THESIS WRITE-UP

After data collection and analysis are completed, students are required to compile their thesis
following the standard format given in this guideline.
A thesis shall contain the following major components:
Preliminaries,
Main text/body,
End matters
3.1. Preliminaries
As the preliminaries form a significant part of the whole thesis report, due attention should be given
to preparing them. A general standard pattern suggested here in each case will be helpful for a
researcher.
Preliminaries of a thesis include:
Cover page
Title page
Declaration
Approval pages (Advisor‟s approval page, Board of Examiners page)
Acknowledgments
Acronyms
Table of contents
List of tables (if any)
List of figures/illustrations (if any)
Abstract
Cover page
Cover page
Typed in all capital letters, should include
Logo of the university (3 cm diameter) in the middle top of the page
The thesis title typed in the middle of the page
Name of the degree, eg. B.Sc.… /semester project in the middle of the page
The full name of the author typed in the middle of the page
 Name and location of the University on the bottom right corner
Month and year of thesis submission typed 5 cm above the bottom margin below the
name of the university
Title Page
This is the second page of a project. It includes:
Title of the project
Name of the candidate
Purpose or relationship of the thesis to the requirement
College/institute/school and/or department to which the candidate submits the thesis
Name of the university to which it is submitted
Month and year of submission
Declaration
The project shall contain a statement(s) of the student declaring that the thesis presented is the result
of the student‟s own original work, all related works in the study are duly acknowledged, and that
it has not been submitted in candidature for a degree/diploma of this or any other university.
Approval pages
forms of approval pages are to be provided: advisor‟s.
Advisor‟s approval page should state that the project presented is done under his/her
supervision and is recommended for evaluation.
Acknowledgment
This includes the provision of credit to persons and organizations that have made helpful
contributions or support to the investigator for the successful completion of the study. The support
could be financial, professional, moral, or in another form. Since this is an academic and secular
document, you should not be religious in your acknowledgment
Table of Contents

The table of contents provides an outline of the contents of the thesis report. Contents should neither
be too detailed nor should too sketchy.
The section:
Starts listing the preliminaries like acknowledgment, list of tables, list of figures, abstract,
and their respective pages in small Roman numbers
Continues with main chapter headings and the essential sub-headings in each section with
appropriate page numbers in Arabic numerals against each.
Finalizes with the end matters such as appendices, and indexes.
An example has been bellowed.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Acronyms (if any)
Table of contents
List of tables (if any)
List of figures/illustrations (if any)
Abstract
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
1.2. Statement of the problem
1.3. Objectives
1.4. Research questions and/or hypotheses
1.5. Significance of the study/Benefits and Beneficiaries
1.6. Delimitation/Scope
1.7. Operational Definitions
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
REFERENCES
APPENDICES

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List of Tables
The table of contents is followed by the list of tables on a separate page.
• This list should consist of the titles or captions of the tables included in the thesis along with
the page numbers
• They should appear in the list of tables in the order they exist in the text.
• The capitalized title „LIST OF TABLES‟ should be the central heading of the page
• The capital words „TABLE‟ and „PAGE‟ should lead the lists and page numbers at the left
and right margins, respectively.
Please note that you will have this section only when you have more than five tables in the text.
List of Figures and Illustrations
If any charts, graphs, or any other illustrations are used in the thesis, a list of figures on a separate
page is prepared in the same form as the list of tables.
Main text/body
The text body of the thesis should contain the following chapters.
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
These chapters should be further structured to include relevant sub-titles as deemed necessary.
Details of Main Body of the Report
The body of the thesis is the most important section in the organization of the research report. It
serves the function of communicating the research findings to the reader in a clear and
comprehensible manner. Therefore, you have to write this section with great care. As indicated,
generally the main body of the research report consists of a minimum of five chapters.
Chapter 1: Introduction
As stated in the proposal section of this guideline, the introduction should set the background to the
study, give a clear and concise statement of the problem including objectives and research questions
of the study or the hypothesis involved, significance of the study, definitions of the important terms,
and scope/delimitation of the study. The details of the subsections of this section are more or less
similar to that of the proposal section. Hence, you are advised to adopt them.
Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature
This chapter is essential in any research work as it critically reviews related studies, gives an
account of up-to-date knowledge in the area of study, and identifies areas that need further research.
It also provides the theoretical and conceptual framework upon which your research is built. It is
important to note that your review should not be simply a description/summary of what others have
said, rather it should take the form of a critical discussion, showing insight and an awareness of
differing arguments, theories, and approaches. It should be a synthesis and analysis of the relevant
published work, linked at all times to your purpose and rationale.
Chapter 3: Methodology of Research
As stated in the proposal, in this chapter, the researcher needs to provide a detailed step-by-step
description of the methodology followed in the study. Remember that in this chapter you write the
methodology indicated in the proposal. However, practical experiences show that some minor
changes may be made due to practical reasons. In this case, the changes have to be approved by the
advisor.
Chapter 4: Results and Discussions
In this chapter, present your findings in line with the specific objectives/research questions of the
study. Accordingly, this section should be structured into sub-sections based on the research
objectives/questions. Presentations can be made using tables, graphs, charts, texts, etc. Thus, choose
appropriate presentation forms that help you convey the results. Then, make adequate interpretation
(textual description) of the results presented in any form of your choice.
Following the interpretations of the results of each sub-section, adequate discussions have to be
made. In the discussions, you use conceptual and theoretical knowledge of the area to give
explanations and implications of the results of the study. Moreover, you have to connect your
findings with other related studies and justify deviations if any. Here, you may also discuss the
limitations of the study related to generalizability and other methodological issues.
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations
This is the final chapter of the report. It requires the creative and reflective ability of the researcher.
The chapter consists of conclusions and recommendations. In the conclusion section of the chapter,
you should
• summarize the main findings (results) of the study concerning the research
objectives/questions
• show your views drawn from the results and discussions of the study
• report the original contributions of your study to the existing practice or knowledge
Next to the conclusions, the chapter should provide recommendations based on the conclusions
made. In the recommendations section, you should
• suggest measures be taken by different stakeholders to improve practices, policies,
knowledge, etc.
• recommend areas where further studies should focus

END matters
After the main text, the end matters come. These include:
• Reference
• Appendices
• Index or glossary (if any).
A detailed explanation of each specific section is given as follows.
References
References refer to the list of materials that are cited in the text. Different standard citation styles
could be used in the text and the reference lists. However,
• In making in-text citations and reference listing, you should follow the same citing style
(e.g. APA, MLA, HARVARD, and CHICAGO, etc., ) consistently throughout the thesis.
• Make sure that all materials cited in the text are also included in the reference list and vis-
versa.
Technical Layouts of A Thesis/semester project

To maintain uniformity among all students‟ reports, the thesis has to comply with standard format.
Use the specifications provided below.

i. Paper specification

items guideline

Color Black and white

Size 21 cm x 29.7cm (A4)
Paperweight >80gm
Typing with Computer
Left margin 1.25 inch
Right margin 1 inch
Top margin 1 inch
Bottom margin 1 inch
Spacing (between lines) 1.5
Spacing (paragraph) 6pt before and after
Font size (text) 12
Font type Times New Roman
Font style Regular
Table Caption Above the table, Centered
Figure Caption Below the Figure, Centered
 Breaking a word on 2 lines Not allowed
Correction with fluid Not allowed
Overwriting Not allowed
Printing quality Laser or better quality
Copying High-quality photocopy
Binding before examination Spiral
Binding (final) Hardcover

Illustrations (Figures, Tables, and photographs)

Illustrations should be of good quality (clear, explanatory, well-labeled, etc)
Place illustrations within the text at appropriate places
Outer cover
Typed in all capital letters, should include
University Logo, top centered, 3 diameters width
Approved thesis title typed in the middle of the page
Name of the degree,eg. B.SC./… Thesis/semester project
The full name of the author typed in the middle of the page
Name and location of the University
Month and year of thesis submission typed 5 cm above the bottom margin
Title page
It is the first page under the top cover typed in all capital letters and center justified on each line
with the following information.
Approved thesis title 5 cm below the top of the page
The full name of the author typed 8 lines below the title
The following contents typed 8 lines below the title:

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE

DEPARTMENT OF ……….,

INSTITUTE /COLLEGE OF………., Madda walebu UNIVERSITY

Three lines below type:

 IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE

DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF …… IN …….

The month and year of the final copy of the thesis submission should be given at the bottom line