Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.

) 2012

Guidelines for Thesis Writing

(M.Phil./Ph.D.)
The aim of this document is to ensure uniformity in research theses in the area of
organisation and format by providing standard guidelines and instructions that an M.Phil., thesis
should adhere to in order to be accepted at the Department of Political Science, GC University
Lahore. The students are directed to visit their respective supervisors, at least, twice a month.
The supervisors are requested to submit quarterly progress report of their respective students to
the Chairman.
Important Note: Thesis submission will be subject to plagiarism test conducted by an
authorized person from the department. Do not submit your thesis to anyone for plagiarism test
other than the person authorized by the department. Theses with 20% or more similarity index
shall not be eligible for submission.

Length of the Thesis:

There are no set rules concerning the length of a thesis. But keeping in view the past anomalies,
and to ensure somewhat uniformity in the research output of the department, following criteria
may please be observed vis-à-vis the length of the thesis:
M.Phil. 30,000 to 50,000 words
Ph.D. Should normally not exceed 100,000 words
The abovementioned word counts refer to the main text, excluding title pages, references and
bibliography. It is pertinent to mention here that thesis should be consistent with the subject
matter, and unnecessary length to meet the criteria may be to the candidate‟s disadvantage.

Formatting of the Thesis

Margins:
To ensure proper binding of the thesis, the minimum thesis margins should be:
Left edge 1.5 inches
Right edge 1 inch
Top edge 1 inch
Bottom edge 1 inch
In case of more than 300 pages, margin from the left edge must be increased accordingly.
Alignment:
Justify alignment should be applied to the body of the text. This creates a clean look along the
left and the right side of the page.

1
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

Font:
Font size must be as follows:
Body text: 12 pt
Headings 16 pt
Subheadings 14 pt
Use of Italics is restricted to foreign words, book or source names, algebraic variables etc.
Spacing:
1.5 spacing should be used, with the exception of title page, table of contents, extensive
quotations, references and bibliography.
Pagination:
Every page must be assigned a number on the right or bottom of the page. Title pages should be
numbered with Roman numbers.
Tables/Figures/Illustrations:
For tables, figures and illustrations one consistent method must be used throughout the thesis.
They should be identified according to the chapter in which they appear (e.g, if table or figure
appears in Chapter 2, they should be numbered as Figure 2.1, 2.2 or Table 2.1, 2.2). Tables and
Figures should be numbered separately, and accordingly, separate lists for Tables and Figures
should be given in the title pages.

Parts of the Thesis:

Title Pages:
Title pages must appear in the following sequence:
Title page
Declaration
Research Completion Certificate
Acknowledgements
Summary/Abstract
Table of Contents and List of Illustrations
List of Figures, Tables or Illustrations
List of Abbreviations

2
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

Main Body
Introduction:
The thesis should normally begin with a general introduction, presenting an overview of what it
is all about and situating it in the existing research. The introduction should show why the topic
selected is worth investigating and why it is of significance in the field. This will normally be
done with reference to existing research; identifying areas that have not been explored; need to
be explored further; or where new research findings justify a reconsideration of established
knowledge. At M.Phil./Ph.D. level, the contribution of the work to the discipline should not only
be significant but explicit.
Having precisely defined the research problem, the introduction must proceed as follows:
Objectives of the Research
Rationale/Significance of the Research
Hypothesis
Chapterization
Research Methodology
Research Design
Literature Review and Theoretical Framework:
A separate literature review chapter should be included in the thesis. Theoretical framework
should be incorporated in the Introduction of synchronized with the literature review in the 2 nd
Chapter. This should be discussed with the supervisor. The purpose of the literature review is to
summarize, evaluate and, where appropriate, compare the relevant debates in the field with the
guiding principle embodied in the thesis statement. The literature review shows that the writer is
familiar with the field and simultaneously lays the ground for subsequent analysis. Well-selected
sources should convince the readers that research gaps have been identified correctly and that the
writer has posed the right research questions, which will then be further addressed in subsequent
chapters. Rather than simply summarizing other authors‟ work, the chapter should make clear the
writer‟s position in relation to the issues raised. The literature review should have a logical
structure (whether by chronological, thematic or other criteria) and this should be made explicit
to the reader.
Chapters:
Apart from Introduction, Literature Review and Conclusion, there should be 3 to 5 Chapters in
the thesis.
Conclusion:
The introduction and conclusion are closely related to each other, thus students should take care
in drafting and revising to ensure that these parts reflect and do not contradict one another. The
conclusion should provide answers to the questions or problems raised in the introduction. The
argumentation of the thesis should be summarized briefly. The writer‟s main argument or
findings should be stated clearly, without going into unnecessary detail or including additional

3
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

arguments not dealt with in the body. The conclusion should to return to the wider context from
which the thesis departed in the introduction. The writer should, if appropriate, elaborate on how
the research findings and results will contribute to the field. There is no need to hide the
limitations of the thesis. Suggestions may also be made for further research.

References and Bibliography

Referencing is a standardized method of acknowledging the source and helping the reader to
trace the source cited in your thesis. The Department of Political Science recommends
Humanities Citation form for references as specified in The Chicago Manual of Style (16th
Edition).
We recommend the first of Chicago‟s two systems of documentation, which uses a system of
footnotes and a bibliography. The notes allow space for unusual types of sources as well as for
commentary on the sources cited, making this system extremely flexible. Because of this
flexibility, the notes and bibliography system is preferred by many writers in literature, history,
and the arts. Chicago's other system (which uses parenthetical author-date references and a
corresponding reference list) is nearly identical in content but differs in form. The author-date
system is preferred for many publications in the sciences and social sciences but may be adapted
for any work, sometimes with the addition of footnotes or endnotes. The latter system is less
flexible and does not allow excessive references, therefore, is not recommended.
For the purpose of uniformity, following instructions must be followed:
All references should be given in the form of footnotes.
Footnotes should be numbered consecutively.
Each chapter should have a separate reference numbering; numbering should not be
continued in next chapter.
Single spacing must be used in references.
Basic Structure of a Note: A footnote lists the author, title, and facts of publication, in that
order. Elements are separated by commas; the facts of publication are enclosed in parentheses.
Authors‟ names are presented in standard order (first name first). Titles are capitalized headline-
style, unless they are in a foreign language. Titles of larger works (e.g., books and journals) are
italicized; titles of smaller works (e.g., chapters, articles) or unpublished works are presented in
roman and enclosed in quotation marks. Such terms as editor/edited by, translator/translated by,
volume, and edition are abbreviated.
In footnotes, where reference is usually to a particular passage in a book or journal, only the page
numbers pertaining to that passage are given. In bibliographies, no page numbers are given for
books; for easier location of journal articles or chapters or other sections of a book, the beginning
and ending page numbers of the entire article or chapter are given.
In a bibliography entry the elements are separated by periods rather than by commas; the facts of
publication are not enclosed in parentheses; and the first-listed author‟s name, according to
which the entry is alphabetized in the bibliography, is usually inverted (last name first). Noun

4
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

forms such as editor, translator, volume, and edition are abbreviated, but verb forms such as
edited by and translated by – abbreviated in a note – are spelled out in a bibliography.

Books
Book with Single Author or Editor:
Author(s) name(s), Book name (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication),
xx.
For Example:
Jerel A. Rosati, The Politics of United States Foreign Policy (Belmont: Wadsworth,
2004), 17.
{note: no punctuation after the book title}
Shortened Form:
Rosati, United States Foreign Policy, 19-23.
Entry in a Bibliography:
Rosati, Jerel A. The Politics of United States Foreign Policy. Belmont: Wadsworth,
2004.
Edited Books: A book with an editor in place of an author includes the abbreviation ed. (editor;
for more than one editor, use eds.). Note that the shortened form does not include ed.
K. P. Misra, ed., Afghanistan Crisis (New Delhi: Vikas, 1981), 42.
Shortened Form:
Misra, Afghanistan Crisis, 54.
Entry in a Bibliography:
Misra, K. P., ed. Afghanistan Crisis. New Delhi: Vikas, 1981.
Books with two authors: For a book with two authors, note that only the first-listed name is
inverted in the bibliography entry.
Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945 (New
York: Knopf, 2007), 52.
Entry in a Bibliography:
Ward, Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945. New
York: Knopf, 2007.
Books with Three Authors:
Sue-Ellen Jacobs, Wesley Thomas, and Sabine Lang, eds., Two-Spirit People:
Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality (Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, 1997), 32.

5
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

Shortened Form:
Jacobs, Thomas, and Lang, Two-Spirit People, 65-71.
Entry in a Bibliography:
Jacobs, Sue-Ellen, Wesley Thomas, and Sabine Lang, eds. Two-Spirit People:
Native American Gender Identity, Sexuality, and Spirituality. Urbana:
University of Illinois Press, 1997.
Books with more than Three Authors:
Jeri A. Sechzer et al., eds., Women and Mental Health (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1996), 243.
Shortened Form:
Sechzer et al., Women and Mental Health, 276.
Entry in a Bibliography:
For works by or edited by more than three persons, all names are usually given in the
bibliography. Word order and punctuation are the same as for two or three authors.
Books in more than one Volume:
Muriel St. Clare Byrne, ed., The Lisle Letters (Chicago: University of Chicago Press,
1981), 4:243.
Books in more than one Volume in Bibliography:
Pelikan, Jaroslav. The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of
Doctrine. Vol. 1, The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition (100-600).
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1971.
Chapter in a Book:
M. Raziullah Azmi, “Pakistan-United States Relations: An Appraisal,” in Readings
in Pakistan Foreign Policy, 1971-1998, ed. Mehrunnisa Ali (Karachi:
Oxford University Press, 2003), 227.
Anne Carr and Douglas J. Schuurman, “Religion and Feminism: A Reformist
Christian Analysis,” in Religion, Feminism, and the Family, ed. Anne Carr
and Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox
Press, 1996), 14.

6
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

Research Journals
Author(s) Name(s), “Title of the Article,” Name of the Journal Vol Number, Issue
No. (Date): Page no.
David Meban, “Temple Building, Primus Language, and the Proem to Virgil‟s Third
Georgic,” Classical Philology 103, no. 2 (2008): 153.
Farhana Ali, “Risks and Rewards of a US-Pakistan Alliance”, Pakistan Horizon 60,
no. 3 (July, 2007): 123-136.
Boyan Jovanovic and Peter L. Rousseau, “Specific Capital and Technological
Variety,” Journal of Human Capital 2 (Summer 2008): 135.
Walter Blair, “Americanized Comic Braggarts,” Critical Inquiry 4, no. 2 (1977): 331-
32.
Shortened Form:
Blair, “Americanized Comic Braggarts,” 335.
Entry in a Bibliography:
Blair, Walter. “Americanized Comic Braggarts.” Critical Inquiry 4, no. 2 (1977):
331-49.

Online Research Journals

The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) in the following example indicates that the article was
consulted online; it is preferred to a URL.
William J. Novak, “The Myth of the „Weak‟ American State,” American Historical
Review 113 (June 2008): 758, doi:10.1086/ahr.113.3.752.
Shortened form:
Novak, “Myth,” 770.
Entry in a Bibliography
Novak, William J. “The Myth of the „Weak‟ American State.” American Historical
Review 113 (June 2008): 752-72. doi:10.1086/ahr.113.3.752.
For articles that have not been assigned a DOI (or if the DOI cannot be determined), include a
URL.
For example:
Wilfried Karmaus and John F. Riebow, “Storage of Serum in Plastic and Glass
Containers May Alter the Serum Concentration of Polychlorinated
Biphenyls,” Environmental Health Perspectives 112 (May 2004): 645,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3435987.

7
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

Access dates are not required by Chicago in citations of formally published electronic sources.
An access date – that is, the self-reported date on which an author consulted a source – is of
limited value: previous versions will often be unavailable to readers; authors typically consult a
source any number of times over the course of days or months; and the accuracy of such dates,
once recorded, cannot readily be verified by editors or publishers. Chicago does not therefore
require access dates in its published citations of electronic sources unless no date of publication
or revision can be determined from the source.
When they are included, they should immediately precede the DOI or URL, separated from the
surrounding citation by commas in a note and periods in a bibliography entry.
For example:
William J. Barnds, “China‟s Relations with Pakistan: Durability amidst
Discontinuity,” The China Quarterly 63 (September, 1975): 463-489,
accessed July 24, 2011, http://www.jstor.org/stable/652750
Patrick G. P. Charles, et al., “SMART-COP: A Tool for Predicting the Need for
Intensive Respiratory or Vasopressor Support in Community-Acquired
Pneumonia,” Clinical Infectious Diseases 47 (August 1, 2008): 377,
accessed July 17, 2008, doi:10.1086/589754.
Shortened Form:
Charles et al., “SMART-COP,” 378-79.
Entry in a Bibliography:
Charles, Patrick G. P., Rory Wolfe, Michael Whitby, Michael J. Fine, Andrew J.
Fuller, Robert Stirling, Alistair A. Wright, et al. “SMART-COP: A Tool
for Predicting the Need for Intensive Respiratory or Vasopressor Support
in Community-Acquired Pneumonia.” Clinical Infectious Diseases 47
(August 1, 2008): 375-84. Accessed July 17, 2008. doi:10.1086/589754.

Magazines
Beth Saulnier, “From Vine to Wine,” Cornell Alumni Magazine, September/October
2008, 48.
Jill Lepore, “Just the Facts, Ma‟am: Fake Memoirs, Factual Fictions, and the History
of History,” New Yorker, March 24, 2008, 81.
Online Magazine:
Wendy Cole and Janice Castro, “Scientology‟s Largesse in Russia,” Time, April 13,
1992, http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,975290,00.html.

8
 Guidelines for Thesis Writing (M.Phil./Ph.D.) 2012

Newspapers
S. M. Hali, “Pak-India peace process?,” The Nation, July 1, 2009.
Mike Royko, “Next Time, Dan, Take Aim at Arnold,” Chicago Tribune, September
23, 1992.
Unsigned Newspaper Articles
Unsigned newspaper articles or features are best dealt with in text or notes. But if a
bibliography entry should be needed, the name of the newspaper stands in
place of the author.
“Drone Attacks to Continue in Pak,” The Statesman, October 28, 2009.
Statesman. “Drone Attacks to Continue in Pak.” October 28, 2009.

Interviews and Communications

Unpublished Interviews or Personal Communications
Andrew Macmillan (principal adviser, Investment Center Division, FAO), in
discussion with the author, September 1998.
Shortened Form:
Macmillan, discussion; Spock, interview.
Published or Broadcast Interviews
“Mil Máscaras: An Interview with Pulitzer-Winner Junot DÃaz (The Brief
Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao),” by Matt Okie, Identitytheory.com,
September 2, 2008,
http://www.identitytheory.com/interviews/okie_diaz.php.
McGeorge Bundy, interview by Robert MacNeil, MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, PBS,
February 7, 1990.