THESIS PROPOSAL FORMAT

TITLE PAGE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

Rationale of the Study
Statement of the Problem
Research Hypothesis (Optional)
Statement of Assumptions (Optional)
Importance of the Study
Scope and Limitations

DEFINITION OF TERMS

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
Research Respondents/Participants (or Source of Data)
Research Environment
Research Instrument(s)
Data-Gathering Procedure
Statistical Treatment of Data

REFERENCES

APPENDICES
[Sample Title Page]

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A Thesis Proposal
Presented to
The Faculty of the Graduate School
Negros Oriental State University
Dumaguete City

In Partial Fulfillment of
The Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

By

Your Name
Date
 THE TITLE

The title page (Annex A) is the first page of the thesis or dissertation. Although
not numbered, it should be counted as page “i”. The guideline for its preparation is
originally included in the GS Memo dated 04 March 2003. Below are important points to
consider for a title page.

1. The title must have the following attributes:

 It must be reflective of the problem.
 It mentions the major variables.
 It answers the questions: what? who? and where?
 It avoids such phrases as “A Study of,” “An Analysis of,” “An Evaluation
of,” etc.
 It must not be more than 15 keywords.
 It is eye-catching.

2. The title should be written in capital letters and in inverted pyramid form. Its
first line should come two (2) inches from the tope edge of the paper.

3. The presentation statement, which states to whom the thesis/dissertation is

presented to, is the second part of the title page. It should be arranged by
placing the last line a space above the horizontal center of the page.

4. The third part is the information about the degree for which the
thesis/dissertation is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements. This
should be placed midway between presentation statement and the name of the
thesis/dissertation writer.

5. The last part contains the name of the writer (in capital letters) and the month
and year in which degree is to be conferred.

6. Use only size 12 Courier or Times New Roman font face.

 CONTENTS OF THE THESIS PROPOSAL

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

 Provides an overview of the selected topic area.

 Presents facts and figures about the prevailing condition.
 Explains the reason for the choice of the research topic.
 Justifies the need for the study.

Statement of the Problem

 There should be an introductory statement which reflects the main problem of the
study.
 Sub-problems should be stated in such a way that it is not answerable by either
yes, no, when and where.
 Sub-problems should include all the variables reflected in the
theoretical/conceptual framework.
 Sub-problems should be arranged in logical order and extensive in coverage and
must be mutually exclusive in its dimensions.
 If the research is quantitative, avoid the “how” question.

Statement of Assumptions

 Optional
 On the basis of the researcher’s own intuition, experience and observations,
propositions that are not yet scientifically proven maybe stated. This will serve as
a premise to the solution of the problem envisioned in his study.

Statement of the Hypotheses

 Optional
 Based on the specific problems, the null hypotheses that require statistical testing
should be stated.

Importance of the Study

 This section describes the contributions of the study to pool of knowledge.

 This could be in the form of knowledge in the field, a check on the major findings
of the studies, a check on the validity of findings using different methodology.
  It discusses the importance of the study to the society, the country, the
government, the community, the institution, the agency concerned, the curriculum
planners and the developers and the researchers.
 It expounds on the study’s probable impact to education, science, technology, on
going researchers, etc.

Scope and Limitations

 This section explains the nature, coverage, and time frame of the study.
 It presents in brief the subjects, area of investigation, the place, the time period or
school year covered.
 It discusses the variables included in the study and the exclusion for other
variables, which are expected to be included.
 It indicates the extent of capability of results arising from the sampling
population.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

 The terms which connote different meanings from the conceptual or dictionary
definitions should be operationally defined to facilitate the full understanding of
the text by the readers.

 The terms to be operationally defined are those used throughout the study and
may be a word or a phrase, usually taken from the title, the statement of the
problem or hypothesis.

 The terms should be arranged in alphabetical order and the definitions should be
stated in complete sentences.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK (OR LEGAL BASIS)

 Presents and discusses the theory, principle or law where the research problem
under study evolves.

 In discussing a base theory, the Crutchfield Model (Annex C) may be used if

applicable.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

 Includes a schematic diagram (or equation) to express the nature of the

relationships among variables.
  The diagram should be explained and be given the proper caption.

RELATED LITERATURE

 Includes published theories and principles formulated by experts or authorities in

some field or discipline; and ideas or opinions of experts contained in books,
pamphlets, magazines and periodicals.

 It should be written in terms of the purpose of the study.

 It should give more weight to studies considered more authoritative as evaluated.

 It should be organized thematically to conform to the specific problems.

 It should be synthesized such that evidence from all studies reviewed would get
an overall understanding of the state of knowledge in the problem area.

Related Studies

 Includes research findings, both foreign and local.

 There should be justification of the present study and its bearing on and
relatedness to the reviewed literature and studies.

 A summary of the reviewed related studies in matrix form should be provided and
placed in the appendix.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research Design

 The introductory paragraph should specify and justify the research method used.
A flow chart may be presented to show the research process.

Research Respondents/Participants

 This reveals who are the subjects or respondents of the study, their nature, work,
profiles and other circumstances.

 This describes the target population and the sampling frame.

 It specifies the sampling technique used and how the sample size is determined.
Research Environment

 This describes the place where the study is conducted.

 Includes important features which have bearing on the study.

 Shows the target population.

 Includes a map, if necessary.

Instruments

 This explains the specific type of research instrument used such as questionnaire,
checklist, questionnaire-checklists, structured- interview, teacher-made test,
standardized instrument which are adopted or borrowed with permission from the
author or from other sources.

 The parts of the instruments should be explained and what bits of information are
derived.

 The establishment of validity and reliability should be explained and only experts
should be chosen to validate such instrument.

 Specific and appropriate statistical test used should be given and the computed
values derived. Interpretation should be included in the discussions.

Data-Gathering Procedure

 This describes the details on how the researcher will go about the manner in
proceeding the research, the persons to be contacted, get approvals, and who/what
will be utilized in gathering of data.

Statistical Treatment of Data

 This explains the statistical tools (formulas should be placed in the appendix) used
in the treatment of data. If the research instrument includes options that are
scaled, explain how each scale is given the weight, its interval and class limits.
 STYLE AND OTHER IMPORTANT SPECIFICATIONS

Style, in the words of Lord Chesterfield, is the “dress of thoughts.” For this
reason, thesis/dissertation writers are advised to abide by the following specifications:

1. Paragraph

 Indent the first line of each paragraph.

 Do not hyphenate words at the end of a line.

2. Paper Size

 Use short (8.5” by 11”) bond paper.

3. Margins

 Top margin: 1 inch

 Bottom margin: 1 inch
 Left margin: 1.25 inches
 Right margins: 1.25 inches

4. Font

 Use only Courier New or Times New Roman size 12 throughout the
manuscript. Size 10 may be used for footnotes or legends.

5. Page Numbers

 Except for the title page and the beginning of each chapter, all pages
should be numbered four spaces from the top and at the right margin.

 Use Arabic numerals except for the preliminary parts of the manuscript
like the abstract and the table of contents, where lowercase roman
numbers should be used.

 Although no page number will appear, the title page should be the first
page (i) of the manuscript.

6. Text Headings

 Whenever possible, all headings should be limited under ten keywords.

 Primary heading – Type the entire heading in capital letters, centered on a

line by itself.
  Secondary heading – Type the heading flush on a line by itself.

 Tertiary heading – Underline the heading and run it into the text, e.g.,

Educational Attainment. Education plays a vital role…

7. Tables and Figures

 Only tables and charts used in the discussion should be included in the
text, and should be numbered using Arabic numerals.
 Table numbers and captions shall be in accordance with the APA Manual,
7th Edition.
 Reference tables and charts should be placed in the appendix.

8. Numerals

 Write out single digit numbers, except in a series where they appear with
some numbers 10 or higher.

 Write out all numbers that begin sentences.

9. Abbreviations

 Use standard abbreviations whenever possible.

 Define in footnotes or legends all nonstandard abbreviations or symbols

used in a figure or table.

10. Measurements

 Use only the international metric system (SI).

 Abbreviate standard units of measure when they follow a number, e.g.,

500 m2.

11. Quotations

 Avoid excessive use of quotations. A thesis or dissertation is not a

compilation of quoted materials.

 Quotations not over five lines in length should be run into the text and
enclosed in double quotation marks (use single quotation mark for
quotation within a quotation).

 Long quotations (more than five lines) should be made in separate

paragraphs, single-spaced and indented half an inch from the left margin.
 Only quotations less than one-half page should be included in the text. A
longer excerpt from another material should be placed in the appendix.

 When a quotation consists of several paragraphs, the paragraphs after the

first should be indented 1.25 inches from the left margin.

 Quotations from poetry should be centered and single-spaced.