World Citi Colleges

Research and PublicationOffice

Research Development and Extension Office

FORMATTING GUIDELINES
FOR RESEARCH PAPERS
The guidelines will help the researcher deliver quality research work in the academic community.
Corresponding authors of the research study are advised to properly subject their paper to plagiarism detection,
grammar checking software or expert, and readability prior to submission since research value begins with the
writer. They should apply the corrections indicated and append the first and final reports.

General Guidelines on Manuscript Preparation

➢ The author/s must observe the following:
Fonts

➢ Times New Roman, 12 font size all throughout the manuscript; 9 - 1 2 font size for tables
➢ Italics for foreign words, including scientific names » Bold-Uppercase for heads ➢ Boldface,
Capitalize Each Word except for “of, “the”, and the like for side-heads Indention
➢ All paragraphs must be properly indented by 0.5 inch
Margin
➢ 1.25 inches for the left side and 1 inch for the remaining sides
➢ Right margin must be justified.
Pagination

➢ Number serially all pages, including tables, appendices, and references.

➢ Page must be at the lower right portion of the paper

➢ Rib page should be numbered using roman numeral

Paper size

➢ 8.5 x 11 inch

Spacing

➢ Double space all-throughout the paper except for the format in approval sheet, table of contents,
tables and figures.

➢ Double-space in between paragraphs and subsequent side-heads Table and figure headings » No color

fill

➢ Table head should be in sentence case.

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➢ Do not use full point at the end of a table heading.

➢ Set the table head and last column labels in boldface.

➢ Move each table to the center; table heading should be placed on top the table it describes flushed to
the left.

➢ Figure heading should be placed below the figure.

➢ Headings do not include capitals for all content words; only the first letter of the first word should be
capitalized.

➢ Each table should have three horizontal lines only without vertical lines.

➢ Tables must not be in jpeg or any picture format.

➢ Table heading should be placed above the table.

➢ Graphics or photos must be at 300 dpi resolution to avoid pixelated printout.

Example table for quantitative study:

Age Frequency Percentage Rank

15-20 12 13 4
21-25 35 39 1
26-30 20 22 2
31-35 14 15 3
36-40 10 11 5
Total @1 100

➢ The words, Table and Figure, should be spelled out with the number.

➢ Place a zero before the decimal in numbers less than 1 (e.g. 0.25).
➢ Figures should consist only of simple line drawings, computer-generated graphics or good quality
black and white photographs.

➢ Photographs should be original figures that are not electronically enhanced and submitted in a jpeg or
png file.

➢ Label of Figures should be of such a size so that these are still legible even after reducing the size by
as much as 50%.

➢ Use preferably Adobe Photoshop CS, Adobe Indesign CS and/or PDF computer-generated graphics.

Verb Tense
Use past tense when:
➢ discussing the research methodology and reporting the findings
➢ referring to a statement(s) of other researchers
➢ citing previous research
➢ discussing a fact, research results or law that is no longer considered valid and relevant

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Use present tense when:

➢ discussing the findings, that hold true up to the present, and their implications
➢ stating general truths or facts or conclusions supported by scientific findings that are unlikely to
change - this may be anything that is universally accepted to be true, to refer to the article, thesis
or dissertation itself

➢ referring to the research manuscript itself, its contents, including illustrations, texts, and the like

➢ presenting the conclusions

Use future tense when:

➢ stating recommendations

Head Word Placement Use

Move to the center and set in bold-uppercase all main heads (ABSTRACT,
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, TABLE OF CONTENTS, LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES, LIST OF
APPENDICES, CHAPTER I, CHAPTER II, CHAPTER III, CHAPTER IV,INTRODUCTION,
METHODOLOGY, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, REFERENCES, APPENDIX)

Title Page

➢ Boldface

➢ Uppercase the title of the research study

➢ Pyramid style

Name of the Author(s)

➢ Provide middle initial in the author’s name (or names of the authors for team research), if applicable. ➢

Set in uppercase

➢ Boldface

Sample Title Page

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PRACTICES

OF GARMENT MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
TOWARDS BUSINESS PERFORMANCE

ABSTRACT
➢ Abstract must be at least 200-400 words.
➢ The Abstract should contain topic introduction, chief purpose/aim, method (design, techniques, and
optional sub-parts: instruments, statistical treatment), results, conclusions and translational research
(optional).
Keywords

➢ Indicate the discipline of the study, concepts studied, research design, process, etc. as keywords
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➢ Set keywords in sentence case.

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION

➢ The INTRODUCTION should contain:

First Section
➢ Global situational analysis of the problem supported by the literature from different continents

Second Section

➢ Regional situational analysis supported by literature from the region of the study.

Third Section

➢ Local situational analysis of the problem

Fourth Section
➢ Gap in the literature from the literature reviews that the study intends to find

➢ Differences of the study from other previous studies

➢ Compelling reasons of the writer for choosing the problem
➢ Craft the INTRODUCTION relatively nontechnical yet clear enough for an informed reader to
understand the manuscript’s contribution.

➢ Use several sources with several authors embedded in a sentence.

➢ Utilize research review papers and scientific sources preferably from subscription journals because
they are more authoritative and credible such as Pubmed, Science Direct, Springer. Proquest,
EbscoHost among others.

CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY

For QUALITATIVE:
Methodological Perspective
Context of the Study
Participants of the Study
Data Gathering Procedure
Data Analysis Procedure
Subjectivity of the Researcher Instrumentation
(Appendix)
➢ Construction, try-out, reliability and validity
Research Ethics Protocol (Appendix)
➢ Informed consent
➢ Clearance from the Ethics Review Board
➢ Permit from the head of the indigenous peoples of the research sites

For QUANTITATIVE:
Research Design
Population and Sampling Respondents of the Study
Research instrument
➢ Construction, Try-out, Reliability and Validity (Appendix)
Research Ethics Protocol (Appendix)
➢ Informed consent
 ➢ Clearance from the Ethics Review Board
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➢ Permit from the head of the indigenous peoples of the research sites

Data Gathering Procedure

Statistical Treatment of Data

CHAPTER Ill: RESULTS

➢ Answers to objectives/ statement of the problem
➢ Summary tables and significant results
➢ Long tables with brimming data should be avoided especially when the text can stand to
discuss and/or explain the data

CHAPTER IV: DISCUSSION

➢ Highlight salient findings of the study supported by global, regional and local

➢ Intercontinental literature support of the data (in-text citation)

➢ Validation of the theory used (integrated)

➢ Provide a critique on the methods and theories used in the last paragraph
Conclusion
➢ Broken down number by number in accordance to the number arrangement of the Statement of the
Problem

➢ Highlight new discovery (if any) that you obtained only after completing the study, something (not
found in the literature) which contributes to new knowledge.

➢ This section supports or negates previous conclusions, validates theory used and/or generates new
theory.

Recommendation
➢ Write recommendations only for national, regional and global significance and application

References

➢ Use referencing softwares such as Endnote and Mendeley. Writers must submit screenshot of their
accounts in Endnote and Mendeley.

Spacing:
➢ Double space in between referenced literature items; single space in between lines of each literature
cited.

Referencing Styles:
➢ All references used in the manuscript should be traceable online.
➢ Authors are cautioned from using gray literature (any work that is NOT scientifically peer reviewed
and published in internationally indexed research journals).
➢ Prefer references which have earned citations already.
➢ The count is provided at the lower left side of every title. On the lower right is the word "cite”, click
 on this to get three options MLA, APA and Chicago styles. Choose the appropriate style for your

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Research and PublicationOffice
Research Development and Extension Office

study. If you decide to use MLA, then we prefer footnotes/endnotes. No reference list is required if
you have endnotes. Copy and paste the citation given, add the URL of the source with the phrase
retrieved on (date) from (URL). Without URL, we choose to interpret the source as print only, and
hence, not traceable online.
➢ Include those works cited in the text. Each entry should contain all information necessary or
unambiguous identification of the published work. Literature must be traceable online from peer
reviewed, indexed, cross-referenced journals in reputable databases.
➢ Copy and paste every reference in www.ejournals.ph,www.scholar.google.com, wvw.doaj.org,
'www.scopus.com, www.thomsonreuters. com and other reputable databases to check their correctness
and online accessibility.
➢ URL should be shortened; go to goo.gl and paste your long URL in the search box to obtain the short
URL then replace your long URL.
➢ Include Digital Object Identifier (DOI), copy the DOI and DO NOT copy the URL anymore.

This sub-section of the manuscript should be structured as:

Authored book (one author)

Long URL
Speer, J. H. (2010) Fundamentals of tree-ring research. University of Arizona Press. Retrieved on May 1, 2014
from http://books.google.com.ph/books?
id=XtxEbCzbKUUC&printsec=frontcover&dq=trees+2010&hl=en&sa=X &ei=ha
8U8vKlsn3igKH9oHADA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=trees%20 2010&f=false

Shortened URL through google

Speer, J. H. (2010) Fundamentals of tree-ring research. University of Arizona Press. Retrieved on May 1, 2014
fromhttp://goo.gl/Od2qtR

Authored book (two authors)

Taraban, R. & Kerr, M. (2004) Analytic and pragmatic factors in college students’ metacognitive reading
strategies. Reading Psychology Retrieved on February 12, 2013 from
http://www.cognitivesolutionslc.com/metacogread.pdf 15

Authored book (more than two authors)

Taraban, H., Cotter, R., Confir, T. & Jefferson, F. (2004) Analytic and pragmatic factors in college students’
metacognitive reading strategies. Reading Psychology Retrieved on February 12, 2013 from
http://www.cognitivesolutionslc.com/ metacogread.pdff

Article in an online scientific journal

Include the issue number in parenthesis (not underlined) immediately following the volume number and
preceding the page numbers.

Bogaards, P. (2013) Deux langues, quatre dictionnaires. Lexicographies 12 (6): 162- 173. Retrieved on March
12, 2012 from http://wvAv.wuenjournal.com/ regular.pdf

➢ Writing of et al. in the Literature Cited is discouraged, instead all names of the authors should be
mentioned. If two or more references are cited, arrange them by year. » When reference is made from
 a particular passage, the original author should be cited using his/her surname, date of publication and
the page number(s) where the text was lifted. This should be punctuated with a colon that precedes the
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page numbers, e.a. Soriano (2011: 341-344) or Domingo (2011:57).

➢ Use commas to separate short references that appear within parentheses, e.g. (Meneses 2009, 2012). If
multiple references need to be cited, arrange them alphabetically with the corresponding date of
publication in place.

➢ Latin abbreviations as “et al.” should be used when citing a work by more than two authors or editors,
e.g. Bernaldez et al. (2008), rather than Bernaldez, Castro, Quebral, and Santos (2002). For two
authors, both names are given, joined by “and”, e.g. Santos and Guinza (2001). » Electronic or
Internet source (other than books)

➢ Provide the year of electronic publication or of the most recent update. If no year of publication is
available, use the date when you accessed the material. If you cite an e-mail message (personal,
bulletin board, electronic discussion group, interview, etc.) cite it in your text as a personal
communication. Give the last name and initial(s) of the author of the communication and exact date.
For example,

Ragandang, P. M., director of the Dance for Peace Philippines, affirmed that majority of the Filipino,
especially in the areas where conflict among muslim and Christians exist, need peace in all aspects of their life
(personal communication, March 10, 2010).

➢ Even if the authors name is provided in the sentence, if no page or paragraph numbers are available,
the name in the parenthesis should be added again at the end of the sentence to mark the boundary of
the citation.

Hart (1996) claimed that neuro-musicology is being hailed as a “new discipline”; however, this discipline…

➢ If the paper refers to statutes, legal treatises, or court cases, citations acceptable in law reviews should
be used.
QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Rib Page Rib Page

Title Page Title Page
APPROVAL SHEET APPROVAL SHEET
ABSTRACT ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TABLE OF
CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF APPENDICES LIST OF APPENDICES

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION Background of

the Study Background of the Study
Review of Related Literature Review of Related Literature
(Synthesis) (Synthesis)
Theoretical Framework Statement of the Problem
Conceptual Framework Assumptions of the Study
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Statement of the Problem Epistemology and Theoretical

Null Hypotheses Perspectives
Significance of the Study Significance of the Study
Scope and Limitations of the Study Definition of Terms
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY Research
Design Methodological Perspective
Population and Sampling Context of the Study
Respondents of the Study Participants of the Study
Research instrument
Data Gathering Procedure
Validity and Reliability
Ethical Consideration
Data Gathering Procedure Data Analysis Procedure
Statistical Treatment of Data Subjectivity of the Researcher

CHAPTER III: RESULTS CHAPTER III: RESULTS

CHAPTER IV: DISCUSSION CHAPTER IV: DISCUSSION Summary of

Findings Summary of Findings
Conclusion Conclusion
Recommendation Recommendation

REFERENCES REFERENCES

APPENDICES APPENDICES

Note : Manuscript should include the following certificate:

Certificate of Originality and Authenticity
Grammarian Certificate

/AFPNovember2021
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