BAHIR DAR UNIVERSITY

BAHIR DAR INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

Thesis Proposal Writing Guide

Table of Content

1 Style and Formatting...............................................................................................................1

1.1 Fonts...............................................................................................................................1

1.2 Margins and Line Spacing................................................................................................1

1.3 Pagination.......................................................................................................................1

2 Order and Components..........................................................................................................3

3 Descriptions............................................................................................................................4

3.1 Cover Page......................................................................................................................4

3.2 Approval Page.................................................................................................................4

3.3 Acknowledgements (optional)........................................................................................4

3.4 Abbreviations..................................................................................................................5

3.5 Table of Contents............................................................................................................5

3.6 Summary.........................................................................................................................5

3.7 Introduction....................................................................................................................5

3.8 Literature Review............................................................................................................6

3.9 Problem Statement.........................................................................................................6

3.10 Objective of the study.....................................................................................................6

3.11 Methodology...................................................................................................................7

3.12 Scope of the study..........................................................................................................7

3.13 Significance of the study.................................................................................................8

3.14 Work plan........................................................................................................................8

3.15 Budget Plan.....................................................................................................................8

References..................................................................................................................................9

Appendix...................................................................................................................................14

4 Thesis Proposal Presentation Examination...........................................................................15

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1 Style and Formatting

Scientific writing requires consistency in style and format in research proposals. Certain

rules are presented below.

1.1 Fonts

All of the narrative in the research proposal should be written in 12 point Times New

Roman font size. The cover page of the thesis proposal is presented in 14-point font size.

The text in the cover page will be in bold face font. The first level headings in the

research proposal will be in 14-point font size. The first and second level headings are

written in bold title case letters, i.e. the first letter of each major word of the headings is

written in upper case letters. All remaining lower level headings are written in sentence

case.

1.2 Margins and Line Spacing

A margin of 1.5″ (3.81cm) on the left is for binding. A margin of 1” (2.54 cm) each on

the right, top and bottom of the page is required. The same margins should be applied to

all pages including those of the figures and tables. The line spacing for all of the narrative

is 1.5 although single line spacing is to be applied to captions of tables and figures. An

extra line (1.5 spacing) is kept between paragraphs above and below all headings,

subheadings and captions. All paragraphs should be in block paragraph format.

1.3 Pagination

Each component of the preliminary section, each chapter of the narrative, the References

and the Appendix must start on a new page. Except for the cover page, every page of the

proposal is assigned a page number. Small Roman numerals such as i, ii, iii, etc . are used

for the preliminary section from the title page to the page preceding the Introduction.

Arabic numerals such as 1, 2, 3, etc. are used from the first page of the Introduction to the

last page of the Appendix. Center all page numbers at the bottom of the page.

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2 Order and Components

The research proposal submitted by a graduate student for a master’s is expected to have

the following sections although there can be some limited variation based on the

academic discipline.

1. Cover Page

2. Approval Page

3. Acknowledgements (optional)

4. Abbreviations

5. Table of Contents

6. Summary

7. Introduction

8. Literature Review

9. Problem Statement

10. Objective of the study

11. Methodology

12. Scope of the study

13. Significant of the study

14. Work plan

15. Budget plan

References

Appendix

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3 Descriptions

3.1 Cover Page

The cover page should be informative and consist of the names of the university (Bahir

Dar University), the institute (Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, the title of the research

proposal, the academic degree sought, the name of the graduate student, the faculty,

program of study and the advisors name(co-advisor is optional). The month and year

followed by the location are the last items on the cover page. Title case letters are

recommended in the style of writing although the names of the University, Institute and

Faculty should be in bold capital. Sample cover page is shown in Appendix A.

Title: The title of the thesis proposal should be clear, specific and concise. The title

should accurately capture and reflect the main theme (objective) of the proposed study.

3.2 Approval Page

The approval page is presented next to the cover page of a master’s thesis research

proposal. The approval page will be used to get formal approval of the proposal. Before

submission the proposal should be approved by an advisor, chair holder and also by the

faculty dean.

3.3 Acknowledgements (optional)

The acknowledgements section recognizes the persons and/or institutions the student is

grateful for guidance or assistance received and those to whom the student extends

thanks for special aid or support in the preparation of the proposal.

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3.4 Abbreviations

In this section students list in alphabetical order the abbreviations or acronyms followed

by their descriptions in full. In the narrative, each abbreviation/acronym/ other than S.I.

units should be defined in full when they are first used and then followed by their

abbreviation /acronym/ in parentheses. Standard units do not need to be listed.

3.5 Table of Contents

All of the headings and entries in the table of contents should correspond exactly in

wording, font and case with the headings or entries as they appear in the text of the

proposal. Subdivisions of headings should not exceed three levels (e.g.1.4.2).

3.6 Summary

Abstract should include the background of the research proposal topic, objectives of the

study and the methods to be used in the research project. It should be concise and less

than one page in length. This summary should be presented in one single block paragraph

without subtitles or any divisions and without Citation (reference).

3.7 Introduction

The introduction is the first chapter that is numbered. It provides pertinent background

information and should be as brief as possible. Ideally, it should not exceed three pages

in length.

The introduction includes brief background and clear statement of the problem, nature,

symptoms, and extent of the problem and variables influencing the problem, thus leading

to a clear set of research objectives.

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3.8 Literature Review

The literature review is chapter two. It should be a critical analysis of relevant existing

knowledge on the proposed research topic. It includes the strengths, the limitations and

gaps of previous studies. The literature review should be relevant with recent citations on

the topic. Citations within the past five years are ideal and generally considered current.

Citations ten years and older should be used sparingly and only when necessary.

Unpublished documents and lay sources like encyclopedias are strictly discouraged. This

is done by the student carefully tracking and referencing each and every document used.

3.9 Problem Statement

The problem statement is one of the most important components of your study. In 180-

250 words you need to convince the reader that this study MUST be done (or HAD to be

done). Society or one of its institutions has some pressing problem that needs (needed)

closer examination. The study will answer (answered) some part of this serious problem

in a unique and clever way.

The problem statement describes the context for the study and it also identifies the

general analysis approach. A problem might be defined as the issue that exists in the

literature, theory, or practice that leads to a need for the study.

It is important in a proposal that the problem stand out that the reader can easily

recognize it. Effective problem statements answer the question “why does this research

need to be conducted”.

3.10 Objective of the study

To get right solution of right problem, clearly defined objectives are very important. The

objectives of a research project summarize what is to be achieved by the study. Objective

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should be closely related to the statement of the problem. Objective is a purpose that can

be reasonably achieved within the expected timeframe and with the available resources.

General objective: are broad goals to be achieved. The general objectives of the study

state what the researcher expects to achieve by the study in general terms. General

objectives can be broken down into small logically connected parts to form specific

objectives. General objective is met through accomplishing the entire specific objective.

Specific objectives: are short terms and narrow in focus. The specific objectives are

more in number and they systematically address various aspects of problem as defined

under the statement of the problem.

3.11 Methodology

It describes precisely what will be done and how it will be done, what data will be

recorded, the proposed tools or instruments to be used in data collection and the methods

of analyzing the data.

In this chapter, the student should give clear, specific, appropriate and credible

procedures that will be followed to attain the proposed objectives of the study. The

research design planned for use should be clearly stated. The research methods should be

appropriate to the problem area, i.e., the statement of the problem, the objectives and the

hypotheses. The student should also address the methods of data collection, data quality

control and methods of data analysis.

3.12 Scope of the study

One of the first tasks of a researcher is defining the scope of a study, i.e., its area (theme,

field) and the amount of information to be included. Narrowing the scope of your thesis

can be time-consuming. Paradoxically, the more you limit the scope, the more interesting

it becomes. This is because a narrower scope lets you clarify the problem and study it at

greater depth.

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3.13 Significance of the study

The Significance of the Study describes what contribution your study will make to the

broad literature or set of broad educational problems upon completion. In this activity,

you will draft your Significance of the Study by determining what you hope will benefit

others and/or how readers will benefit or learn from your study. This part is tell how the

study would be beneficial to society and specific person.

3.14 Work plan

The student assigns time frames for the completion of various activities of the proposed

research. The work plan can be presented in the form of a Gant chart or a table. Only

major activities for accomplishing the specific research and corresponding time frames

should be included in the Gant chart or table. This time table predicts the duration of each

step and the overall thesis. The purpose of the work plan is to show that you have thought

carefully through what needs to be done, and how and when it will be done. In practice,

you will almost certainly need to modify the plan as the work proceeds, but establishing a

plan from the outset can help you foresee and avoid potential difficulties.

3.15 Budget Plan

This involves first discussing and then listing, in a series of separate tables, the necessary

and required personnel, per diem, days required to conduct research, transportation costs,

supervision, equipment, stationery, expendable research supplies and materials,

laboratory analysis and any associated services for the project. Item costs should be

reasonable and reflect a fair and current market price. The budget should be prepared in

accordance with the policies of Bahir Dar Institute of Technology.

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References

The references chapter must include all works cited in the research proposal. All citations

appearing in the narrative of the proposal must be included in the references chapter and

vice versa. Do not add references list which is not cited in the narrative. In-text citations

and references should carefully follow the APA style with hanging indent by 0.4’’. The

tables (Table 1,Table 2, Table 3, Table 4, Table 5, Table 6, Table 7, and Table 8) show

examples for citation and referencing of different sources, but for detail information

check http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx .

Table 1 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Book and eBook)

Material TypeIn-Text Citation Reference ListBook and eBook

Book: Single author

(Pegrum, 2009) Pegrum, M. (2009). From blogs to bombs: The future of electronic technologies in education. Crawley, W.A: UWA Publishing.

Book: Two authors

(Page & Stritzke, 2015)But when outside parenthesis:Page and Stritzke (2015) suggested that ...

Page, A. C., & Stritzke, W. G. K. (2015). Clinical psychology for trainees: Foundations of science-informed practice (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Book: 3-5 authors First citation: (Ranzijn, McConnochie, & Nolan, 2009)Subsequent citations: (Ranzijn et al., 2009)

Ranzijn, R., McConnochie, K., & Nolan, W. (2009). Psychology and indigenous Australians: Foundations of cultural competence. South Yarra, Vic: Palgrave Macmillan.

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Table 2 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Journal Articles)

Material Type In Text-Citation ReferencesJournal ArticlesJournal article in print: 8 or more authors

(Sohrabi et al., 2011)Sohrabi, H. R., Weinborn, M., Badcock,

J., Bates, K. A., Clarnette, R., Trivedi, D., … Martins, R. N. (2011). New lexicon and criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Lancet Neurology, 10(4), 299-300.

Journal article online: With direct quotation or paraphrase

(Gagné et al., 2015, p. 185)OrGagné et al. (2015) reported that “Results showed that the MWMS had an invariant configuration in the three languages” (p. 185), ...

Gagné, M., Forest, J., Vansteenkiste, M., Crevier-Braud, L., van den Broeck, A., Aspeli, A. K., . . . Westbye, C. (2015). The Multidimensional Work Motivation Scale: Validation evidence in seven languages and nine countries. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 24(2), 178-196. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1359432x.2013.877892

Table 3 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Conference Proceeding)

Material Type (Game, 2001) Game, A. (2001). Creative ways of being. In J. R. Morss, N. Stephenson & J. F. H. V. Rappard (Eds.), Theoretical issues in psychology: Proceedings of the International Society for Theoretical Psychology 1999 Conference (pp. 3-12). Sydney: Springer.

Conference ProceedingsPaper in conference proceedings in print

Paper in conference proceedings online: Electronic database

(Balakrishnan, 2006) Balakrishnan, R. (2006, March). Why aren't we using 3D user interfaces, and will we ever? Paper presented at the IEEE Symposium on 3D User Interfaces. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/vr.2006.148

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Table 4 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Report)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference List

Reports

Government reports

(Western Australia. Department of Health Nursing and Midwifery Office, 2013).

Western Australia. Department of Health Nursing and Midwifery Office. (2013). Aboriginal Nursing and Midwifery Strategic Plan 2011-2015. Retrieved from http://www.nursing.health.wa.gov.au/projects/

Non-government reports

(Kendall, 2011) Kendall, C. (2011). Report on psychological distress and depression in the legal profession: Prepared for the Council of the Law Society of Western Australia. Retrieved from http://www.mhlcwa.org.au/wp-content/uploads

Table 5 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Standards and Patents)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference ListStandards and Patents (Standards

Australia/New Zealand Standard, 1994)

Standards Australia. (1994). Information Processing - Text and office systems - Office Document Architecture (ODA) and Interchange format: Part 10: Formal Specifications (AS/NZS 3951.10:1994). Homebush, NSW: Standards Australia.

Standard: Print

Standard online: Electronic database

(Standards Australia, 2008)

Standards Australia. (2008). Personal flotation devices – General requirements (AS 4758.1-2008). Retrieved from Standards Online.

Patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,641,424.7, 1996)

Hornak, P. (1996). Resonator for magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle. U.S. Patent No. 5,641,424.7

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Table 6 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Theses)

Material Type In-Text Citation

Reference List

Theses(Lockhart, 2009)

Lockhart, E. (2009). The physical education curriculum choices of Western Australian primary school teachers (Unpublished master’s thesis). University of Western Australia.

Thesis in print: Unpublished

Thesis in print: Published

(May, 2007) May, B. (2007). A survey of radial velocities in the zodiacal dust cloud. Bristol, UK: Canopus Publishing.

Thesis online: Electronic database

(Rich, 1989) Rich, P. D. (1989). The rule of ritual in the Arabian Gulf, 1858-1947: The influence of English public schools (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses - UK & Ireland. (AAT 8918197)

Thesis online: Institutional repository

(Brydges, 2014) Brydges, C. (2014). The development of executive functions: Evidence from behavioral and electrophysiological perspectives. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA). Retrieved from http://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/the-development-of-executive-functions-evidence-from-behavioural-and-electrophysiological-persepctives(6dce2f55-4ab2-4bfe-85c7-5fba8545f186).html

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Table 7 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Web Pages)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference ListWeb PagesWeb page (Australian Psychological

Society, 2008)Australian Psychological Society.

(2008). Substance abuse: Position statement. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/statements/substance/

Table 8 Citation and Referencing APA Format (Tables and Figures)

Material Type In-Text Citation Reference ListTables & Figures

Figure 6. Adapted from “A Conceptual Validation Study of the Texture Response on the Rorschach, " by A. Marsh and D. J. Viglione, 1992, Journal of Personality Assessment, 58(3), p. 576. Copyright 1992 by Society for Personality Assessments. Adapted with permission.

Marsh, A., & Viglione, D. J. (1992). A Conceptual validation study of the texture response on the Rorschach. Journal of Personality Assessment, 58(3), 571-579.

Republished or adapted tables, figures or data must be clearly marked and the original source provided in text and appended to the caption of the table or figure.

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Appendix

If there is any supplement materials app (addendum), it will appear as the last chapter of

the proposal as Appendix. It includes, for example, information such as drafts of

questionnaires in English and other languages, participants informed consent forms,

observation check lists, pictures and specifications of the equipment to be used in the

research, mathematical formulae or derivations, a detailed description of the sample

selection procedures , long and dummy tables.

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4 Thesis Proposal Presentation Examination

A Thesis proposal presentation shall be conducted as a preliminary report. The evaluation

is done by the Thesis proposal presentation evaluation form prepared for this purpose.

The faculty postgraduate coordinators will arrange and announce the date Thesis proposal

presentation. The graduate student should present his/her thesis proposal in the presence

of advisor, internal examiner and chair assigned by the respective faculty. The evaluation

grade of the progress is pass/fail.

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BAHIRDAR UNIVERSITYBAHIRDAR INSITITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF RESEARCH AND GRADUATE PROGRAMTHESIS PROPOSAL EVALUATION FORM

Name of the Candidate’s:______________________________________ ID No._____Thesis/MEngTopic :____________________________________________________

Evaluation Parameters/Criteria of the Thesis:

No Focus AreasMarking Score

1 Clearly stated statement of the problems 15%

2 Clearly defined general objectives and specific objectives 15%

3 Clearly stated methodology 15%

4 Related and recent literature review 15%

5 How important is the thesis topic 15%

6 Feasibility of the work plan and budget plan 15%

8 Overall judgment of the examiner 10%

total 100%

Is there any plagiarism? ____________________________________________________General Comments (use extra sheet if required):_________________________________________________________________________________________________________Name of Internal Examiner/ Advisor: _______________________________________.Signature of Internal Examiner/ Advisor:_____________________________________.

GradingScale

≥ 50% < 50%pass Fail

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Decision by the Examining Board: __________________________________________________.

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