PHILIPPINE MUSLIM TEACHERS’ COLLEGE

BO. Green, Marawi City

PROPOSAL RESEACH (THESIS) GUIDELINES

1. The font size for the whole paper is 12 point.

2. The font style for the whole paper is Times New Roman, Bookman Old Style or Arial.
3. Page number is placed on the lower right corner. Font size = 12. Do not manually put the page
number. Go to insert menu and click on page number.
4. Citations in quotation marks (with less than 25 words) should include the page number from the
original source. If more than 25 words, the whole phrase or sentence or paragraph should be indented,
single space and with page number as well.
5. If the source has 3 or more authors and is cited for the first time, indicate all the authors’ family
names and the year. In the next succeeding citations, et al. should be used.
6. No et al. is allowed in the bibliography. All authors should be mentioned.
7. Utilize all spaces within a chapter. If need arise, font size of tables can be reduced.
8. The abstract is a summarized version of the whole thesis (but not a duplication of the summary of
findings in Chapter 5) and should not be more than 200 words (1 page and single space). There must
be at most five (5) keywords which shall be included in the abstract.
9. The introduction should be at least 1 ½ to 2 pages but not exceeding 3 pages with a minimum of 5
sources.
10. The first paragraph in the introduction should be a synthesis made by the researchers of the major
issue of their thesis and should not cite a source.
11. Two types of definitions are required in the Definition of Terms – one is conceptual and the other is
operational. Conceptual definitions should indicate the sources. Operational definition usually starts
with the phrase, “In this study, it refers to…..” (and must be connected/related to your study).
12. Related studies are divided into two: foreign and local. Foreign studies are those conducted in
countries outside Philippines while local studies are those conducted in the Philippines and in nearby
countries like Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand
13. In discussing the related studies (in Chapter 2) these are the highlights to be considered:
a. the family name/s of the author/s followed by the year the research was written/published;
b. the purpose/goal/aim/objective of the author/s for conducting the research;
c. the respondents of the study (who, how many, where, why);
d. the instrument/s used
e. data gathering procedure
f. data analysis procedure (for qualitative research)
g. findings
14. Variables established in the schematic diagram and the statement of the problem should be addressed
in the introduction and in chapter 2.
15. Sources cited/used/mentioned in support of the findings in chapter 4 should first be
discussed/explained (even briefly) in chapter 2. This is to ensure that readers can follow the
direction/intent of your discussions in chapter 4.
16. In order to ensure that the theories discussed in the Theoretical Framework are bases in the
conceptualization of the paper, they (or at least one theory) should be used to justify the findings in
Chapter 4.
17. In quantitative research, it is suggested to have sample as large as possible.
18. When the respondents come from different schools, year levels, sections or heterogeneous in nature
and for purposes of easy manipulation of data, percent proportional sampling procedure is
recommended. The table (in APA format) below serves as a reference guide:
 Sections Population Sample
A 35 27
B 35 27
C 40 31
D 40 31
E 45 34
Total 195 150

P = population
S = sample
T = total
S = P/T x 150

19. Table numbers should indicate what chapter they appeared. For example, if the table is in chapter 3,
it will be labeled as Table 3.1, 3.2 and so on. If it appears in chapter 4; Table 4.1, 4.2 and etc.
20. The research instrument used should first be pilot-tested if taken from different sources. Pilot testing
is done to ensure that the instrument is reliable and valid. Reliability and validity coefficients must
be indicated in the section on instruments of the study in Chapter 3. Sources should also be
acknowledged.
21. If the research instrument is a standardized version, acknowledge the author and discuss the
categories/dimensions/areas. The reliability and validity of the instrument should also be emphasized.
22. In cases where the study requires the use of a test (e.g. a test constructed by the researcher/s) due to
non-availability of a standardized test, an item analysis index should be provided. Item analysis is a
process which examines student responses to individual test items (questions) in order to assess the
quality of those items and of the test as a whole. Item analysis is especially valuable in improving
items which will be used again in later tests, but it can also be used to eliminate ambiguous or
misleading items in a single test administration (Office of Educational Assessment, University of
Washington, n.d.).
23. The use of the research instrument is supported by evidences established in the introduction and in
Chapter 2 (related studies). Studies using the same instrument that the researchers wish to adapt/adopt
should be the priority discussions in chapter 2 - related studies section.
24. The minimum number of bibliographic entries is 30 arranged in alphabetical order using the APA
(American Psychological Association) format. These entries should be cited in the content.
25. All sources mentioned/used/cited in the thesis should appear in the bibliography.
26. In cases where no author is provided by the source, you may cite in this manner: (n.a., 2013). n.a.
means “no author.” If no date is provided, you may refer to it as (Santos, n.d.); n.d. means “no date.”
However, sources with n.a and n.d. are least preferred and may be questioned for authenticity.
27. In cases where the online source does not have an author and there is a difficulty in citation, the
universal resource locator or URL will normally provide the exact website where the source
originates. For example, if the webpage you browsed only shows http://www.msumain.edu.ph then
the appropriate way to cite this in your paper is like this: (MSU Main website, 2013 or whichever
year the source was made available online).
28. As much as possible do away with outdated/old sources. You should give preference to sources that
were written five years back. In cases where outdated sources cannot be avoided (especially in the
Theoretical Framework), find the latest researches to update the old sources. For example, “Gardner
(1991) as cited by Hashim (2013)…”
29. Do not overuse a source and refrain from citing sources more than once in one page. Instead cite
several sources to strengthen the authenticity of the major issues in your thesis.
30. When citing sources, especially in the introduction, use materials that are taken from published books
or journals. Claims posed in unpublished theses either undergraduate, masters or PhD dissertations
should be used sparingly (in moderation) unless otherwise proven by reliable sources.
31. The source is part of the sentence where it appeared, therefore, the full stop ( . ) is placed after the
source and NOT before it.
32. For bibliographic entries, (i) provide the author’s family name followed by his/her initials, then year
of publication; (ii) capitalize the first letter of the title and proper nouns if any; (iii) italicize the name
of the journal and the book only and not the title of a thesis or research article.
33. The thesis adviser is likewise discouraged to be the official editor of his/her advisee/s. This is also to
minimize suspicion and to maintain the integrity of the adviser-advisee relationship.
34. Consultation sessions with all the Thesis Committee members are very important and vital to the
progress of the thesis writing journey.
35. Check your paper to a Plagiarism Checker online to avoid plagiarism in the articles and citations used
in your paper.
ORGANIZATION

The content of the Proposal undergraduate thesis should be organized in the following order:

A. Preliminaries
1. Cover
2. Flyleaf
3. Title Page
4. Approval Page
5. Acknowledgment (for both researchers)
6. Dedication (for both researchers)
7. Abstract
8. Table of Contents
9. List of Tables
10. List of Figures
B. Body
1. Chapter 1: The Problem and Its Scope
a. Introduction
b. Theoretical Framework
c. Conceptual Framework
d. Statement of the Problem
e. Null Hypothesis (for inferential research)
f. Significance of the Study
g. Scope and Limitations
h. Definition of Terms
2. Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature and Studies
a. Related Literature (historical background and legal bases)
b. Related Studies (local and foreign studies)
3. Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology
a. Research Design
b. Locale of the Study
c. Respondents of the Study
d. Instrumentation
e. Data Gathering Procedure (both quantitative and qualitative study)
f. Data Analysis Procedure (for qualitative study only)
g. Statistical Tools Used (for quantitative study only)
C. Bibliography
D. Appendices
a. Letters
b. Survey Questionnaire
c. Curriculum Vitae

Reused by: Jabbir M. Hadji Gaffur, LPT

Made by: DR. WARDAH D. GUIMBA
Thesis Coordinator/Research Coordinator
Drafted March 23, 2013, First Revision March 3, 2014
Second Revision March 20, 2014, Third Revision April 2, 2014
Fourth Revision May 23, 2014, Fifth Revision June 7, 2014
Sixth Revision September 14, 2014, Seventh Revision April 11, 2016,
8th Revision August 26, 2016, 9th revision June 6, 2018