Department of Real Estate

National University of Singapore

GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF UNDERGRADUATE FYP DISSERTATION

1. OVERVIEW

The FYP Dissertation is intended to evaluate the student's ability to carry out independent
research and to demonstrate his/her analytical and communication skills by investigating in depth
a topic of interest and of relevance to the course.

Although it is not intended to be an original contribution to knowledge in the strictest sense, the
end product is expected to extend beyond a mere literature review. The student is expected to
pursue investigations relevant to the chosen topic and to communicate the findings clearly,
concisely and with detachment. Reproduction of material from other sources, particularly
unacknowledged, will not be accepted.

In the above context, "independent" is taken to mean that the supervisor should act only as a
mentor (advisor) to the student in relation to all aspects of the project. The student is expected to
select he/her own topics to study, formulate a hypothesis and present the results.

At undergraduate level much of the material in the FYP Dissertation is likely to be readily available
in other sources, both published and unpublished. There must be a comprehensive literature
review of relevant authoritative texts, and international and local works.

The exercise is essentially one of defining the problem to be resolved, proposing a hypothesis
relative to the problem and collating relevant data in an attempt to extend knowledge of the
subject.

2. RESEARCH

The student should consider the requirements stated below in making their submission.

2.1 Introduction and Definition of Research Problem

The initial parts of the FYP Dissertation should include:

(a) A statement of the problem and objectives of the FYP Dissertation;

(b) Review of literature and previous work;
(c) Definition of research hypothesis where appropriate.

2.2 Methodology

The methodology adopted in the research should be appropriate to the subject of the
research. It should be clearly stated. This should include:

(a) Research design - the overall logic, general strategy and basic plan of approach;
(b) Research methods - the process of obtaining information.

An empirical study is required to verify the hypothesis(es). It should not be merely

descriptive. It should include:

(a) A critical analysis of the data;

(b) A scholarly interpretation and discussion of the results of the data analysis to show
their theoretical and practical implications;
(c) A clear statement of how the findings fit into, or departs from, the extant literature.
 Unproductive attempts, which the student might have made to collect data, should be
indicated to make it clear that efforts have been made to collect data of that nature from
particular sources.

2.3 Processing and Presentation of Material

The research problem should be discussed and elaborated upon. The data gathered should
be analyzed, processed, and interpreted to underpin the discussion. There should be clear
evidence of original research, and of reference to relevant published works. Appropriate
inferences should also be made. The student should show that the topic has been
exhaustively covered and that some contribution to the knowledge of the subject has been
made.

2.4 Discussion of Results and Conclusions

The discussion and analysis of the material should ideally involve testing of the
hypothesis(es) that might have been formulated at the outset. The student should
demonstrate analytical skills, making relevant quantitative or qualitative assessments, and
developing and presenting the results and findings.

Conclusions and recommendations arising from the work form an important part of the
research. Recommendations for further study or investigations should be made. These
should be discussions of areas not covered or not adequately covered in the research.

2.5 Physical Presentation

The student should pay particular attention to the presentation of the whole FYP
Dissertation (including abstract, bibliography, and appendices).

The importance of a clear and lucid writing style, good grammar, neatness and
completeness of presentation cannot be over-emphasized. Tables, diagrams and
illustrations should be used to good effect to present or clarify ideas.

3. PRESENTATION

The required format for the presentation of the FYP Dissertation is outlined below.

3.1 Language

The FYP Dissertation should be written in clear and precise English in a formal style
(avoiding the use of slang) and free of grammatical, syntactical and spelling errors. The
FYP Dissertation should be written in the third person throughout.

3.2 Words, Phrases and Statistics

All words used in the FYP Dissertation are to be in ARIAL font size 11.

Repetitive use of words and phrases should, as far as possible, be avoided. Such repetition
tends to debase the quality of the FYP Dissertation and indicates a weakness in the
student's vocabulary and writing style. Additionally, the use of "mundane" statistics, which
serve no useful purpose, should be avoided.

Commonly accepted abbreviations can be used where necessary but only after they have
been properly introduced e.g. Housing and Development Board (HDB). If a number of these
are used in the FYP Dissertation, a list of Abbreviations should be included in the pages
preliminary to the introductory chapter.

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3.3 Grammar

The student is advised to note that severe penalties will be imposed if the presentation is
not of a high standard.

3.4 Metric Units

All measurements are to be in a metric format.

3.5 Typing

All typing must be double spacing between lines, unless otherwise stated (e.g. in
quotations). The left-hand (binding) margin should be 40 mm and the right-hand margin 20
mm.

3.6 Length

The maximum length of the FYP Dissertation is 10,000 words, which does not include
Tables, Charts, Graphs, Diagrams, Figures, Maps, Schedules, Illustrations, Cases,
Appendices, Bibliography and Acknowledgements. The actual number of words must be
clearly stated on the 'contents' page. The student is advised to ensure that their FYP
Dissertation do not exceed the 10,000-word limit, as there will be severe penalties against
works infringing this rule.

3.7 Structure of the FYP Dissertation

3.7.1 Overview

The chapters should follow a logical development process starting from the problem
defined and ending with a concluding chapter that summarizes the findings of the
work and its significance in the broader context, and makes recommendations for
adoption of these findings and for further work. The whole FYP Dissertation should
be fully integrated.

3.7.2 Preliminaries

The Title Page Vide specimen layout (Attachment A)

Abstract This should be limited to 250 words typed on one page

(see 3.7.5)

Acknowledgement

Table of Contents Vide specimen (Attachment B)

List of Tables )
List of Charts )
List of Graphs )
List of Diagrams )
List of Figures ) To be included
List of Maps ) only where applicable
List of Schedules )
List of Illustrations )
List of Court Cases )
List of Appendices )

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3.7.3 Title

Titles should be kept brief whilst still preserving their meaning and ensuring that they
adequately describe the work. The title of a research project does not need such
expressions as "A Study of", "A Comparative Study of", "An Analysis of" etc as these
are already implied.

3.7.4 Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements of a religious or personal nature, and words of gratitude to, or

appreciation of the assistance of, the supervisor and other staff members should not
be included in the initial version of the FYP Dissertation submitted for marking. They
may be included, if the student so wishes, in the final version (prior to uploading).

3.7.5 Abstract

An abstract should be included at the beginning of the FYP Dissertation. The abstract
should outline the nature and objective of the FYP Dissertation and summarize the
main findings and conclusions. It should generally epitomize the FYP Dissertation.

3.7.6 Structure of Chapters and Appendices

3.7.6.1 Chapter and Appendix Headings

Each chapter and appendix should be given a number (e.g. Chapter One,
Chapter Two; Appendix One, Appendix Two) and a short title.

Chapter and Appendix headings are to be typed in capitals. Sub-headings

should not be capitalized.

3.7.6.2 Dewey System of Classification

Within each chapter there may be a number of distinct elements. These

should be numbered (say, for Chapter Four: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 etc.). Should further
sub-numbering be required then decimal sub notation should be used (e.g.
4.2.1, 4.2.2. etc.). By way of illustration, these notes are set out using the
Dewey System.

3.7.6.3 Titles in Text

The following should be enclosed in single quotation marks (not underlined):

titles of articles and essays, of chapters and sections of books, and of
unpublished works such as theses. The following should be underlined (or
typed in italics): titles of published books, plays, pamphlets, periodicals,
classical works (except books of the Bible), if separately published.

3.7.6.4 Court Cases

The parties to a decision are underlined but the connecting v. (and) between
the parties is not underlined.

The year of the court case is next entered after the parties concerned.
Particular emphasis must be given to the brackets that enclose the date.
Square brackets [ ] and round brackets ( ) used according to the status of
the law report or journal. The approach adopted by the law report or journal
must be followed.

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 The source document is then referred to in the reference. Usually the volume
precedes the report reference and finally the commencement page of the
report. Finally, if a portion of the decision is quoted the page reference is
shown in the footnote as shown in the last example below.

A reference could appear as:

Port of Spain Corporation v. Gordon Grant & Co Ltd. [1955] A.C. 389.

In Re an Arbitration Auckland Farmers Freezing Co-operative Ltd.

(A.F.F.C.O.) and The Dilworth Trust Board (1977) 23 The N.Z. Valuer 480
at 481.

The Law Reports or Journals may be abbreviated as in the first instance

above, but a comprehensive list of abbreviations must appear with the table
of contents.

3.7.6.5 Quotations

Quotations should be separated from the body of the text, and should be
indented by five spaces from the left margin and typed single-spaced.
Quotes of only a few words can be included within the text with the
appropriate quotation marks. If materials are omitted within a quotation three
spaced periods should be inserted between words. To show an omission at
the conclusion of a sentence three spaced periods should be used in
addition to a sentence period (i.e. a total of four periods).

All quotations should correspond exactly to the originals including errors in

the spelling, punctuation etc. These errors should be indicated by the
notation (sic) or other explanations within square brackets.

Where not indented, all quoted material should be indicated by a single

quotation mark except for quotations within quotations where double
quotation marks are needed.

3.7.6.6 Footnotes

Footnotes and endnotes are NOT recommended.

3.7.6.7 Pagination

The preliminary pages should be numbered in lower case. Roman numerals

centred at the bottom of the page, the first page counted being the title page,
although this should be left unnumbered.

The body of the FYP Dissertation, starting from the first page of the first
chapter should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, centred at
the top of the page throughout the whole FYP Dissertation.

3.7.6.8 Tables, Charts, Diagrams (etc)

Tables, charts and diagrams should be numbered in each chapter (Arabic

numerals in serial order e.g. 4.1, 4.2, etc) with a heading at the top. Only the
first letter of the first word and of all significant words is to be capitalized.

Tables, charts and diagrams should be placed where pertinent to the

discussion involved, i.e. as immediately as possible after they are introduced

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 or referred to in the text. They should not only help to improve the
presentation but more importantly, they should be relevant and assist in
illustrating issues raised in the narrative.

3.7.6.9 Bibliography

The bibliography should consist of a list of principal references, including

journal papers and source books consulted in the course of writing the FYP
Dissertation. It should not be limited to works actually quoted within the text
but may include general background reading for the purposes of the FYP
Dissertation.

Works cited in the bibliography must be arranged in alphabetical order by

the first author’s surname (See Attachment C).

3.7.6.10 Appendices

An appendix may be considered an extended footnote i.e. a section that

expounds on an area of the text, but cannot be conveniently included in it
without burdening the reader and distracting him/her from the main
sequence. Appendices should NOT contain information other than short
explanatory notes and essential graphs, tables and computer printouts, the
latter being particularly restricted to information in summary form.
Appendices, if included, should not include Acts of Parliament and other
published materials. Nor should they include a copious amount of
information such as newspaper and magazine cuttings; suitable references
to these should be sufficient. No more than 20% of the number of words in
the main text should appear in appendices (if any).

The use of coloured paper in appendices is not permitted.

The letters of introduction given to the student or one written by the student
to request data should not be included in the appendices.

3.7.6.11 References

References in the text should be quoted in the following manner:

Hague (1969) – single author

Strunk and White (1979) – two authors
Jones et al. (1999) – more than 2 authors

All references should be collected in the Bibliography (see section 3.7.6.9).

If references to the same author have the same year, they should be
differentiated by using 1969a and 1969b etc.

4. SUBMISSION

The FYP Dissertation report has to be submitted based on the requirements as outlined below.

4.1 Submission Deadline

The FYP Dissertation should be submitted to Ms Vidya at the Department of Real Estate general
office on the date and time as specified in the FYP Dissertation briefing slides. Penalties for late
submission are also stated in the FYP Dissertation briefing slides.

4.2 Submission Documents

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 4.2.1 FYP Dissertation Report

An unbound hardcopy printed FYP Dissertation report, including contents page, all
chapters, bibliography and appendices, should be submitted in an A4 size brown
envelope. As this will be the version of the FYP Dissertation that will be assessed for
the purpose of the final examination, students should pay particular attention to the
standard of presentation. The acknowledgement page should NOT be included.

4.2.2 Turn-It-In Similarity Index Report

A hardcopy printed Turn-It-In Similarity Index report should be generated and

submitted together with the FYP Dissertation report. The Turn-It-In Similarity Index
report should only encompass the abstract and all chapters of the FYP Dissertation
report. The contents page, bibliography and appendices should NOT be included.

4.2.1 Supervisor’s Certification Form

A hardcopy printed Supervisor’s Certification Form should be submitted together with

the FYP Dissertation report. Your supervisor’s approval and signature should be
sought and indicated on the Supervisor’s Certification Form.

Important Note: ALL the above documents are required for the FYP Dissertation
submission to be complete and accepted.

4.3 Corrections

After the FYP Dissertation has been marked internally, students may be required to make
necessary corrections and other changes recommended by the Examiners. Please collect
your FYP Dissertation from your supervisor.

The procedure for dealing with such corrections subsequent to the final submission should
be followed. The corrected version should have the approval of the supervisor, who is
responsible for confirming that all corrections required by all examiners have been carried
out.

4.4 Final Submission

After corrections, students are to submit to the general office by the stipulated date the
Supervisor Certification Form (SCF) duly endorsed by their supervisor. Your supervisor’s
final approval for submission must be obtained. You should then proceed to upload your
FYP Dissertation to the SDE Dissertation Space (Dspace) at the link indicated below:
https://lib.sde.nus.edu.sg/dspace/index.jsp.

5. NOTE

These instructions are not altogether comprehensive or exhaustive. Students are advised to refer
to works on dissertation writing (not merely to previous FYP Dissertations in the School) in order
to supplement the above or to clarify points of detail.

Supervisors are also available to assist in cases of doubt or difficulty. However, in cases of conflict
or contradiction, the formats set out in sections 1 to 4 above will take precedence and should be
followed.

Finally, keep this document handy, as it will prove useful throughout the preparation of the FYP
Dissertation.

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 Attachment A

(TITLE OF PROJECT)

(Matric No.)

FYP Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment

of the requirements for the Degree of
B.Sc. (Real Estate)

DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
B.Sc. (Real Estate)

2021/2022

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 Attachment B

CONTENTS

Page

Abstract

Acknowledgement

Table of Contents

List of Tables/Charts/etc

Chapter

...... Introduction

....... Review of Previous Work

....... Research Design

....... Methods of data collection

....... Results and discussion

....... Conclusion

Bibliography

Appendices

(No of Words to the nearest 100)

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 Attachment C

Examples of Bibliography

1. A book by a single author:

Hague, D. (1969). Managerial economics. London: Longman.
Note: Title may be underlined or in italics.

2. A book or technical report by more than one author:

Strunk, W., and White, E. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.). New York: Macmillan.
Note: For handbooks, (Vols. 1-2) replaced (3rd ed.); for translated book, (D. Smith, Trans.)
replaces (3rd ed.); for technical report, (Report No. 12-1234) replaces (3rd ed.).

3. Edited book:
Hall, P. (Ed.). (1966). Von Thunen’s Isolated State. Oxford: Pergamon.

4. Article or chapter in an edited book:

Stone, P. (1965). The prices of building sites in Britain. In P. Hall (Ed.), Land values (pp. 12-27).
London: Heineman.

5. Journal article:
Pite, D., and Tesa, C. (1981). The crisis of our time. Journal of Environmental Housing, 23(3),
123-141.
Note: Replace (1981) with (in press) for article in press.

6. Newspaper article, no author:

CIDB perceives strong growth for construction sector. (1993, December 17). The Straits Times,
p.47.
Note: Use pp.1, 25. for discontinuous article.

7. Newspaper article, with author:

Tan, T.S. (1993, December 12). URA to auction 12 sites in Jurong. The Straits Times, p.36.

8. Conference paper:

Unpublished:
Brent, B. (1983, May). Valuation of hotels. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society of
Valuers, Melbourne, Victoria.

Published:
Brent, B. (1988). Valuation of hotels. In E. Dave (Ed.), Proceedings of the Third International
Symposium on Valuation (pp.3-9). Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Zeti Press.

9. Unpublished manuscript:
Jameson, K. (1993). Testing concrete strength. Unpublished manuscript.

10. Dissertation or thesis:

Lim, K. (1978). The valuation of hotels. Unpublished undergraduate dissertation, School of
Building and Estate Management, National University of Singapore.
Note: Replace ‘undergraduate’ with ‘master’s” or ‘doctoral’ and ‘dissertation’ with ‘thesis’ where
appropriate. Give the name of the country if it is not reflected in the name of the institution.

11. Websites:
Org name. (Date). Title in italics. City: Publisher. Retrieved date, from www://etc.
ABC Construction. (2000). Building for tomorrow. Singapore: Redas. Retrieved 20 Nov 2000
from www://http://ABC.org.com/building/DEF.html.

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