citation. The MLA style is very flexible, thus you may occasionally need
to improvise by using other MLA reference examples to cite less common reference types. It is most
important to be consistent. For further examples and explanation please visit the following links:
https://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/pdf/cite_MLA.pdf
https://lib-serv.tccd.edu/resources/documents/MLA.pdf
2.3 Chicago referencing style
The Chicago citation style is used widely for academic writing in the humanities, social sciences and
natural sciences. There are two formats of referencing within the Chicago style. One is notes bibliography
and the other author-date. The author-date format is similar to the Harvard style and is detailed in the
Chicago citation style. For further examples and explanation please visit the following links:
https://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_Chicago.pdf
https://www.ucd.ie/t4cms/Guide68.pdf
2.4 American Psychological association (APA) referencing style
The APA style is a widely used author-date system of referencing or bibliographic citation. It is well
suited to many disciplines. In an APA - style paper, the writer identifies the author and year of each
source in parentheses after every reference. It requires brief references in the text of the paper and
complete reference information at the end of the paper. Further explanations and more examples can be
found in the following links:
http://student.ucol.ac.nz/library/onlineresources/Documents/APA_guide_2015.pdf
https://library.westernsydney.edu.au/main/sites/default/files/cite_APA.pdf
You can also obtained current information via the Internet from the respective official website.
Here below, the APA style will be presented and illustrated with common kinds of examples. Below are
some general guidelines for APA style:
2.4.1 APA Reference Style - General rules for APA reference style:
 The reference list should be started on a new page. The page begins with the word References
(Reference if there is only one), centered in the top, middle of the page, using both upper and lower
case, bold typeface. If the references take up more than one page, do not re-type the word References
on sequential pages, simply continue your list.
 All sources appearing in the reference list must be in alphabetical order. You alphabetize by the
name of the first author, letter by letter, disregarding spaces, capitalization, hyphens, apostrophes,
full stops and accent marks. If you have many publications by the same author, arrange by year of
publication with the earliest date first.
 References cited in text must appear in the reference list; conversely, each entry in the reference list
must be cited in text.
 All lines of each reference are double spaced and the first line of the reference is flush left. Lines
thereafter are indented as a group half inch (standard tab space). You can use your word processor to
automatically format the double spacing and hanging indents
 Place the year of publication of the work in parentheses after the author’s name. If no date is
available, write (n.d.). Year is year of publication, not printing.
 Use italics for titles of books, journals, newspapers, newsletters, magazines, TV programs and
videos. Article and chapter titles are not italicized or put in quotation marks. Volume numbers are
italicized but issue numbers are not.
 Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the titles of the book, article, chapter or section, and the
first letter of the first word following a colon. Also capitalize all proper nouns, including names of
instruments or agencies, acronyms and abbreviations that appear in the title.
 If a reference has more than one author add an ampersand (&) before the last author’s name and add
a comma before the ampersand. Do not use and.
 Use one space after all punctuation.
 The digital object identifier (DOI) should be given if the article or book accessed online has got one.
If not the URL should be provided. If a print form of the article or book is used, no DOI or URL is
required.
2.4.2 APA in-text citations:
In – text citation means referencing sources within the text of your work. In-text citation requires that the
last name of the author and the year of publication be inserted into the text. Generally, there are two
different ways to cite sources in-text using the APA style. The choice depends on the writer and the flow
of the narrative.
For paraphrased information (information put into your own words):
 Author names can be cited in the narrative followed immediately by the year in brackets
within the sentence, or the author name and year in brackets can be given at the end of the
sentence without mention in the narrative.
 For quoted information (information copied word for word):
 Author names can be cited in the narrative followed immediately by the year and the page
from which the information was copied in brackets, or the author name, year and page in
brackets can be given at the end of the sentence without mention in the narrative.
General rules for APA in-text citation:
 If you use the name of the author(s) in your writing, place the year of publication of the work in
brackets after the author’s name. e.g. Marks (2011) states that ...
 If you refer to a work in the text of your writing, place the author's name and the year of publication
of the work in brackets at the end of the sentence. e.g. ... (Marks, 2011)
 If there is more than one author, link the last two authors’ names with and when cited outside
brackets; link with an ampersand (&) inside brackets. e.g. Bee and Boyd (2010) state that ... or
...(Bee & Boyd, 2010).
 If an author has many works in the same year, differentiate the works by adding a, b, c, etc after the
year. e.g. Jones (1999a, 1999b) stated…
 If you use more than one source to cite in your work, the citation can be presented using semi colons
between works. e.g. … and a number of studies have shown identical results (Sanders, 2008;Smith,
2008).
 If you use two or more source by the same author, the citation can be presented using colons
between years. e.g. It was found that … (Smith, 2000, 2008).
 Capitalize major words in title of books and articles within the text and all words of four letters or
more. Capitalize the first word after a colon or a dash in the title.
 APA does not require you to provide the page number unless you use a direct quote, however if you
paraphrase or summarize the general idea of a specific paragraph or section in your own words you
must cite the author and year of publication of the work including the page number.
 If you directly quote fewer than 40 words, enclose the quotation by double quotation marks within
the text. The year of publication of the work along with the page number(s) of the quote should be
provided in brackets. When there are no page numbers, but the sources contain headings or
numbered paragraphs, use a section name or paragraph number, e.g. Jones (2008, Introduction
section) or Roberts (2008, para. 5). If the paragraphs are not numbered, cite the heading and the
number of the paragraph following the heading, e.g. Anderson (2005, Discussion section, para. 2)
 If the quotation is greater than 40 words it should be displayed in a double-spaced, indented block
without quotation marks.
 If any incorrect spelling, punctuation, or grammar in the source might confuse readers, insert the
word sic, italicized and bracketed, immediately after the error in the quotation. e.g." the
implementation of modern [sic] agriculture in Ethiopia …" (Yalew, 2014).
 Sources that you cite in your writing are listed in detail at the end of your document in a reference
list.
Below are examples of the common kinds of references needed for a reference list and in-text citations for
APA style.
 TYPE OF SOURCES IN-TEXT CITATION REFERENCE LIST

Andreasen (2001) stated that… OR Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title of book. Place: Publisher.
It is suggested that… (Andreasen, 2001).

- Place the year of publication in parentheses after

the author’s name Andreasen, N. C. (2001). Brave new brain: Conquering mental illness
- Do not include the year in the subsequent citation in the era of the genome. Oxford, England: Oxford University
when citing a source that has been cited earlier Press.
in the paragraph.
First citation in the paragraph:
Smith (2009) explained that......
Subsequent citations within the paragraph:
Smith also suggested...

- Use suffixes ‘a’, ‘b’ or ‘c’ etc. after the year for multiple works by same author(s) and same year when citing in-text and in
the reference list.

Jones (1999a) stated… Jones, C. (1999a). Assessing hypotheses. Penrith, Australia: Western
Sydney University.
Jones (1999b) stated…
Jones, C. (1999b). Forming hypotheses. Penrith, Australia: Western
Jones (1999a, 1999b) stated…
Sydney University.
Jones (2008) stated…
Jones, C. (2008). Developing hypotheses. Penrith, Australia: Western
Book with single author Sydney University.

- For multiple works by the same author(s), but different year, arrange the works in the reference list by the year of
publication. In the text, citations are differentiated by including the first author’s initials.

Jones (1999, 2008) stated…
It is suggested that… (Jones, 1999, 2008).
Jones, C. (1999). Forming hypotheses. Penrith, Australia: Western
Sydney University.
Jones, C. (2008). Developing hypotheses. Penrith, Australia: Western
Sydney University.
 - Use "and" to link authors’ names when citing in - For more than one author add “&” before the last author’s name
the sentence. In parentheses, use “&” to link and add a comma before the ampersand. Do not use “and”.
authors' names.
Cushing and Allan (2001) compared . . . . OR
Last name, Initial(s)., & Last name, initial(s). (Year). Title book. Place:
It is suggested that…. . . (Cushing & Allan, 2001)
Publisher.
- Place the citations in alphabetical by the first
author’s surname when citing multiple works by Cushing, C. E., & Allan, J. D. (2001). Streams: Their ecology and life.
Book with two authors multiple authors.
San Diego, CA: Academic Press
… a phenomenon that few policy makers
appreciate (Albert, 2001; Johnson, 1996, 2003;
Zimmerman, 1999).

- Cite all authors the first time and in the

subsequent citations, include only the last name
of the first author followed by et al (“and
others”) for three to five authors
First citation:
Hayes, Strosahl, and Wilson (1999) found … OR Hayes, S. C., Stosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and
. . . (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999). commitment therapy. New York, NY: Guilford Press
Book with three to five
authors
Subsequent citations:
Hayes et al. (1999) discovered … OR
. . . is demonstrated (Hayes et al., 1999)

- Give the name of the first author and abbreviate - All authors should be given when there are 6 or 7 authors. If a
the others to et al in the first and subsequent source has 8 or more authors, place three ellipsis points (…)
citations for six or more authors. between the sixth and final author names to indicate that some
Books with six or more names have been omitted
authors Author1 et al. (2003) found...
Author1, A.A., Author2, B.B., Author3, C.C., Author4, D.D., Author5,
This has indicated… (Author1 et al., 2003).
E.E., Author6, F.F., ... Authorn, G.G (Year). Title book. Place:
Publisher.
 - For a chapter/ section in a book that is entirely Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title of book (page of chapter/section).
Chapter, article or by one author(s): Place: Publisher.
section in a book with
author Knowles (1986) demonstrated that… OR Knowles, M. S. (1986). Using learning contracts (pp. 73-90). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
This independent study showed… (Knowles,
1986).

- Use (Ed.) or (Eds.) in brackets after the last editor’s name(s) and
follow the same formatting as shown in examples for two or three to
Craven (2001) discussed the successful…OR
five, six or more authors of a book.
The film starred actors… (Craven, 2001).
Last name, Initial(s). (Ed.). (Year). Title of book (ed.). Place: Publisher.
Edited book with author
Craven, I. (Ed.). (2001). Australian cinema in the 1990s (2nd ed.).
London, England: Frank Cass.

- With the chapter author, the last name precedes the initial whereas
with the book authors the initials precede the last names
Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Chapter title. In Initial. Last name (Eds.),
Ferres (2001) discussed the television episode…
Chapter or article in an Book title (edition, pages of chapter). Place: Publisher.
OR
edited book with author Ferres, K. (2001). Idiot box: Television, urban myths and ethical
The television episode… (Ferres, 2001).
scenarios. In I. Craven (Ed.), Australian cinema in the 1990s (3rd
ed., pp. 175-188). London, England: Frank Cass.

- Replace place and publisher with URL of the e-book collection or the
e-book. When available, add a DOI to the end of the reference instead
Ogden (2007) stated that… OR
E-book available via of URL as per the format shown below.
Database/Publisher with Health psychology is… (Ogden, 2007).
Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Title of work (ed.). Retrieved from URL
author
Ogden, J. (2007). Health psychology: A textbook (4th ed.). Retrieved
from http://www.dawsonera.com

Chapter in an edited E- Bowden (2006) stated that… OR Bowden, J. (2006). Using health promotion models and approaches in
book with author midwifery. In J. Bowden & V. Manning (Eds.), Health
These models and approaches suggested that…
promotion in midwifery (2nd ed., pp.13-24). Retrieved from
(Bowden, 2006).
https://www.dawsonera.com
 The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary
(1993, p. 11) defines…
Books with No author
…can be defined as… (Merriam-Webster’s
Collegiate Dictionary, 1993, p. 11).
Books with editor but no Carlock(1999) stated that … OR
author . . . (Carlock, 1999).
Anderson, Anderson and Glanze (1994) stated that
Chapter or Section of a … OR
book with no author
. . . (Anderson, Anderson, & Glanze, 1994).
Nagorski (2013) stated that… OR
Book review in a Journal It has been found that… (Nagorski, 2013).
- The format for more than one author is the same Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Article title. Journal Title, Volume
for all sources including journal articles,
therefore, refer to the examples for books.
Koopman (2001) researched . . . . OR
It was discovered that . . . (Koopman, 2001).
Journal article (print
Woolley and Raasch (2005) stated that … OR
version)
Sunscreen is the most popular sun protection
(Woolley & Raasch, 2005).
Merriam-Webster’s collegiate dictionary (10th ed.). (1993).
Springfield, MA: Merriam Webster.
Carlock, C. J. (Ed.). (1999). Enhancing self-esteem (3rd ed.).
Philadelphia, PA: Accelerated Development.
Anderson, K. N., Anderson, L. E., & Glanze, W. D. (Eds.). (1994).
Subcutaneous injection. In Mosby's medical, nursing, and allied
health dictionary (4th ed., p. 1497). St. Louis, MO: Mosby
Last name of reviewer, Initial(s). (Year). Title of review [Review of the
book Title of book, by name of book’s author]. Journal Title,
volume, page numbers.
Nagorski, A. (2013).The totalitarian temptation [Review of the book
The devil in history: communism, fascism and some lessons of the
20th century, by V.Tismaneanu]. Foreign Affairs, 92, 172-176.
Number(issue or part number if needed), page numbers
Koopman, W. J. (2001). Prospects for autoimmune disease: Research
advances in rheumatoid arthritis. JAMA: Journal of the
American Medical Association, 285, 648–650
Last name, Initial(s)., & Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Article title.
Journal Title, Volume Number(issue or part number if needed),
page numbers
Woolley, T., & Raasch, B. (2005). Predictors of sunburn in north
Queensland recreational boat users. Health Promotion Journal of
Australia, 16(1), 26-31.
 - If online version is the same as printed version, reference it as a printed journal article. If not include article DOI or URL.
- If a DOI number is available no further location elements are required. If no DOI number is available, provide the direct
URL if the item is freely accessible or the home page URL if access is restricted.
- Use ‘Retrieved from’ when you are giving a direct URL for the item. The date retrieved is also required when an
electronic item is subject to further change e.g. wikis or web pages.

Last name, Initial(s)., & Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Article title.
Journal Title, volume, page numbers. DOI or Retrieved from
URL
Van Heugten (2013) found that… OR Journal with DOI:
Personal resilience has been found to…(van Van Heugten, K. (2013). Resilience as an under explored outcome of
Heugten, 2013) work place bullying. Qualitative Health Research, 23(3), 291-
301. doi: 10.1177/1049732312468251
Cooper (2009) stated that a ferocious ant… OR Journal with no DOI and restricted access:

Online journal article …those meat ants may be able to help control toad Cooper, D. (2009, March 31). Native ant may stop toad in its tracks.
numbers (Cooper, 2009). ABC Science. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net. au/science/
articles/2009/03/31/2530686.htm?site=science&topic=latest
Wheeler, D.P., & Bragin, M. (2007). Bringing it all back home: Social
work and the challenge of returning veterans. Health and Social
Work, 32, 297-300. Retrieved from http://www.naswpress
online.org

Berkovic (2009) explained that handouts…. OR Author, Initial(s). (date). Title of article. Title of Newspaper, column or
Newspaper article It was suggested that handouts may not be sent section, p. or pp.
(available in print) (Berkovic, 2009). Berkovic, N. (2009, March 31). Handouts may not be sent: Tax office
seeks quick resolution of High Court chall.. The Australian, p. 5.

Wentworth (1984) stated that… OR Wentworth, W. C. (1984, January 24). Why we need a permanent base
Newspaper article (from on the moon. The Sydney Morning Herald, p. 11. Retrieved
electronic database) ….the engineered apple (Wentworth, 1984).
from http://archives.smh.com.au/index.php
The Time for plan: Blackberry. (2013, September Author, A. A. (date). Title of article. Title of Magazine, pp.
23) stated that… OR
Magazine article Time for plan: Blackberry. (2013, September 23). The Economist,
It was stated that… (Time for plan: Blackberry.
2013, September 23). Retrieved from http://www.proquest.com/enUS/products/
 Some proceedings are published and some not formally published.
- Proceedings which are published as books require the book or book chapter referencing format.
- Proceedings which are published on a regular basis will need the journal article referencing format.
- Unpublished papers or posters will need a different format.
Conference paper in published proceedings (chapter in book format)
Last name, Initials. (Year). Title of paper. In Initials editor’s last name (Ed.), Title of
conference proceedings (pp. page range). Place of publication: Publisher.
Borgman, C. L., Bower, J., & Krieger, D. (1989). From hands-on science to hands-
First citation: on information retrieval. In J. Katzer, & G. B. Newby (Eds.), Proceedings of
Borgman, Bower and Krieger (1989) the 52nd ASIS annual meeting: Vol. 26. Managing information and
showed that... technology (pp. 96-100). Medford: Learned Information.
…is demonstrated (Borgman, Bower Conference paper in published proceedings (journal format)
Proceedings of meetings & Krieger, 1989).
Last name, Initial(s)., & Last name, Initial(s). (Year). Paper title. Proceedings title,
and symposiums, volume, page numbers. doi: number
conference papers Herculano-Houzel, S., Collins, C.E., Wong, P., Kaas, J. H., & Lent, R. (2008). The
Subsequent citations: basic non-uniformity of the cerebral cortex. Proceedings of the National
Borgman et al., (1989) showed that... Academy of Sciences, USA, 105, 12593-12598.doi:10.1073/pnas.0805417105
…is demonstrated (Borgman et al., Conference (unpublished)
1989). Last name, Initials. (Year, Month). Title of paper or poster. Paper or poster presented
at the meeting of Organization name, Location.
Ryan, R. M., & Openshaw, L. (2003, January). Flavour enhancement and public
Muelbauer (2007) stated that… perceptions of health risks. Paper presented at the meeting of the Institute of
Food Science and Technology, London
It has been found that… (Muelbauer,
2007). Symposium contribution
Muelbauer, J. (2007, September). Housing, credit, and consumer expenditure. In S.
C. Ludvigson (Chair), Housing and consumer behaviour. Symposium
conducted at the meeting of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City,
Jackson Hole, WY.
 Web pages and documents on the web include the following elements:
- Author/editor/compiler
- Date of page/date of document
- Title of document (incl. version no.)/Title of page
- Name of sponsor of the source (if not named as the author)
- Date retrieved (needed when the source may change over time e.g. WebPages, WIKIs)
- URL
Always include
 Details of authorship or publication date when available.
 If no title use URL
 Do not italicize the titles of blog posts, online forums messages, comments, status updates, and so forth. Italicize
Webpage/document on titles of reports and other documents that stand alone. Capitalize all major words when giving a title in-text.
internet Author. (Year). Title. Retrieved month day, year, from URL
Document on the Internet:
Este et al. (2008) suggest that… Este, J., Warren, C., Connor, L., Brown, M., Pollard, R., & O’Connor, T. (2008).
…it is necessary to develop the Life in the click stream: The future of journalism. Media Entertainment and
argument... (Developing an Arts Alliance. Retrieved from http://www.alliance.org.au/documents/foj_
Argument, n.d.). report_final.pdf
Document on the Internet, no author, no date:
The American Psychological Developing an argument. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2009, from
Association (2015) explains that… http://web.princeton.edu/sites/writing/Writing_Center/WCWriting
…outlined in their blog (American Resources.htm
Psychological Association, 2015). Web page on the internet, organization as author:
American Psychological Association. (2015). APA style blog. Retrieved September
25, 2015, from http://blog.apastyle.org/
Non-English Journal Von der Luhe (1982) concludes that
Von der Luhe, I. (1982). I without guarantees: Ingeborg Bachmann's Frankfurt
article translated into both states are essential
lectures on poetics (M. T. Kraus, Trans.). New German Critique, 8(27), 31-
English …that both states are essential (Von
56.
der Luhe, 1982).
 For a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis found on a database:
- Italicize the title of a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis.
- Identify the work as a doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in parentheses after the title.
Unpublished dissertation
Author, initial(s). (Year).Title of doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis (Unpublished
/Thesis
doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis). Name of Institution, Location
Fayadh (2015) showed that…
Fayadh, K. H. (2015). The legal regulation of assisted reproductive technology in Iraq:
It was found… (Fayadh, 2015).
Lessons from Australian approach (PhD thesis). Retrieved from
http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/uws:32383
- For online audio, use descriptors such as [CD], [record], [cassette].
- If there is a producer or recorder who is not one of the authors, list their name in square parentheses after the song title
e.g. … Adoration [Recorded by Initial. surname].
- A recording date can be placed in parentheses after the reference if different from the copyright date e.g. …Sydney: Feral
Audio recording Media. (1920).
Handel and Seiler’s (2006) track
entitled “Adoration” combines…
Handel, A., & Seiler, G. L. (2006). Adoration. On Ghosts and angels [CD]. Sydney,
Classical and electronic styles Australia: Feral Media.
have been combined… (Handel &
Seiler, 2006).
- Use descriptors such as [Motion picture], [Television broadcast], [Television series episode].
Video recording, Hall and Bender (1991) examined
Television broadcast or the rules… Hall, B. (Writer), & Bender, J. (Director). (1991). The rules of the game [Television
Episode in a series series episode]. In J. Sander (Producer), I’ll fly away. New York, NY: New
The rules….. (Hall & Bender, York Broadcasting Company.
1991).
Norton (2006) showed that a cat
can be trained… Norton, R. (2006, November 4). How to train a cat to operate a light switch [Video
Video (from internet)
Training a cat requires… (Norton, file]. Retrieved from http://www. youtube. com/ watch?v=Vja83KLQXZs
2006).
In the above image (An offering to
An offering to the ocean in La Punta, Peru [Image] (2009, May 19). Retrieved May 19,
Image on the Internet the ocean in La Punta, Peru, 2009)
2009, from http://www.smh.com.au/snapshots/
it can be seen…
 - Author is used in place of a publisher name where the author is also the publisher.
Buses run on a schedule…(Western
Brochure
Sydney University, 2016) Western Sydney University. (2016). Transport access guide: Penrith Campus
The Western Sydney University [Brochure]. Penrith, Australia: Author.
transport brochure (2016) shows that…
- An official publication is a publication published by Parliament, a government department, devolved government or an
international organization such as the European Union or World Health Organization. Sometimes there is no personal
author so the organization is deemed to be the corporate author.
Official publication:
Corporate author. (Year). Title (Series or reference number). Place: Publisher.
Department of Health. (1998). Our healthier nation: A contract for health:
Official Report Presented to Parliament by the Secretary for State for Health by
The Department of Health and Ageing
(2008) reported that… command of Her Majesty (Cm. 3852). London: The Stationery Office.
…was shown in the report (Department Online Official publication:
of Health and Ageing, 2008). Corporate author. (Year). Title (Series or reference number). Retrieved from URL
Department of Health and Ageing. (2008). Ageing and aged care in Australia
(Publication No. P3-4147). Retrieved from
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/BFE46F2
1A3241 ECBCA2574BE001A6E06/$File/Ageing_and_Aged_Care.pdf
- When you cite information spoken about in a lecture that has gone unpublished it is treated as a personal communication
Personal communications may also include things such as email messages, interviews, speeches, and telephone
conversations. Because the information is not retrievable, they should not appear in the reference list.
H. Dwyer discussed the.... (Personal
Lecture (unpublished)/ communication, January 10, 2009).
Personal communication … found that in these cases “neutrons
are dangerous” (H. Dwyer, personal It is advisable to consider using published sources before using class/ lecture notes
communication, January 10, 2009). as references in your paper.
In a recent interview (J. Burnitz, personal
communication, September 20, 2000) I
learned that …
3. Extra features
Omitting material - Use three spaced ellipsis points (. . .) within a sentence to indicate that you have
omitted material from the original source.
Inserting material - Use brackets, not parentheses, to enclose material such as an addition or explanation
inserted in a quotation by some person other than the original author. “They are studying, from an
evolutionary perspective, to what extent [children’s] play is a luxury that can be dispensed with when
there are too many other competing claims on the growing brain . . .” (Henig, 2008, p. 40).
Adding emphasis - If you want to emphasize a word or words in a quotation, italicize the word or words.
Immediately after the italicized words, insert within brackets the words emphasis added, that is,
[emphasis added]
Indirect citation - Indirect sources should be used sparingly, such as when an original work is out of
print. e, g. The experiment failed to confirm this hypothesis (Jones, as cited in Smith, 2009). In this case,
you will have to use Smith, not Jones, in the reference list
Verb tenses - The literature review should be in past tense (The researchers found...) if it refers to
findings or things done in a particular time or present perfect (The researchers have shown...).
Nevertheless, if the concept cited is still maintained by the author, simple present tense is appropriate, for
it tells that the idea is a general belief of the author. The methodology should be in past tense if it has
already happened. The results section of the paper should also be in past tense, and implications of the
results and conclusions in present tense.
 Use past tense (e.g., "Smith showed") or present perfect tense (e.g., "researchers have shown") for
the literature review and the description of the procedure if the discussion is of past events
 Use past tense (e.g., "anxiety decreased significantly") to describe the results
 Use the present tense (e.g., the results of Experiment 2 indicate to discuss implications of the
results and to present the conclusions. By reporting conclusions in the present tense, you allow all
readers to join you in deliberating the matter at hand.
As much as possible, try to be consistent with your chosen verb tense within a section as doing so can
help ensure smooth expression. If the verb tenses suggested above do not make sense for the purposes of
your document, please check with your instructor or academic supervisor to get his or her opinion on the
best approach for your document.
Sentences in general should be made clear so that they communicate what they are supposed to. Like it is
said elsewhere, the thesis/dissertation should pass through rigorous editorial procedures.

4. Plagiarism
Bahir Dar University expects original works to be produced by the staff and the students at all levels.
Postgraduate students should be responsible bringing forth research works and assignments that can prove
their efforts. In the way of wisdom, academic writing takes a central position. Nevertheless, plagiarism is
thought to be a potential threat of the academic writing endeavors of students and the faculty. In this
section, an attempt has been made to conceptualize what plagiarism is, what it constitutes, and measures
that should be taken in case experienced.
Bahir Dar University adopts the following definition which is employed by UoWI.
Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use of the words, ideas or creations of another. The
principal categories of unacknowledged use are unacknowledged quotation, which is failure to credit
quotations of another person’s spoken or written words; and unattributed borrowing, which is failure to
credit another person’s ideas, opinions, theories, graphs or diagrams. Unattributed borrowing also
includes the failure to credit another person’s work when paraphrasing from that work. Cosmetic
paraphrasing is also plagiarism. This occurs when, even with acknowledgment, the words are so close to
the original that what is deemed to have been paraphrased is, in fact a modified quote, but is not presented
as such.
The University believes that the student should be in charge of the paper produced for a master’s or PhD
work. The advisor should also be responsible checking if the work is free of plagiarism. Alternatively,
advisors may also be asked to run the student’s writing through a plagiarism checker, and should approve
that they have checked the work to be free of plagiarism.
In case there are suspected cases, they report should be made to the graduate council for decisions. The
decisions may range from marking zero (fail) to revision of any level ranging from minor revision to
major revision. If there are disagreements, candidates are free to appeal to the Graduate Studies Office.
Appendix 1: Sample Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

ABSTRACT.................................................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................................... viii

LIST OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................................... ix

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................ x

CHAPTER 1—INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................... 1

First Level Headings Are Indented...............................................................................................1

Another First Level Heading ........................................................................................................2

Second Level Headings Are Indented Further..................................................................... 4

Another Second Level Heading............................................................................................ 6

Purpose of the Study ................................................................................................................... 12

CHAPTER 2—LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 23

[The rest of the sections follow the same pattern.]

Appendix 2: Sample Cover page

BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE STUDIE OFFICE
[Name of College/Faculty/Institute/School/Academy]
[Name of the Department]

[Title of Dissertation/Thesis]

By

[Name of Student]

[Month, Year]
Appendix 3: Sample title page

BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

[Name of College/Faculty/Institute/School/Academy]
[Name of Department]

[TITLE OF DISSERTATION/THESIS]

A [DISSERTATION/THESIS] SUBMITTED TO
[COLLEGE/FACULTY/INSTITUTE/SCHOOL], BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY, IN
PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
[DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY/MASTERS OF SCIENCE/ARTS] IN [NAME OF
THE PROGRAM]

[Name of Student]

[Principal Advisor’s Name]

[Co- advisor’s Name (if any)]

[Month, Year]
BAHIR DAR
© 2019 [Name of Student]
Appendix 4: Advisor’s approval form

Bahir Dar University

[College/Faculty/Institute/School/Academy]
[Department]

Approval of Dissertation/thesis for defense

I hereby certify that I have supervised, read, and evaluated this thesis/dissertation titled
“_________________________________________________________________________” by
________________________________ prepared under my guidance. I recommend the
thesis/dissertation be submitted for oral defence (mock-viva and viva voce).

_____________________ ________________ _____________

Advisor’s name Signature Date
Appendix 5: Examiner’s approval form

Bahir Dar University

[College/Faculty/Institute/School/Academy]
[Department]

Approval of Dissertation/thesis for defense result

We hereby certify that we have examined this dissertation/thesis entitled

“______________________________________________________________” by
____________________. We recommend that ___________________ is approved
for the degree of “______________________________”

Board of Examiners

_____________________ ________________ _____________

External examiner’s name Signature Date

_____________________ ________________ _____________

Internal examiner’s name Signature Date

_____________________ ________________ _____________

Chair person’s name Signature Date