Guide to Thesis Proposal

Design 9
1st Sem 2019-2020

Adviser: Dr. Maribel C. Tubera, UAP, EnP, MsCM, DBA

 Contents of the Research Proposal
• All thesis proposals start with the preliminaries. The preliminaries
include the title page and the table of contents.

• The title page should follow the prescribed format of the. In this
page, the title of the thesis proposal, the degree being fulfilled, the
name of the candidate and the date of expected month and year of
completion are indicated.

• The title must capture the general essence of the study. The terms
“study”, “assessment” and “analysis” must be avoided in the title
since all theses will involve a study, an assessment and an analysis
of the research topic.
 Contents of the Research Proposal
• The table of contents, on the other hand, must contain the main
section and subsection of the thesis in the order in which these are
presented and the corresponding page where the section or
subsection starts (see Figure 4).

• research proposal should contain these chapters: Chapter 1

Introduction, Chapter 2 Review of Related Literature and Studies,
Chapter 3 Research Design and Methodology, and Chapter 4
(Initial Output) . Bibliography, appendices, timetable of research
and the candidate’s curriculum vitae must be placed at the end pages
of the proposal.
Preliminary Pages
All theses must (except for the list of abbreviations)
contain as part of the preliminaries,
• a title page,
• a certificate of originality,
• an approval sheet,
• certificate of editing,
• an acknowledgement page,
• an abstract, a table of contents,
• a list of tables,
• a list of figures, and
• a list of abbreviated entries or acronyms (which is
optional)
Title Page
• In this page, the tile of the thesis, the degree being fulfilled, the
name of the candidate, and the date of the expected month and year
of completion are indicated. This page is not numbered but is
considered to be page i. The title has the following components:

• Major variables or theoretical issues investigated.

• Title should be specific.

• Must have a maximum of 12 words.

 Certificate of Originality Form
• The certificate of originality must contain a declaration that
the submitted manuscript is the candidate’s own work and
signed by the candidate and attested by the adviser.

• Although it is not numbered, it is considered as page ii.

• To authenticate the declaration, a formal statement from the

software “Turnitin” is appended indicating if there are
manifestations or circumstances of plagiarism or none.
Scanning of the paper by Turnitin software is done twice- -
first, after the proposal defense, and second, the final
submission of the revised manuscript.
Approval Sheet Form
• The approval sheet should contain the title of the
thesis, the name of the student who prepared and
submitted the manuscript, and that the manuscript
has been approved and accepted as partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree
sought.

• It should also contain the signatures, of (1)

adviser, (2) Panel Members and (3) Dean. This
should be page iii.
Certificate of Editing
• This is an official document that gives proof
that the thesis has undergone a thorough
editorial work, ensuring that the prescribed
format and mechanics of research writing has
been reviewed, overviewed and endorsed by a
competent English editor.
Acknowledgement Page
• The candidate may express his/her gratitude to
individuals who or institutions that have
helped or supported the candidate in
conducting the research.
Abstract of the Study
• An abstract is a general overview of the
research. It is a summary of the study; a
statement of the experiment or problem, the
procedure followed the results and the
conclusions and recommendations. The
maximum length for a thesis, it is 200 words.

• The abstract should not exceed two pages.

Table of Contents
• The title “TABLE OF CONTENTS” should be
typed in uppercase and bold attribute, centered
without punctuation.
Table of Contents
• The titles of chapters or sections must be listed and
worded exactly as they appear in the manuscript

• Titles for the preliminary pages and for all chapters,

except sub-chapters, are in uppercase.

• The page number for the starting page of each part is

listed flush at the right margin.

• Any space between the last word of the title and the
page number can be filled with a dot leader.
 List of Tables / Figures / Appendices /
Illustrations / Symbols/ Abbreviations
• The headings for these pages are in uppercase and bold attributes, centered
without punctuation.
• All tables and figures are arranged in increasing Arabic numeral.
• Appendices, symbols and abbreviations are arranged alphabetically.
• Greek-lettered symbols are placed before Roman/English-lettered symbols
• Each acronym/symbol is indented and separated from the definition by a dash.
• Consistency in the inclusion of tables and figures must be observed; if tables
from one chapter are included in the list, then tables from all the other chapters
and the appendix must be included.
• Each entry must list the same caption or title used for a table/figure.
• The most common mode of presentation is to single-space within each entry
and to double-space between entries.
Sample Format of Title Page
Sample Format of Table of Contents
Sample Format of LIST OF TABLES
Sample Format of LIST OF FIGURES
Organization of the Thesis Proposal
The research proposal contains these chapters:
• Chapter 1, The Problem and Its Background;
• Chapter 2, Review of Related Literature and
Studies and
• Chapter 3, Research Design and Methodology.
• Chapter 4, Design Solutions
• Bibliography, appendices, timetable of research
and the candidate’s curriculum vitae must be
place d at the end pages of the proposal.
 Chapter 1 – Introduction
Chapter 1 contains eight sections in the following order:
a. Historical and Contextual Background of the Study.
b. Theoretical Framework,
c. Conceptual Framework,
d. Statement of the Problem,
e. Hypothesis, (optional)
f. Scope and Delimitation,
g. Significance of the Study, and
h. Operational Definition of Terms.
Introduction
• This section focuses on the key issues or
problem situation that the paper will cover.

• Facts or statistical evidence supporting the

problem as well as the need to address the gap
between existing bodies of knowledge and the
prevailing subject situation are covered in this
section.
Background of the Study
• This section is useful especially for readers
who have little or no knowledge about the
research topic.

• This should contain a discussion on the status

of the issues covered by the research topic,
current government policy or legislation
Theoretical Framework
• The theoretical framework discusses what is
(are) the existing theory or theories that will
help explain and predict how an observed
phenomena exists and operates as reflected in
the paradigm.

• Well-known authority sources to support the

theory or theories are cited.
Conceptual Framework
• The conceptual framework expounds on the
concepts, variables and its indicators that led to
the formulation of the research problem and its
corresponding hypothesis.

• These concepts, constructs and variables should

be presented in a conceptual paradigm.

• Examples of these are the input-process-output-

feedback paradigm or the independent-
moderating-dependent variable paradigm.
Statement of the Problem
• There are two parts, the general problem and the
specific problems.

• The general problem should be stated in declarative

form.

• The main problem should be consistent with the title of

the study. On the other hand, the specific problems are
in interrogative or question form.

• The question must be clearly and logically presented

and be connected to the title of the thesis
 Scope and Delimitation of the Study
• This section defines the coverage and limits of the
study.
• This section of the paper presents the nature, coverage
and timeframe of the study.
• It briefly explains the subject matter, the place, the
place and the period of the study as well as the rationale
behind the limits of the scope of the study.
• It indicates the variables that should have been included
in the study, cites the reasons for their exclusion and
how this is expected to affect the results of the study.
• The delimitation of the study states the boundaries
beyond which the study is not concerned and the
reasons for their exclusion.
Operational Definition of Terms
• The researcher should define important terms to be able to communicate to
his/her reader. The concepts, constructs and variables in the conceptual
framework, statement of the problem and title should be clearly and
concisely defined.

• There are two ways in defining terms, conceptual definition and operational
or functional definition. Conceptual definition refers to the definition found
in dictionaries, while operational definition refers to the specific way or the
meaning used in the study. As to format, the term should be in bold font, the
first line of the definition indented which the succeeding lines are not
indented.
 Chapter 2 – Review of Related
Literature and Studies
• Chapter 2, like all other chapters of a thesis,
starts with an introductory paragraph which
contains the topics or contents of this chapter
as well as the objective of the chapter.

• This chapter should include three sections:

related literature, related studies and a
synthesis and assessment of the related
literature and studies.
Related Literature
• Possible sources of literature are books, journals, magazines,
monographs, and other scholarly publication. The main idea or ideas
from each source should be clearly and concisely presented. This part
should not be a mere enumeration of facts and information but should show
the relatedness of the various studies and literature presented to the
candidate’s paper.

• One format is to present local and foreign literature separately, with local
literature presented first. Another format is to present the literature by
theme, wherein related literature and studies are all presented in an
integrated manner. Unless the literature is a classic, it is strongly suggested
that more recent literature, at least in the last five years, are cited.
Related Studies
• Sources include thesis, dissertation and other output of research. For each
study cited, there should be a presentation and discussion of the objectives
of the study, method used, sampling subjects, major findings, conclusions or
recommendations related to the present study.

• One format is to present local and foreign studies separately with local
studies presented first. Another format is to present the studies by research
topic. Unless the study is a classic, it is strongly recommended that more
recent studies, at least in the last five years, are cited.

• As to the preferred way of citation, references should be by author and year

Examples are
• Fishbein, Middlestadt and Hitchcock (1984:
135)’s Theory of Reasoned Action which
explains and predicts a variety of human
behaviors responsible for their perception and
assessment of the program.
Examples are
• Barnes (2004:34) stated that ‘corporate
governance mechanism must be seen not as
public relations but vital in ensuring that the
right objectives form the basis of action’.
 If there is more than one author,
references are cited chronologically:

• A number of studies found an inverse relationship

between managerial ownership and level of risk-
taking (Chen at al. 1998, Aggarwal and Javques
2001, Barnes 2004).

• Depositors are likely to cause bank runs when

they have imperfect information about the
solvency of their banks (Rodriguez 2003, Leuterio
and Estepa 2004, PDIC 2005).
Synthesis
• A brief summary of the reviewed literature and studies
should be made. It is important that a comparison and
contrast of the current work from other studies is done.
•
• The assessment should contain comments on whether
the reviewed related literature and studies are few or
many, mostly local or foreign, quite recent or not, etc.

• If there is evidence to support this, this section should

also clearly state that based on the review of related
literature and studies, this study will not duplicate any
existing study.
 Chapter 3 – Research Design and
Methodology
• Chapter 3, also begins with an introductory
paragraph which contains the topics or contents of
this chapter as well as the objective of the chapter.
• This should include the following:
– Sources of data
– Respondents of the study (if there will be
surveys/interviews)
– Sampling design (if a sample is to be used)
– Research instrument(s). Validation of the instrument
– Data gathering process
– Statistical treatment (for quantitative research)
Research Design
• This section identifies and discusses the type
of design used, its definition (with proper
citation), and the justification for its use.
Chapter 4 – DESIGN SOLUTIONS

• This chapter should begin with an introductory

paragraph showing the contents and purpose of
the chapter and a concluding paragraph to re-
cap this chapter as well as introduce the next
chapter.

• Data analysis are presented here following the

necessary design process.