FORMAT FOR GRADUATE THESIS AND

DISSERTATION MANUSCRIPTS

Prepared by:

BRYAN P. MANALO
Research Coordinator, CTE
 PAGE LAYOUT

Paper Size : Letter (8.5 in by 11 in)

Paper Orientation : Portrait

Top Margin : 1.7 in

Bottom Margin : 1 in

Left Margin : 1.5 in

Right Margin : 1 in

Paragraph Indention : 0.5 in

Font Face : Arial

Font Size : 13 pt

Line Spacing : Double

Page Number Position : Top of Page, Aligned to the right margin

Page Number Format : Arial, 13 pt, *Lowercase Roman Numeral,

**Hindu-Arabic Numeral (*applies to preliminary
pages, **applies to chapter pages and
bibliography)

Note: Page number on the first page of each section in the preliminaries
and chapter sections should be hidden
 TITLE OF THE STUDY (Arial, 13, Bold, UPPERCASE)

A Thesis
Presented to
the Faculty of College of Teacher Education
BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Batangas City

Seven (7) Single-spaces

In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
PROGRAM (Arial, 13, UPPERCASE) MAJOR
(Arial, 13, Capitalize Content W ord/s)

Six (6) Single-spaces

Name of the Authors (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name)

Five (5) Single-spaces

Date of Completion (Month and year only)

 APPROVAL SHEET

This thesis [dissertation] entitled “TITLE OF THE STUDY” (Arial, 13,

Bold, UPPERCASE) prepared and submitted by NAME OF THE AUTHOR
(Arial, 13, Bold, UPPERCASE) has been approved and accepted as partial
fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of [Program and Major] (Arial,
13).

NAME OF ADVISER, (Honorific)

Adviser

Accepted and approved by the Committee on Oral Examination with

a grade of .

PANEL OF EXAMINERS

NAME OF CHAIRMAN, (Honorific)

Chairman

NAME OF MEMBER, (Honorific) NAME OF MEMBER, (Honorific)

Member Member

NAME OF EXTERNAL REPRESENTATIVE, (Honorific)

External Representative

Accepted and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for

the degree of [Program and Major].

Comprehensive Examination:

NAME OF COLLEGE DEAN, (Honorific)

Date Dean, CTE
 ABSTRACT

This should summarize the content of the manuscript (main

objective, method used, key results and conclusions). Three (3) to five (5)
key words should be included.

 Format
The middle heading is ABSTRACT in all capital letters and
highlighted (bold).
The title of the study, researcher, degree, major, year of
completion of the manuscript and adviser should be indicated.
The first line of each paragraph should not be indented by 0.5 in.
Try to keep the abstract 200 to 250 words only. Do not have
references and equations in the abstract. Do not define the
keywords in this section.
Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and transitions.
Recommendations should not be included.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

It is in this section that the researcher expresses his gratitude to the

different persons who assisted and guided him to make his thesis
successful.

 Format
The middle heading is ACKNOWLEDGMENT in all capital letters
and highlighted (bold). The preferred spelling of the word
“acknowledgment” in American English is without an “e” after the
“g.” Use the singular heading even if you have many
acknowledgments.
The body of the text is double-spaced.
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
The person being acknowledged is stated first and the
contribution is cited thereafter.
DEDICATION

This part is, basically, a source to offer warmest gratefulness of the

researcher in the academic research, which is done on the required
Acknowledgment page.

 Format
The middle heading is DEDICATION in all capital letters and
highlighted (bold).
There are no restrictions on the style or format.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The contents of a thesis or dissertation are the preliminaries (title

page, approval sheet, abstract, etc.), chapter titles/main heading,
subheadings, page numbers, including the bibliography, appendix and
curriculum vitae.

 Format
The middle heading is TABLE OF CONTENTS in all capital
letters and highlighted (bold).
There must be one single space between consecutive section
headings.
Lower case, Roman numerals are used in numbering the pages
of the preliminaries.
Chapter sections and bibliography are numbered using Hindu-
Arabic numerals.
Appendices and curriculum vitae are not numbered.

LIST OF TABLES

Tables are consecutively numbered throughout the thesis or

dissertation. However, there is no need to place the list of tables in the
preliminaries of the thesis or dissertation if there are only one to t hree
tables in the text.

 Format
The middle heading is LIST OF TABLES in all capital letters and
highlighted (bold).
There must be one single space between consecutive table
headings.
Tables are numbered using Hindu-Arabic numerals.
 FIGURES

Figures are consecutively numbered throughout the thesis or

dissertation.

 Format
The middle heading is LIST OF FIGURES in all capital letters and
highlighted (bold).
There must be one single space between consecutive figure
headings.
Figures are numbered using Hindu-Arabic numerals.
 CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Introduction
This part consists of the synopsis of the problem. The overview
discussion may be presented by citing some phrases and sentences from
published materials relevant to the study. This gives the reader a general
idea and impression as well as motivation of the study. Discussion should
be deductive (from macro to micro concepts leading to the problem). The
last portion of the introduction should bring up a very strong foundation
(based from facts/observations) and rationale of the study.

 Format
The left heading is Introduction in title case and highlighted
(bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
The length should be six (6) to ten (10) typed double-spaced
pages.
The use of bibliographic references must be consistent; the year
of publication must be indicated.
cross referencing for a single concept is allowed.
Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and transitions.

Objectives
This section introduces the general and specific objectives of the
study.

 Format
The left heading is Objectives in title case and highlighted (bold).
The general aim of the study should be stated first followed by
the specific objectives.
Objectives of the study should be presented as imperative form.
Objectives of the study should be numbered using Hindu-Arabic
numerals.
The first line of each objective should be indented by 0.5 in.
 Hypothesis (if there’s any)
Hypothesis is a wise guess that is formulated and temporarily
adopted to explain the observed facts covered by the study.

 Format
The left heading is Hypothesis in title case and highlighted
(bold).
The first line of the paragraph should be indented by 0.5
in. The Study is premise on the null hypothesis.

Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the Study

This includes the coverage of the study area, the duration of the study
and the constraints that have direct bearing on the results of the study. The
scope of the study contains the presentation of the variables, research design,
subjects, and research locale. On the other hand, the delimitation of study is
the description of the boundaries set for the study. This explains the things that
a reader might reasonably expect the researcher to do but, for clearly
explained reasons, have decided not to do (e.g. the population not under
study, methodological procedures not used, etc.). It will explain why definite
aspects of a subject were chosen and why others were excluded.
Meanwhile, the limitation of the study underscores the
shortcomings/weaknesses, conditions or influences that cannot be controlled
by the researcher that place restrictions on the methodology and
conclusions. Any limitations (e.g. the instruments utilized, the sample, time
constraints, etc.) that might influence the results should be mentioned.

 Format
The left heading is Scope, Delimitation and Limitation of the
Study in title case and highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5
in.
The length should be three (3) typed double-spaced paragraphs.
First paragraph for the scope, second for the delimitation and the
last for the limitation.
Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and
transitions.
Pedagogical Implications
The researcher must specify the significance and possible
application of the research results to pedagogy – its benefits to the field of
teaching and learning, especially in a specific area such as instruction,
curriculum, learning environment and policy development or its contribution to
the field of specialization.
More specific and concrete significance and implications of the study to
education should be presented.

 Format
The left heading is Pedagogical Implications in title case and
highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.

Definition of Terms

Important terms are defined conceptually and/or operationally, in bold form

(highlighted).
 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF

LITERATURE

This chapter presents the literature review which have bearing on the
present study, its theoretical and conceptual frameworks.

Literature Review
The discussions for this section are derived from published articles,
researches, books, journals, magazines, novels, poetry and other written
materials which have a direct bearing on the present study. The related
literature can be local or foreign.
 Format
The left heading is Literature Review in title case and
highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
There must be a brief introduction/description of literature review.
The presentation of literature is topical based on the
organization of the research objectives.
Major topics for literature review should be highlighted (bold), with
a period after.
Various sources may be combined in one statement, provided
they present a similar concept.
The use of bibliographic references must be consistent; the year
of publication must be indicated.
Third person pronouns should be used.
All bibliographic entries should be published in the past ten (10)
years.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and transitions.
There will be two synthesizing paragraphs which appear at the end
of the literature review.
Theoretical Framework
There will be a theoretical framework if the topic is anchored in a theory.
Theoretical framework is used in shaping the justification of the
research problem that uses abstract concepts, factors or laws, variables
and their relations and explain and predict how observed phenomena exist
and operate. In here, the researcher is required to identify existing two (2)
or three (3) theories which link to the study because theories are useful
devices for interpreting, criticizing and unifying established specific laws or
facts that guide in discovering new generalizations. Theoretical paradigm
is presented in this section.

 Format
The left heading is Theoretical Framework in title case and
highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
The use of bibliographic references must be consistent; the year
of publication must be indicated.
Theoretical paradigm must be labelled.
Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and transitions.

Conceptual Framework
Conceptual framework provides clear explanations regarding the
relationships among variables. In here, the paradigm of variables such as
independent variables, intervening variables and dependent variables in
the study must be presented. The conceptual paradigm is shown and
discussed in this section.
 Format
The left heading is Conceptual Paradigm in title case and
highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
There must be a discussion of pertinent concepts in the first part.
The length of each citation should be two (2) to three (3) double-
spaced sentences only.
Research paradigm must be labelled. The label must be
highlighted (bold).
The use of bibliographic references must be consistent; the year
of publication must be indicated.
Third person pronouns should be used.
 CHAPTER III

RESEARCH METHOD AND PROCEDURE

This chapter presents the research design, subjects of the study, the
instrument and procedures used in gathering the data as well as the
statistical tools to treat data.

Research Design
In this section, the researcher chooses the most appropriate research
design for the present study. This has to be supported by a citation of
the brief description of the design.

 Format
The left heading is Research Design in title case and highlighted
(bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
The use of bibliographic references must be consistent; the year
of publication must be indicated.

Subjects of the Study

This section comprises the discussion on how and where the
subjects will be taken from. It can either be the total population or a sample
if population size is large. If the researcher intends to utilize a sample, the
sampling design has to be indicated.

 Format
The left heading is Subjects of the Study in title case and
highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
If the distribution of respondents will be indicated, the table
should be presented incorporating the following specifications:
 The table is labelled using Hindu-Arabic numerals.
 Table number and title are highlighted (bold).
 Column headers are highlighted (bold).
 Left, right and inside horizontal borders should be removed.
 Text size is 13 pt.
 Data Gathering Instrument
The part contains the discussion of the data gathering instrument
used in the study such as questionnaire, test, interview, focus group
discussion, etc. If a questionnaire or test is used in the study, the following are
discussed herein: Construction, Validation, Administration and Scoring of
Responses. If there are other tools used aside from questionnaire/test, these
must be discussed separately after the scoring of responses. The instrument
must undergo: Content Validation, Grammar Check, and Reliability Test.

 Format
The left heading is Data Gathering Instrument in title case and
highlighted (bold).
There must be a brief introduction/description of data gathering
instrument.
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5
in. The design of the instrument must be described.
Third person pronouns should be used.
The instrument used should be highlighted (bold), with a period
after.
The following: Construction, Validation, Administration and
Scoring of Responses are not highlighted (not bold) but italicized,
with a period after.

Data Gathering Procedure

In this part, the researcher discusses the process of gathering the
data. The following may be considered in the procedure. Having found the
research instrument valid and reliable, the researcher proceeded to ask
permission and approval from the head of the agency where the subjects
were employed. Once permitted, the researcher administered the
instrument to the subjects of the study. The duration of the administration
of the instrument and percentage retrieval must be stated.

 Format
The left heading is Data Gathering Procedure in title case and
highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5
in. Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and transitions.
Statistical Treatment of Data
In this section, the statistical tools used in answering the specific
research questions must be described as used in the present study.

 Format
The left heading is Statistical Treatment of Data in title case
and highlighted (bold).
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5 in.
The statistical tools used should be highlighted (bold), with a
period after.
There must be a brief introduction/description of the statistical
tools.
 CHAPTER IV

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter presents the results of the study by achieving all the
objectives found in Chapter I. Left-side heading is the heading in each
problem and the presentation of answers is in textual tabular and/or
graphical forms.

 Format
The middle heading is PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF DATA in all capital letters and highlighted
(bold).
There must be a brief introduction/description of the
chapter.
The left-side headings are highlighted (bold) and are
consecutively numbered throughout the chapter using Hindu-
Arabic numerals. If there are four specific objectives, there are
also four left-side headings.
The year of publication for all cited sources must be
included. The first line of each paragraph should be indented
by 0.5 in.
Every table should be presented incorporating the following
specifications:
 Tables are consecutively numbered throughout the chapter
using Hindu-Arabic numerals.
 Table numbers and titles are highlighted (bold).
 Column headers are highlighted (bold).
 Left, right and inside horizontal borders should be hidden.
 Text size is from 11 pt to 13 pt.
 The size of the legend (if there’s any) is 10 pt.
Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and
transitions.

There is no need to mention figures in the discussion of results, instead,

highlight the analysis and interpretation of significant findings. The analyses and
interpretations must be supported by the appropriate reviewed literature.
 CHAPTER V

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

This chapter presents the summary of findings, conclusions and

recommendations of the study.

Summary of Findings
This section summarizes the results in Chapter IV, following the
Objectives in Chapter I. If there are four specific objectives, there are also
four results in Chapter IV and four summaries of findings in Chapter V.

 Format
The left heading is Summary of Findings in title case and
highlighted (bold).
In one (1) to two (2) paragraphs, the objectives and methodology
are presented first before the findings of the study.
Left-side headings are highlighted (bold) and are consecutively
numbered throughout the chapter using Hindu-Arabic numerals.
The first line of each paragraph should be indented by 0.5
in. Third person pronouns should be used.
Ideas must be connected using linking devices and transitions.

Conclusions
These are based on the summary of findings. If there are four
findings, there will also be four conclusions. However, each conclusion
should be brief (one sentence only) and precise.

 Format
The left heading is Conclusions in title case and highlighted
(bold).
There must be a brief introduction/description of the conclusions
of the study.
Conclusions are consecutively numbered using Hindu-Arabic
numerals.
The first line of each conclusion should be indented by 0.5
in. Third person pronouns should be used.
 Recommendations
The recommendations address the findings of the study. These
include the following: review and utilization of the output; other significant
findings which are not addressed in the output; and further research on the
present study. Each recommendation should be brief and precise.

 Format
The left heading is Recommendations in title case and
highlighted (bold).
There must be a brief introduction/description of the
recommendations of the study.
Recommendations are consecutively numbered using Hindu-
Arabic numerals.
The first line of each recommendation should be indented by 0.5
in.
Third person pronouns should be used.

Turnitin/Similarity review should be undertaken before submission of

the final paper to the grammarian for final editing.
 REFERENCES

This is a listing of source materials used in the study that the

researcher has read or used and quoted statements.

 Format
The middle heading is REFERENCES in all capital letters and
highlighted (bold).
The label is placed in the middle heading of the page in all capital
letters and must be highlighted (bold).
References must be APA (6th edition) compliant.
On each cited source material, the second line and succeeding
lines are indented by 0.5 in.
The texts are double-spaced.
Source materials are presented in the following order:
A. BOOKS
B. THESES AND DISSERTATIONS
C. PERIODICALS
D. INTERNET SOURCES
E. OTHER SOURCES
 APPENDIX

Appendices provide supplementary information to the main thesis

and should always appear after the bibliography.
 Format
The major heading is APPENDICES. This is capitalized and
highlighted (bold) with font size of 16 pt. This must be centered in
one whole page.
Examples of material included in appendices are as follows:
 Interview questions (if there’s any)
 Agenda of focus group discussion (if there’s any)
 Scanned copy of letters to respondents, principals and other
research participants
 Supplemental tables / figures / graphs / image
 Photo documentation during the conduct of the interview or
focus group discussion (if there’s any)
 CURRICULUM VITAE

The curriculum vitae presents the profile of the researcher. This

should contain the following information: name, address, date of birth,
place of birth, mobile number, email address and educational background,
PRC and/or CSC eligibility, experience, honors/awards received,
scholarship grant, researches conducted, published books, researches,
articles and membership in professional and scientific organizations..

 Format
The middle heading is CURRICULUM VITAE in all capital letters
and highlighted (bold).
The major left headings are capitalized and highlighted (bold).
These are the following:
 Personal Data
 Educational Background
 PRC and/or CSC Eligibilities
 Work Experiences
 Honors/Awards Received
 Researches Conducted
 Publications
 Membership in Professional/Scientific Organizations