OVERVIEW OF THE CONTENTS OF A THESIS

FRONT MATERIAL

Title page
Approval sheets (1 recommending oral
defense; 1 acceptance of paper)
Acknowledgments
Abstract
Table of Contents (including List of
Tables and List of Figures)

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Review of Literature
Theoretical/Conceptual Framework
Statement of the Problem(s)
Hypotheses (if applicable)
Significance of the Study (for proposal, include in
INTRODUCTION)

CHAPTER II
METHOD

Design
Setting (if applicable)
Participants
Measures
Procedure
Data Analysis (for proposal, include in METHOD; for final paper,
integrate in RESULTS)
Limitations of the Study (for proposal, in METHOD; for final
paper, integrate in DISCUSSION)
 CHAPTER III
RESULTS

CHAPTER IV
DISCUSSION
(note that the subsections in this chapter may be organized and
integrated in flexible ways, depending on the nature of the topic, study
design, writing style, etc.)

Limitations
Implications

CHAPTER V (optional)
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDIXES

GENERAL FORMAT GUIDELINES .

The following general guidelines apply

throughout the manuscript:
SPACING
 Double-space throughout the paper,
including entries in tables
 Double-space between entries in the Reference section; single-space
within entries
 Spacing between subsections or subheadings within a chapter should
at least be double-spaced, but may be triple- or quadruple-spaced for
added clarity

FONT
 Use 12-size font throughout the paper, including entries in tables
 Use either Times New Roman or Courier (serif typefaces) for text and
Arial or Helvetica (sans serif typefaces) for figures

MARGINS
 Use a 1.25-inch margin for the left side; 1-inch for all other sides of
the page (note that corner brackets are no longer required by the
Office of Graduate Services)

JUSTIFICATION
Left justify throughout the paper

INDENTATION
Paragraph indentation should be 5-7 spaces or the normal tab default

PAGINATION
 ALL page numbers are placed at the upper right hand corner of each
page
 The first page of a new chapter is not numbered but is still counted
 Lower-case Roman numerals are used for the front material, but
beginning only with the Acknowledgments (or page iv). The title and
signature pages are counted but not numbered.

HEADINGS & SUBHEADINGS

 Chapter titles should be boldface, uppercase, and centered on top of
the page.
 Format of succeeding headings and subheadings (whether italicized,
upper- and lowercase, flushed left, etc.) should conform to APA rules
on levels of headings (see pp. 111-115 of the APA Manual, 5th ed.)

ABSTRACT

Content: This section should contain a brief, comprehensive summary

of the contents of the thesis: the
research problem, methods, and results
and conclusions.

Format: Text should not exceed 120

words and is written in past tense. The
first line is not indented; the text is left
justified. The heading ABSTRACT
should be bold, centered, and in uppercase.

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

Content: The introductory chapter begins

with the overview of the study. You should
describe the general problem area you are
studying in a manner that is sufficient for an
educated but non-psychologist reader to
understand. Here is where you discuss the
motivation for studying the problem: What
theoretical and/or practical situations brought
about this study? Of what application is the
problem or what is its significance? The goal is
to describe the problem in broad strokes,
justify its study, and capture the interest of the
reader.
Format: The overview of the study has no heading. This, as well as the
rest of the introduction, is written in the present tense. Sections within
this chapter follow one after the other, with no page breaks in between.

Review of Literature

Content: This section discusses the theoretical foundations of the

problem. The goal is to develop your problem conceptually and place it
in the context of previous scientific work. Thus, a conceptual integration
of previous research is needed. Point out the themes, links, gaps, and
inconsistencies in the literature with the aim to provide a clearer
conceptualization of the problem. Note that it is NOT the purpose of this
section to display how much literature you have read. Avoid presenting
a litany of past studies that are conceptually disconnected from each
other. This section provides justification for your problem and
hypothesis: Why study these particular variables? Why propose these
particular hypotheses? Why study the problem with this method? What
differentiates your approach from what has been previously done?

Format: Unlike the other sections in Chapter I, this section is written in

the past tense. Begin this section with a heading (bold, centered, upper-
and lowercase). To enhance organization, use subheadings (refer to
pages 111-115 of the APA Manual, 5th edition, on the rules on level of
headings).

Theoretical/Conceptual Framework

Content: This is the “creative” section of your work, where you define
your research’s theoretical/conceptual frame. It is different from the
literature review, in that here you discuss your own original integration
of the major theories and/or frameworks that you intend to apply, which
serves as the basis of the conceptual definitions of your variables and the
laws of interactions or presumed relationships among them. The build-
up of arguments from the literature review, to the theoretical/ conceptual
framework, to the research problem and hypothesis should be clear and
logical.

Format: This section may or may not have a visual diagram illustrating
the relationships among the variables. Begin this section with a heading
(bold, centered, upper- and lowercase).

Statement of the Problem

Content: This section presents the specific research question(s). The

statement of the problem should have several characteristics: Firstly, it
should be phrased in the form of a question; secondly, the question
should suggest a relationship between variables to be examined (unless
the study is exploratory or descriptive). Thirdly, the research question
should imply the possibility of empirical testing.

Format: This section is written in the present tense. Begin this section
with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and lowercase).

Hypothesis (if applicable)

Content: This section is necessary only if you have a particular

theory/framework/premise that you are testing. In the case of
exploratory research, for example, a hypothesis is not necessary.

Format: The hypothesis statement should contain the predicted

relationship among the variables. Begin this section with a heading
(bold, centered, upper- and lowercase).

Significance of the Study

(for proposal, include in INTRODUCTION;
for final paper, integrate in DISCUSSION)
Content: This section contains the theoretical and practical reasons
why the research is being conducted. It is where you justify why the
study should be conducted at all.

Format: Begin this section with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and
lowercase).

CHAPTER II
METHOD

Content: Like the first chapter, the method chapter begins with an
overview of the design used for the study. The research design is the
plan or structure for conducting a study, whether it is experimental,
quasi-experimental, correlational, case-study, exploratory, etc. It
summarizes the set of
procedures that you
will use to obtain the
data to answer your
research problems
(e.g., how participants
were assigned to
groups).

Format: The overview has no heading. The entire chapter is written in

past tense, unless in a proposal, where it is written in the future tense.
Sections in this chapter follow one after the other, with no page breaks
in between.

Participants

Content: This section should include the number and relevant

characteristics of the respondents, as well as the sampling plan or design.
Format: Tables and/or figures may be used to simplify the presentation
of the demographic characteristics of the participants. Begin this section
with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and lowercase).

Setting (if applicable)

Content: This section is included only if the setting is of particular

significance or importance; for example, if a specific community or
organization is being studied. Describe the relevant characteristics of the
setting, especially if this has bearing on the research problem, method,
and results.

Format: Begin this section with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and
lowercase).

Measures

Content: In this section, discuss the conceptual and operational

definition (a description of how variables will be measured or observed)
of each variable. In an experiment, the measurement of the dependent
variables is described here. If using an instrument, include the source,
number of items and type of scale, scoring, reliability, and validity of the
instrument. If constructing your own instrument, include the details of
the steps/procedures you took to develop the scale.

Format: Begin this section with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and
lowercase).

Procedure

Pretest (or Pilot Phase)

Content: If applicable, this section contains everything about the

pretesting process, including the sample used, a description of the
materials that were pretested, and the actual conduct of the pretest
procedures. Report the relevant results of your pretest and the resulting
adjustments or modifications you made, especially in terms of how these
affect or determine the final sample, instruments, and procedures that
you employed in your study.

Actual Procedure

Content: This section contains the process used when conducting the
actual study and includes the step-by-step “recipe” beginning with how
the subjects were contacted all the way to how the data were collected.
In an experiment, this is where you describe how the independent
variables were manipulated and how the extraneous variables controlled.
This section should also contain the ethical procedures applied in this
study, for example, informed consent, debriefing procedures, etc.

Format: Begin this section with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and
lowercase). Subsections within this section have headings that are
italicized and flushed left. Depending on the complexity of the design
and/or procedures, additional subsections may be used (e.g., Apparatus
and Materials; Manipulation of the IV; etc.)

Data Analysis
(for proposal, include in METHOD;
for final paper, integrate in RESULTS)

Content: This section describes the procedures on how the data are to
be (or were) analyzed, be it quantitative or qualitative data.

Format: In the proposal, begin this section with a heading (bold,

centered, upper- and lowercase). In the final paper, this is integrated in
the Results chapter and has no separate subsection.

Limitations of the Study

(for proposal, in METHOD;
 for final paper, integrate in DISCUSSION)

Content: This section contains the theoretical and practical boundaries

of the study. It includes the parameters of the topic, subjects and method
used. In other words, it will tell the reader that it will be studying “this”
but not “that”, and in “this way” but not “that way”. It also includes the
limitations as to the kind of results the study will generate.

Format: This section is written in the present tense. Begin this section
with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and lowercase).

CHAPTER III
RESULTS

Content: Following the background and theoretical/conceptual

framework provided in Chapter I, and the operationalizations and
procedures from Chapter II, you are now in a position to present the
results of your study in Chapter III. Here is where you present results
that are relevant to the problems and hypotheses of your study, and the
statistical treatments you used to analyze the data. Avoid tangential
analyses, even if significant (if necessary, place in a separate subsection
on supplemental analyses). Always support your conclusions or claims
with the relevant quantitative (statistics) or qualitative data. As a general
rule for quantitative data, descriptive (e.g., M, SD) and inferential
statistics (e.g., t, F, r) are reported, including other relevant information
for evaluating effects (e.g., p, df). Reserve discussion of implications and
explanations of the results in the Discussion section. See page 10 for
other guidelines in writing this chapter.

Format: Results may be

organized according to
research question and
hypothesis, or according
to variable. Make
judicious use of subsections and subheadings. Use tables and figures to
clearly present results and statistical data. APA guidelines must be
strictly followed. For formatting guidelines of tables and figures, refer to
pages 147-201 of the APA manual, 5th edition. APA conventions in
reporting statistics must also be followed (refer to pages 137-146 of the
APA manual, 5th edition). This section is generally written in the past
tense except when referring to a table or figure within the text (for
example, “Table 1 shows that…”).

CHAPTER IV
DISCUSSION

Content: This chapter is where

results are interpreted, evaluated,
and placed in context. Interpret
your findings: What do they
mean? Discuss why the proposed
hypotheses (if any) were or were
not supported. Place your findings
in context by discussing how the
results relate to previous
findings/research. What do they contribute to the research area?

Discuss the limitations of your study, and note internal and external
validity issues in relation to the topic, design, participants, tools, and
other problems encountered in the conduct of the research. This section
may be integrated in the general discussion or placed in a separate
section (depending on the nature of your study). In the latter case, begin
the section with a heading (i.e., Limitations), bold, centered, and in
upper- and lowercase.

Format: The entire discussion is written in the present tense. To

enhance organization, use subheadings (refer to pages 111-115 of the
APA Manual, 5th edition, on the level of headings).
 Implications

Content: What are the implications of your findings for theory,

research, and application
or practice? This section
discusses the key ideas
that the reader can draw
from the study that may
be applied to similar
areas of concern.
Comment on future
directions in this area,
including implications on
how the work can be extended or improved for both research and
practice.

Format: Begin this section with a heading (bold, centered, upper- and
lowercase).

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS (optional)

Content: This chapter summarizes your most important findings and

the implications and conclusions that can be derived from them in a
concise manner. Note that it is not meant to be a repetition of your
Discussion chapter. It contains the “take-home” message, so to speak,
such that a reader would have an essential grasp of what you did and
what you found. Such a chapter is particularly important for lengthy and
complex manuscripts.

Format: The chapter is written in past tense. Use subsections and

subheadings as necessary for clarity and organization.
 REFERENCES

Content: This section lists all references cited in the text. If an abstract
rather than an actual journal/book is utilized, this should be cited as
such. Electronic references (e.g., Internet sources) must also be formally
cited. For citation and formatting guidelines, refer to pages 215-281 of
the APA Manual, 5th edition. APA guidelines must be strictly followed.

Format: The heading REFERENCES should be bold, all CAPS, and

centered on top of the first page of this section. References follow a
hanging indent format. Single-space within entries, but double-space
between entries.

APPENDIX

Content: The appendixes section should include the instruments, and

other special materials, tools, and instructions that were used in the
study. It may also contain information that may be too detailed for the
text but which some may want to refer to (e.g., complex scoring
procedures; a different type of analysis). No raw data are included here.

Format: Each appendix should be placed in its own separate page, and
affixed with its own heading (APPENDIX A; APPENDIX B, so on).
Headings should be in boldface, uppercase, and centered on top of each
page.
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE CHECKLIST

LOCATE RELEVANT LITERATURE

 Identify key authors and journals
 Use bibliographic reference
sources
 Use computerized literature
searches
 Obtain reprints and preprints
 Look at literature from other
disciplines
 Scan tables of contents of key
journals
 Use reference lists from articles,
chapters, and books
 Use primary sources
 Avoid the popular press
CRITICALLY READ THE LITERATURE
 Identify conceptual and methodological themes
 Identify strengths and weaknesses of individual articles
 Identify strengths and weaknesses of field as a whole
 Collect photocopies or notes
PREPARE TO WRITE
 Make an outline of the sections and subsections of your review to
ensure substantive and logical build-up of arguments and ideas
 Include page allocations
 Limit the scope of your review; weed out conceptually
irrelevant studies
  Organize the papers and notes of the literature you will cover
WRITE THE REVIEW
 Write the introduction, sections and subsections
 Use transitions and integrative phrasing
 Synthesize and critically analyze the literature
SET THE STAGE FOR YOUR FRAMEWORK, PROBLEMS, AND
HYPOTHESES
BE CAREFUL NOT TO PLAGIARIZE!

Adapted from Cone, J.D. & Foster, S.L. (1999). Dissertations and
theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields. Washington,
DC: American Psychological Association.

RESULTS CHECKLIST

PRESENT DATA RELEVANT TO PROBLEMS AND

HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY
PRESENT RESULTS IN AN ORDERLY, LOGICAL WAY
 Order and sequence the results
 According to problem/hypothesis
 Or according to variable
 Support results, conclusions with the relevant statistical data
 Name of statistic
 Relevant details about the statistic
  Statistical values for significant effects
 Means
 Standard deviations
 Sample size
 WORD RESULTS IN CLEAR AND STRAIGHTFORWARD
MANNER
 FOLLOW CONVENTIONS IN
PSYCHOLOGY REGARDING
PRESENTATION OF
STATISTICS
 CREATE WELL-CRAFTED,
CLEAR TABLES
 PREPARE WELL-CRAFTED,
CLEAR FIGURES

Adapted from Cone, J.D. & Foster, S.L. (1999). Dissertations and
theses from start to finish: Psychology and related fields. Washington,
DC: American Psychological Association.

DISCUSSION CHECKLIST.

SUMMARIZE YOUR FINDINGS

 Avoid technical detail
 Use clear language
INTERPRET YOUR FINDINGS
PLACE YOUR FINDINGS IN CONTEXT
 Consider how your findings converge with, clarify, or contradict
past findings
CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF YOUR FINDINGS
 Theoretical implications
 Research implications
 Practical implications
INCLUDE A HUMILITY SUBSECTION
 Consider internal validity issues
 Consider external validity issues
 Consider measurement issues
 Consider statistical issues
INCLUDE COMMENTS ABOUT FUTURE DIRECTIONS
USE THESE TIPS:
 Be a critical thinker
 Avoid common problems
 Select an appropriate organization

Source: Cone, J.D. & Foster,

S.L. (1999). Dissertations
and theses from start to finish:
Psychology and related fields.
Washington, DC: American
Psychological Association.

These guidelines were

prepared and approved
 by the Faculty of the
Department of Psychology
SY