ALPHA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

MASTER’S THESIS WRITING GUIDELINES

APRIL 2018
ADDIS ABABA
 TABLE OFCONTENTS
1. Foreword to the Guideline .............................................................................................. 1
2. THE MASTER’S THESIS PROPOSAL ........................................................................ 1
2.1. Eligibility .................................................................................................................. 1
2.2. Topic selection and approval .................................................................................... 1
2.3. Advisors assignment................................................................................................. 2
3. COMPONENTS OF THE MASTER THESIS PROPOSAL ......................................... 2
3.1. Title .......................................................................................................................... 3
3.2. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3
3.2.1. Background .................................................................................................................... 3
3.2.2. Statement of the problem ............................................................................................. 4
3.2.3. Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 4
3.2.4. Research questions and/or hypotheses ........................................................................ 5
3.2.5. Significance of the study/Benefits and Beneficiaries .................................................... 6
3.2.6. Delimitation/Scope ........................................................................................................ 6
3.2.7. Operational Definitions.................................................................................................. 6
3.3. Literature Review ..................................................................................................... 6
3.4. Research Methodology ............................................................................................. 7
3.5. Ethical Consideration ............................................................................................... 8
3.6. Work plan ................................................................................................................. 8
3.7. Financial Requirements ............................................................................................ 8
3.8. References ................................................................................................................ 9
4. TECHNICAL LAYOUTS OF THE THESIS PROPOSAL ........................................... 9
5. SUBMISSION, REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THESIS PROPOSAL ................... 11
6. THE MASTERS THESIS ............................................................................................. 11
6.1. Eligibility ................................................................................................................ 11
6.2. Meeting the Schedule ............................................................................................. 11
6.4. Data Collection and Analysis ................................................................................. 11
6.5. Thesis Write-up ...................................................................................................... 12
6.5.1. Preliminaries ................................................................................................................ 12
6.5.2. Cover page ................................................................................................................... 13

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 6.5.3. Title Page ..................................................................................................................... 13
6.5.4. Declaration ................................................................................................................... 13
6.5.5. Approval pages ............................................................................................................ 13
6.5.6. Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 14
6.5.7. Table of Contents ......................................................................................................... 14
6.5.8. List of Tables ................................................................................................................ 15
6.6.9. List of Figures and Illustrations .................................................................................... 15
6.6. 10.Main text/body .......................................................................................................... 15
6.7.11. End matters................................................................................................................ 17
6.8. Technical Layouts of a Thesis ................................................................................ 24
7. SUBMISSION, OPEN DEFENSE AND FINAL APPROVAL ................................... 25
7.1 Submission of thesis ................................................................................................ 25
7.2. Thesis Defence ....................................................................................................... 26
7.2.1. General provisions ....................................................................................................... 26
7.2.2. Purpose of external examiner ..................................................................................... 26
7.2.3. Selection and appointment of external examiners ..................................................... 26
7.3. Decision .................................................................................................................. 28
7.3.1. Categories of acceptance ............................................................................................. 29
7.3.2. Appeal .......................................................................................................................... 30
7.4. Approval ................................................................................................................. 30
7.5. Clearance ................................................................................................................ 31
Appendix 1: Sample Thesis Title Cover Page (Outer Cover) ........................................ iv
Appendix 2: Sample Thesis Title Page (Inner Cover) .................................................... v
Appendix 5: Work Plan ................................................................................................ viii
Appendix7: Advisors’ Proposal Approval Form (at the proposal stage) ........................ x
Appendix 9: Summary Reports on Master’s Defence and Examiner’s Approval
(for students’ information) ............................................................................................ xii

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1. Foreword to the Guideline
Writing a master’s thesis is a test of intelligence, endurance and commitment. The successful
completion of this undertaking opens up the opportunity to organize, write up and presents
scholarly work in an intelligible and convincing manner. This undertaking leads to conduct
other scholarly work and present to a wider audience at a higher level. Theses that are rated
as “Excellent” and “Very Good” will be made publicly available by uploading on the
University College’s website, in keeping with one of the University’s goal of disseminating
knowledge.

In general terms, a thesis is a final report on a wide ranging research program that meets
accepted scholarly criteria and it has a cohesive and unitary character. A thesis must meet the
scholarly requirements of the research discipline in accordance with the guideline set out in
this document and in the Senate Legislation. The actual style and format of a thesis is of
paramount importance. The language used in a thesis should be clear, concise and
systematic. Ambiguity and circumlocution have no place in thesis writing. Students should
avoid padding up; they should rather aim for a style that is in line with the suggestions put
forth in this document.

2. THE MASTER’S THESIS PROPOSAL

2.1. Eligibility
A graduate student who has successfully completed the course work required by the program
during the first two semesters is eligible to register for thesis work during the third semester
and is allowed to pursue his/her research.
2.2. Topic selection and approval
At the onset of the thesis work is the selection of researchable, relevant and feasible research
topic. The general potential sources of research topics could be the research thematic areas
of the university and the country’s development needs. The student should carefully identify
the area of his/her interest while framing his/her topic. If you face difficulties while looking
for a workable topic, you could contact:
(i) Instructors: Contact you’re your instructors who are engaged in research and project
studies; and respective departments which are running graduate programs. You
should do this at the end of second semester so that you could submit potential thesis

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 topics on which you are interested in to work on. You are expected to submit three
titles among which one will be selected by thesis selection and approval committee.
The approved title and the name of the advisor shall be posted on the notice board.
(ii) Senior graduate students: your seniors could also assist you if you cordially approach
them.
(iii) Organizations: There might be funding organizations, research institutions etc. are
interested in recruiting graduate students to do their thesis on specific problems in
which the organizations/institutions are engaged in, the Graduate School thesis title
Selection and Advisor Assigning Committee shall select the researchable title and
assign thesis advisor for each student.
2.3. Advisors assignment
Assignment and approval of advisors
(i) Assignment of advisors shall take into account the expertise and research
experiences of the instructors to be assigned.
(ii) Under normal circumstances, advisors shall be assigned from the University
College.
(iii) In areas where there is shortage of staff, advisors can be assigned from outside
the University College.
(iv) It is the responsibility of the advisor and the advisee to ensure that there is a
smooth communication between them during the course of the thesis work (See
the roles of each spelt out in this guideline).
(v) Advisors shall sign contract of agreement stating his/her obligation and the
remuneration due to him/her.

3. COMPONENTS OF THE MASTER THESIS PROPOSAL

Thesis writing has two phases. The first phase is developing the thesis proposal while the
second phase is the actual writing up of the thesis following the advisor approved proposal.
The thesis proposal shall contain the following elements.
 Title
 Introduction
o Background

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 o Statement of problem
o Objectives
o Research questions and/or hypotheses
o Significance of the study/Benefits and Beneficiaries
o Delimitation/Scope
o Operational Definitions (if there are key terms that need to be pinned down)
 Literature review
 Research Design /Methods and Procedures/Materials and Methods/
 Ethical Consideration
 Work plan
 Financial Requirements (if needed)
 References
Details of these components are provided hereunder:

3.1. Title
Research proposal title should demarcate the main focus or theme of the proposed study. It
should be informative/descriptive yet discrete and contains the key words of the proposal. In
addition, it should be concise (hardly more than 20 words), simple and appealing.
3.2. Introduction
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. These are described in the following subsections.
3.2.1. Background
This section has to provide background information starting from broader perspective of the
topic to be studied leading to the specific problem to be addressed. This part usually
integrates review of related literature to place the study within the larger context of the
scholarly literature. The purpose of this section is to lay the foundation for the problem that
necessitated the study, to create reader’s interest in the topic, and to make the reader feel the
urgency of the problem.

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In writing it, students can:
 Start from already known theoretical framework of the study topic.
 Review related literature to show gaps in the existing knowledge and practice so as to
provide justification for the current research
 Set clearly the aims of the research and show how it fills the identified gap/s in the
literature and practice.
Researchers should note that the background a very important section for gives the
researcher an opportunity to show that he/she has a good knowledge of the body of
literature, the wider context to which your research belongs and that your awareness of
methodologies and related theories appropriate to the area being researched.
3.2.2. Statement of the problem
Research proposals are designed to respond to a particular problem. A problem might be
defined as the issue that exists in the literature, theory or practice that needs to be studied.
Statement of the problem should:
 Clearly and precisely describe the issue that initiated the researcher to conduct the
study on the topic.
 Be presented within the context in which the problem is imbedded.
 Answer the question “What practical and theoretical gaps necessitated the study” If a
researcher is unable to answer this question clearly and accurately, it indicates the
existence of confusion and lack of proper understanding of the problem to be
addressed. This usually results in the rejection of the proposal.
 Establish the foundation for procedures to be followed in the proposal (to start with
and later in the writing up of the thesis), and will avoid conceptual and
methodological obstacles typically encountered during the process of proposal
development that sets the stage for the thesis work.
3.2.3. Objectives
The objective of the research should emerge from the statement of the problem and the topic
of the study. The main purpose of the research objective is to interlink the topic and
statement of the problem and to show the focus, direction and the ultimate goal of the study.

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Objectives should be simple (not complex), specific (not vague), stated in advance (not after
the research is done), and stated using “action verbs” that are specific enough to be
measured.
A thesis proposal may have general and specific objectives. General objective provides a
short statement of the scientific goal to be pursued by the research. It should be stated
correctly as per the topic. Specific objectives are directly drawn from the general objective
and be written in action oriented words such as to examine, to explore, to evaluate, to
innovate, to design, etc. Specific objectives should not be less than two and more than five.
You need to that your specific objectives are indicators against which the success of your
research will be judged.

3.2.4. Research questions and/or hypotheses

Research questions
The research questions emerge from the objectives of the study and always written in
question forms. Even if some research guidelines dictate that either the objectives (general
and specific) or the research questions (general and specific) should appear in a proposal,
graduate students are required to use objectives (general and specific) and specific research
questions together.
Hypotheses
These are statements that predict the relationship between two or more variables. These
statements are supposed to be proved /accepted or disproved/rejected at the end of the study.
They should originate from the objectives and usually serve as a substitute to the research
questions in quantitative studies. Hypotheses can be null and alternative.
 The null hypothesis (H0) represents a theory that has been put forward, either
because it is believed to be true or because it is to be used as a basis for argument,
but has not been proved.
 The alternative hypothesis (H1) is a statement of what a hypothesis test is set up to
establish. It is opposite of Null Hypothesis and only reached if H0 is rejected.
Make a clear and careful distinction between the dependent and independent variables and
be certain that they are clear to the reader.

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3.2.5. Significance of the study/Benefits and Beneficiaries
It indicates how the proposed research will contribute to existing knowledge and practices in
the field of study.
When thinking about the significance of the study, keep in mind addressing the following
questions:
 What are the expected outputs of the study?
 Who are the potential beneficiaries?
 How the expected results enhance the work of practitioners, researchers, experts,
policy makers, etc.?
 How will results influence programs, methods, and/or interventions?
3.2.6. Delimitation/Scope
A research should be delimited to a specific area of study. Delimitation addresses how a
study is narrowed in scope in terms of time and space. This section specifies the context,
population, methodological procedures, and issues to be addressed.
3.2.7. Operational Definitions
When the researcher thinks that some of the key words are used in a special manner in the
context of the current study, he/she needs to provide a section with operational definitions of
terms. Similarly, when the researcher thinks that some terms in the study are unfamiliar to
the reader, he /she has to provide definitions of the key terms in a section named definitions
of the key terms.
3.3. Literature Review
The main aim of review of related literature at the proposal stage is to show how the current
study relates to previous studies and to highlight gaps in the existing body of knowledge and
practices. In principle, the literature review is guided by research objectives/research
questions. In a thesis proposal, the literature review is generally brief. Only more relevant
references should be selected and included with the aim of identifying different
methodologies used in the literature and making a selection of appropriate methodological
approach applicable to the current study.

Make sure to follow appropriate style of in-text citation and reference listing.
So in this section, the researcher may:

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  Compare and contrast different authors' views on issues related to the current study
and show own stand,
 Group ideas of different authors who draw similar conclusions,
 Make critical review of different components of previous research papers on the area,
 Identify different methodologies used in the literature and make a selection of
appropriate methodological approach applicable to the current study,
 Place the current study within the existing state of the art knowledge
It is important that you take special care to include sources which are very essential and
current publications.
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 own purpose and
rationale.
A good literature review, therefore, is critical of what has been written, identifies areas of
controversy, raises questions and identifies areas which need further research.
3.4. Research Methodology
This section might be named ‘Methods and Procedures’, ‘Materials and Methods’, ‘Research
Methodology’ varies depending on the agreements in different fields. In this section, the
researcher needs to identify and provide detailed step-by-step description of the
methodology in the study so as to enable a reviewer or any other reader to clearly understand
it. Thus, the section describes the design opted for the study, subjects/participants used to
provide data, tools/methods used to gather data, and procedures followed to collect and
analyze data. Specifically, the section includes:
 Description of the study area
 Description of study design (historical, descriptive survey, experimental or quasi
experimental, mathematical modeling, etc.),
 Description of study participants/subjects,
 Determination of sample size and selection process (sampling techniques),
 Methods (tools) of data collection,
 Strategies of ensuring data quality,

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  Description of materials and procedure.
 Description of your methods of data analysis, including reference to any
specialized statistical software and simulation models (e.g., ANOVA,
MANCOVA, AQUAD, SAS, SPSS, SYSTAT, STATA, EVIEW, Mat lab,
Mathematical, etc)
In some studies as a part of the research design conceptual framework/theoretical
framework/analytical framework is included. It provides the structure/content for the whole
study.
Make sure that this section is written in the future tense at the proposal stage.
3.5. Ethical Consideration
Ethics of research here refers to the morals of investigation or intervention with
regard to minimal abuse or disregard of social and psychological wellbeing of persons,
community and/or animals that participate in the research work.
Therefore, the researcher needs to include a statement of ethical consideration and needs to
obtain ethical clearance. Here, the benefits, and any harm to the study participants should be
clearly presented. The issue of confidentiality (keeping the information only for intended
purpose without using any personal identifiers) should be indicated. Any research which
involves experiment on human subjects needs national ethical clearance.
3.6. Work plan
In the work plan (Appendix 6), specific activities needed to achieve the objectives of the
research should be identified, listed in chronological order and assigned to defined time
periods for implementation. This is the general time schedule that indicates: when the
research starts and ends, whether there are particular stages in the research and which
activities are to be accomplished when. Therefore, work plan is used to guide, monitor and
evaluate progress of research activities.
3.7. Financial Requirements
This is the financial plan (Appendix 7) for implementation of the research. It should be clear,
realistic, reasonable and estimated based on real market price. Based on the requirement,
budget may be itemized under the following categories:
 equipment, stationery, materials,
 travel expenses (transport or fuel, perdiem, etc),
 research assistance (advisor, data collection, laborers etc),

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  services (secretarial, photocopying, printing, and binding etc.), and
 others (to be specified).
3.8. References
This section includes a list of works cited in the proposal. Some of the well-accepted and
standardized formats/styles of reference (APA, MLA, Harvard or VANCOUVER styles)
should be applied consistently. See the APA referencing style provided under section3.3.1 of
this guideline as a sample.

4. TECHNICAL LAYOUTS OF THE THESIS PROPOSAL

To maintain uniformity among all research proposals, they have to comply with the standard
format provided under.
1) Paper specification
Items guideline
Color Black and white
Size 21 cm x 29.7cm (A4)
Paper weight >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 size (Heading 1,2,3) 14,13,12 respectively.
Font type Times New Roman
Font style Regular
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 Hard cover

2) Illustrations (Figures, Tables and photographs)

 Illustrations should be of good quality (clear, explanatory, well labeled, etc.)
 Place illustrations within the text at appropriate places

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  Type table captions (titles) immediately above the table with the font type used in
the text
 Type figure captions (titles) immediately below the figure with the font type used
in the text
 Table and figure titles should be single spaced and aligned justified
3) Cover page(A sample is given in Appendix 4)
Typed in all capital letters, it should include:
 Approved thesis title typed in the middle of the page
 Name of the degree, e g. M.Sc./MA… Thesis
 Full name of the author typed in the middle of the page
 Name and location of the institution- University College
 Month and year of thesis submission typed 5 cm above the bottom margin
4) Title page (A sample is given in Appendix 5)
It is the first page under the cover page typed in all capital letters and center justified on each
line
with the following information.
 Approved thesis title 5 lines below the top of the page
 Full name of the author typed 8 lines below the title
 Further 3 lines below, the following should be typed:
o Month and year of final copy of thesis submission should be given at
the bottom line

5) Approval page
 Each proposal submitted to SGS will have two declaration forms
o Declaration page by the student (Appendix-3) followed by
o Declaration page by the advisor (Appendix 4)

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5. SUBMISSION, REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THESIS PROPOSAL
A copy of the thesis proposal written following the specifications given in this
guideline and in close consultation with advisor/s shall be submitted to the School of
Graduate Studies after the approval of the advisor(s).

6. THE MASTERS THESIS

6.1. Eligibility
A graduate student who has got an approved proposal and registered for thesis work is
eligible for perusing his/her main research.
6.2. Meeting the Schedule
The commencement and completion of the research tasks should comply with the timeframe
specified in the curriculum of the respective programs and academic calendar of the
University College. Moreover, it is important for the graduate student to follow steps and
procedures indicated in the methodology and work plans of the research proposal to
accomplish the activities. A graduate student will be held responsible, if he/she fails to meet
the schedule with no valid reason.
6.3. Progress report
Regular monitoring and supervision of student research is important to ensure quality
research outputs and help students complete their researches on time. Therefore, advisors
are required to consistently follow-up the status of research under their supervision. Students
are required to submit progress report at least twice (after the completion of data collection
and data analysis). The advisor, after receiving and evaluating the progress report, has to
forward the same to SGS with recommendations as to whether the research can be completed
within the plan or special consideration is required.
6.4. Data Collection and Analysis
Data collection and analysis is the central part of any research. It involves the collection and
analysis of relevant information and data using instruments described in the methodology
section of the proposal.
 Make sure that there is a close link between the data collection
methods/instruments (including items of the data collection methods/instruments)
and objectives/research questions.

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  Remember to collect the required data by yourselves. If assistance is required, you
have to closely supervise the assistant(s) during the data collection
 Keep-in-touch with your advisor(s) while you are in the field mission to collect
data.
 Do not forget to store your raw and processed data in a safe place to provide them
any time you are requested.
 Please note that the quality of the research depends upon the quality
(representativeness, validity, reliability) of the data collected.
After the relevant and adequate data are collected, careful analyses is required. Therefore,
make sure
 to analyze the data using appropriate methods of data analysis indicated in the
proposal
 to present and organize the results of the analysis in a way that enables you to draw
inferences and conclusions in line with the objectives/research questions.
6.5. Thesis Write-up
After data collection and analysis is 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
6.5.1. Preliminaries
As the preliminaries form a significant part of the whole thesis report, due attention should
be given in 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)
 Acknowledgements

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  Acronyms
 Table of contents
 List of tables (if any)
 List of figures/illustration (if any)
 Abstract
6.5.2. Cover page
Cover page (Appendix1)
Typed in all capital letters, should include
 Logo of the university (3 cm diameter)in both corner top of the page
 Thesis title typed in the middle of the page
 Name of the degree, e g. M.Sc./MA… Thesis in the middle of the page
 Full name of the author typed in the middle of the page
 Name and location of the University on bottom right corner
 Month and year of thesis submission typed 5 cm above the bottom margin
below the name of the university
6.5.3. Title Page
This is the second page of a thesis (Appendix 2). It includes:
 Title of the thesis
 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
6.5.4. Declaration
The thesis shall contain a statement(s) of the student declaring (Appendix 3) 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 to
this or any other university.
6.5.5. Approval pages
Two forms of approval pages are to be provided: advisor’s and board of examiners.
 Advisor’s approval page should state that the thesis presented is done under his/her
supervision and is recommended for evaluation (Appendix4).

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  Board of Examiners approval page indicates that the thesis is read, critically
commented, defended, and comments and suggestions are incorporated. Thus, the
thesis is accepted and approved in the eyes of the examiners (Appendix9).
6.5.6. Acknowledgements
This includes 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 other form. Since this is an academic
and secular document, you should not be religious in your acknowledgment.
6.5.7. Table of Contents
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 acknowledgements, 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.
 Finalizes with the end matters such as appendices, and indexes.
An example has been given bellow.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS PAGE
Acknowledgements
Acronyms (if any)
Table of contents
List of tables (if any)
List of figures/illustration (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

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 REFERENCES
APPENDICES
6.5.8. 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.
6.6.9. 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.
6.6. 10.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 Thesis
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 a great care. As
indicated, generally the main body of the research report consists of a minimum of five
chapters.

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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 adapt them.
Chapter 2: Review of Related Literature
This chapter is essential in any research work as it critically reviews related studies, gives
account of up-to-date knowledge in area of study and identifies areas which need further
research. It also provides 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 own purpose and
rationale.
Chapter 3: Methodology of Research
As stated in the proposal, in this chapter, the researcher needs to provide 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.
Unlike the proposal this section is written in the past tense.
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 to clearly 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

16
give explanation 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 generalizations 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 in relation to 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 (if any) based on the
conclusions made. In the recommendations section, you should
 suggest measures to be taken by different stakeholders to improve practices, policies,
knowledge, etc.
 recommend areas where further studies should focus
6.7.11. End matters
After the main text the end matters come. These include:
Reference
Appendices
Index or glossary (if any).
The detailed explanation of each specific section is given as follows.
6.7.11.1. References
References refer to the list of materials which are cited in the text. Different standard citation
styles could be used in the text and in 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
vice versa.

17
  Be aware of the fact that taking ideas without acknowledging the source is plagiarism
(an academic theft) and can lead to severe punishment including rejection of the
thesis.
APA (American Psychological Association) and Harvard styles are commonly used styles in
social and natural sciences respectively. To provide an example, how in-text citations and
referencing are used in APA style is briefly discussed next.
A. In-text citation
In-text citation is applied when you summarize, paraphrase, or quote related ideas from
sources. The style uses author-date citation method; that is the surname of the authors and
the year of publication are put in the parenthesis in the text at the appropriate point. For
direct quotations, page number is also included, like (Guskey, 2000, p. 20). But if the name
of the author appears as part of narrative, you need to cite only the year of publication in
parentheses. Look at the examples below.
Professional development program become effective when it is properly managed
(Guskey, 2000).

“An effective professional development program has some unique qualities”

(Guskey, 2000, p.20). (for direct quotation).

Guskey(2000) has identified some unique qualities of an effective professional

development program.
Within a paragraph after citing the author (s) and the year of publication once, you need not
include the year in subsequent references.
According to Thijs (2002) teacher support materials enhance teacher professional
growth……… Thijs added that the materials encourage collaboration among
teachers.
When reference is made to two or more works of an author (s) in the same year, the
publication should be numbered as (a) and (b) of that year with the earliest publication of the
year being designated (a) and so on.
(Voogt, 2013a, 2013b)
A work by multiple authors
When a work has two authors, always cite both names every time the reference occurs in the
text. However, when a work has three, four or five authors, cite all the authors for the first

18
occurrence, but in the subsequent occurrences, cite only the surname of the first author
followed by et al. and the year of publication.
In communicative language teaching, a teacher monitors the learning activities and
participates in the activities where appropriate (Atkins, Hailom&Nuru, 1995).

Atkins et al. (1995) classify Communicative Language teaching into strong and weak
versions. Or there are two versions of communicative language teaching: strong and
weak (Atkins et al., 1995).
When a work has six or more authors, cite only the surname of the first author followed by et
al. and the year of publication for the first and subsequent citations. In the reference list, six
authors are spelled out but for the seventh and more authors, et al. is used.
Use ‘and’ to combine names in a multiple-author citation in a running text, but in
parenthetical material, in tables and captions and in the reference list, join the names by an
ampersand (&).
Richards and Rodgers (2001) reported that….
This study has proved an important fact (Richards & Rodgers, 2001).
The names of groups serving as authors (corporations, associations, agencies and study
groups) are usually spelled out each time they appear in text citations. Names of some group
authors are spelled out in first citation and abbreviated thereafter.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2010) (first text citation)
NIMH (2010) (subsequent text citation)
National Institute of Mental Health (2010) (in reference list)
When a work’s author is designated as ‘anonymous’, cite in the text the word Anonymous
followed by comma and the date. In the reference list, the word Anonymous will be used to
alphabetize the work.
(Anonymous, 2008)
Two or more works cited in a parenthesis are arranged following alphabetical order of the
surnames of the authors followed by years of publications. Each work is separated from the
other work using semicolon. Comma is used to separate the author from the year of
publication. Two or more works of the same author in a parenthesis are ordered by date of
publication, the latest work coming last.
(Fullan, 2007; Guskey, 2006; Richards & Rodgers, 2001)
(Fullan, 2001, 2007, 2013)

19
For sources such as website and e-books that have no page numbers, a paragraph number or
the heading and the paragraph number are indicated to direct the reader to the exact location.
(Myers, 2000, Paragraph 2)
(Clarke, 2005, conclusion section, para.1)
Citation of a work cited in a secondary source
You need to give secondary source followed by the original workplaced in parenthesis in
text when you use a work cited in a secondary source. For example, if Fullan and Hobber’s
(1995) work is cited in Guskey’s (2000) work and you are not able to access and read Fullan
& Hobber’s work, you make in-text citation as given below.
Fullan and Hobber (cited in Guskey, 2000) or Fullan and Hobber (1995), cited in
Guskey (2000)... or
According to Fullan and Hobber (1995) as cited in Guskey (2000)….
Generally speaking, such type of citation is not encouraged. You are rather advised to
search and access the original work to cite in your research.
B. Reference list
The reference list at the end of a written work documents and provides information
necessary to identify and retrieve each source. Authors should see references carefully and
include only the ones used in the text in their reference list. All references should be
arranged strictly alphabetically in the reference list. Different sources and types of
publications should be given as follows in the reference list.
 Journal Article: Name (s) of author (s). Year of publication of the article. Title of the
article. Full name of the journal, volume no; and pages.
Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004).Design-based research: Putting a stakein the ground. The
Journal of the Learning Sciences,13(1), 1–14.
 Books: Name(s) of author(s). Year of publication. Title of the book. Volume number
(in case of multivolume book), edition no. (If it is later than the first edition). Place
of publication: Publisher‘s name.
Fullan, M. G. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). New York:
Teachers College Press.
 Contribution to composite Books: Name(s) of author(s). Year of publication. Title of
Contribution. Connecting word’ In;’ following items of information of the source

20
 document: Name (s) of editors(s). Title of the book. Volume no. (In case of
multivolume book). Edition no. (If it is later than the first edition) (Page number the
contribution appears in the book). Place of publication: Publisher.
Pettis, J. (2002).Developing our professional competences: Some reflections. In J. C.
Richards, & W. A. Renandya (eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology
of current practice (2nded.) (pp. 393-396). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

A work cited in a secondary source

You need to enter only secondary source that you are able to access into reference list
whenyou cite a work cited in a secondary source. For example, Fullan and Hobber’s
(1995) work is cited in Guskey’s (2000) paper and you are not able to access and read
Fullan &Hobber’s work, you need to enter only Guskey’s work in the reference list like.
Guskey, T. R. (2000). Evaluating professional development. Thousand Oaks,
California: Corwin Press, Inc.
 Contribution to conference/Workshop/ symposium/ seminar/Proceedings: Name (s)
of author (s). Year of publication. Title of contribution. Name of the Conference.
Place and date of the conference. Title of the publication, Name (s) of editor(s). Place
of publication: Publisher’s name, pagination (pp’ should be used before writing plural
pages).
Yekoyealem D. (2012) Graduate Students’ Perception of Their Advisors’ Credibility
and Advising: Implications to Quality Graduate Education. The Sixth Annual
Multi-Disciplinary Research Conference of Alpha University College, Hall 601.
Addis Ababa, 20-21,2012, Eshetu W., Berhanu B. & Yimer K. (eds.), Addis
Ababa, Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Multi-Disciplinary Research Conference
of Alpha University College (pp.75-96).
 Thesis: Name of the author. Year of submission. Title of the thesis. Name of the
degree. The word thesis. Name of the university, place.
Ottevanger, W. (2001). Teacher support materials as catalyst for science curriculum
implementation in Nambia. PhD Dissertation. University of Twente, Enschede.

21
  Government/Institution/Society publications: Name of the institute/society/place.
Year of publication. Title of publication. Place of publication: Publisher’s name.
Ministry of Education. (1994). Education and training policy, Ethuiopia. Addis Ababa: St. George
Printing Press.
 Online sources
Authors using internet sources should direct readers to the information being cited and
provide address of the cited work.
Internet articles based on print sources
If internet articles are the exact duplicates of those in print version and do not have any
additional data attached, the same basic journal reference format can be used. But if you
have viewed it in electronic form, you should add in a bracket after the title of the article
[Electronic version] as seen in the example below.
Barab, S., & Squire, K. (2004). Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground
[Electronic version]. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 1–14.
An article in internet-only journal
Thorn, A., McLeod, M., & Goldsmith, M.(2007). Peer coaching overview. Mentoring
and Peer Couching, 3, Article 0001A. Retrieved October 31, 2012, from
http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/docs/articles/Peer-Coaching-Overview.pdf
Non-periodical documents on internet
Multipage document created by a private organization, no date
When an internet document comprises multiple pages (i.e different sections have different
URLs), provide a URL that links to the home. Use n.d (no date) when a publication date is not
available.
Eg. Greater New York Area Health Community 2014, Taskforce on Teen and
Adolescent Issues (n.d.). Who has time for family meal? Retrieved October 5, 2014,
from site ………………..

22
 6.7.11.2 Appendices
Appendices include the materials which are less important to be part of the main body but
relevant to provide justifications to the arguments in the main text. The appendix serves the
function of providing greater clarity and authenticity for the readers or consumers of the
thesis. The appendices usually include: tools of research, statistical tables, sometime raw-
data (when data were processed through computer), etc. Even the material of minor
importance e.g. mathematical derivations, model descriptions, forms, letters, reminders,
charts, tables, lengthy questions, report of cases, etc. could be included. Remember to
 give titles to the appendices with appropriate reference numbers (e.g. Appendix
1, Appendix 2, etc.)
 link the appendices to the relevant part of the main text,
 place tools1 and related materials first and tables and figures next.

1
Tools refer to data collection instruments such as questionnaire, interview schedule, observation checklist,
etc.

23
6.8. Technical Layouts of a Thesis
To maintain uniformity among all students’ reports, the thesis has to comply with standard format.
Use the specifications provided under.
i. Paper specification
items guideline
Color Black and white
Size 21 cm x 29.7cm (A4)
Paper weight >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) Hard cover

1) Illustrations (Figures, Tables and photographs)

 Illustrations should be of good quality (clear, explanatory, well labeled etc)
 Place illustrations within the text at appropriate places
2) Outer cover (Appendix1)
Typed in all capital letters, should include
 University Logo, top centered, 3 diameters width

24
  Approved thesis title typed in the middle of the page
 Name of the degree, e g. M.Sc./MA… Thesis
 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
3) Title page (Appendix5)
It is the first page under the top cover typed in all capital letters and center justified on each
line with the following information.
o Approved thesis title 5 cm below the top of the page
o Full name of the author typed 8 lines below the title
o The following contents typed 8 lines below the title:
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE
SCOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES,
ALPHA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
o Three lines below type:
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
DEGREE OFMASTER OF ……IN …….
 Month and year of final copy of thesis submission should be given at the bottom line
4) Approval Sheet
 Each thesis submitted for evaluation will have two certificates
 Approval Sheet from the advisor (Appendix14)
 Approval Sheet from the Board of Examiners (Appendix17 and 18)
5) Acknowledgements
 A short acknowledgement sheet should be next to the title sheet. It should acknowledge
contributions of all concerned including financial sponsors (if any). These all should be
taken care as per their specification given earlier)

7. SUBMISSION, OPEN DEFENSE AND FINAL APPROVAL

7.1 Submission of thesis
i) A thesis that is recommended by the advisor(s) shall be submitted to the SGS in two
copies to be distributed to the chairperson of board of examiners, the external
examiner and the internal examiner.

25
 ii) Thesis should be submitted in accordance with the deadline set by the SGS.
7.2. Thesis Defence
7.2.1. General provisions
i) The thesis evaluation will be done by the Board of Examiners including one senior
external examiner and one internal examiner.
ii) The external examiner should be identified and notified in time and obtain a copy of
the thesis of the candidate well a head before the date set for the defense.
iii) The decision of external examiner shall play a major role in cases of dispute on
passing the thesis.
iv)Selection of an external examiner should be free from personal relationships (e.g.
friendship, relative, business deal, etc.) to the examinee.
7.2.2. Purpose of external examiner
The purpose of having external examiners is to
o ensure that the degrees awarded at the University College are comparable in
standard with those awarded by other universities,
o make the assessment fair and
o maintain the quality of the thesis work.
7.2.3. Selection and appointment of external examiners
i) The SGS Thesis Title Approval and Advisor Assigning Committee selects and
appoints the external examiners based on relevance of their specialization,
academic achievements, publications, and experience and recommends to the
SGS.
ii) External examiners should be anonymous to the examinee and the advisor.
However, if the situation requires, the advisor may suggest potential examiners.
iii) In all cases the external examiner must have an academic rank of at least
Assistant Professor (or equivalent).
iv) In approving the nomination of an external examiner, the SGS shall ascertain the
following:
a) An external examiner in general must be external to the University College.
b) Former staff members can be invited to become external examiners unless the
termination of service was due to discipline problem.

26
 v) More than one external examiner may be needed per thesis where the study
covers a wide range of specializations.
vi) External examiners outside higher education institutions, for example from
industry, research institutions, etc. may be selected when necessary.
7.2.4. Selection and appointment of internal examiners
i) The SGS Thesis Title Approval and Advisor Assigning Committee selects and
appoints the internal examiners based on relevance of their specialization,
academic achievements, publications, and experience and recommends to the
SGS.
ii) Internal examiners should be anonymous to the examinee.
iii) The internal examiner must have an academic rank of at least an Assistant
Professorship (or equivalent) unless justified by the SGS.
iv) More than one internal examiner may be needed per thesis where the study
covers a wide range of specializations.
v) Internal examiners may be selected from other departments in the University
College when there is shortage of staff in the home department.
7.2.5. Thesis defense procedures

The procedural guidelines to be followed in the administration of the thesis open defense
examination are as follows:
i) The thesis defense is open to all interested.
ii) The Board of Examiners shall take their designated seats to examine /evaluate the
candidate.
iii) The chairperson of the Board opens the defense session by introducing the
candidate, the other members of the Board and the advisor (if the advisor avails
himself). Then he/she invites the candidate to present and defend his/her work.
He/she also has to take notes of the comments and suggestions made and submit the
minute of the defense process to the department.
iv) The candidate presents the procedures and the main findings of his/her thesis for a
maximum of 15-20 minutes.
v) The members of the Board of Examiners cross-examine the candidate for 60
minutes on the subject of the thesis. The External Examiner shall take 20-30

27
 minutes, the Internal Examiner 15-20 minutes, and the Chairperson and Audience 5-
10 minutes all together.
vi) After the examination, the advisor shall be given a chance (by the Chairperson) to
make clarifications or give comments on relevant issues,
vii) The chairperson requests the audience including the advisor/s to leave the room to
allow the Board members to summarize the evaluation process using the criteria
annexed in Appendix 15.Evaluation points given by each member of board of
examiners are computed using the respective weight of:
a) External Examiner, 60% (0.6),
b) Internal Examiner, 40% (0.4)
viii) A thesis that is defended and accepted (Pass) shall be rated as “Excellent”, “Very
Good”, “Good” or “Satisfactory”.
ix) The grading scales of each rank are as follows:
Raw Mark Letter Grade Grade Description
Points
[90, 100) A+ 4.00
[85, 90) A 4.00 Excellent
[80, 85) A- 3.75
[75, 80) B+ 3.50 Very Good
[70, 75) B 3.00
[65, 70) B- 2.75 Good
[60, 65) C+ 2.50
[50, 60) C 2.00 Satisfactory
< 50 F 0.00 Fail

7.3. Decision
The decision of the Board of Examiners is based on the thesis written report, presentation
and the candidate’s ability to defend it. The decision can be made in any of the following
categories:

28
7.3.1. Categories of acceptance
The thesis, well written, successfully presented and defended can be recommended for
acceptance as:
a) Accept as it is
The thesis may or may not require typographical and/or minor editorial corrections to be
made to the satisfaction of the advisor(s).
b) Accepted with minor modification
The thesis may require typographical and/or major editorial corrections to be made to the
satisfaction of the advisor, in a specified period of time.
c) Accepted with major modification
The thesis requires minor changes in substance and major editorial changes, which are to be
made to the satisfaction of members of the Board of Examiners or to a committee designated
by the Board. The examining board’s report must include a brief outline of the changes
required and must indicate the time by which the changes are to be completed. The student
has to complete the suggested changes recommended by the board within the time specified
(i.e. submission before or after the specified time is not accepted) to the satisfaction of the
external examiner or the internal examiner as delegate of external examiner. It is the
student’s responsibility to request and get his/her thesis evaluation completed.

i) Pending
If the board of examiners felt the data is dubious, the methodology adopted is not genuinely
followed, an act of plagiarism is suspected, etc. at the time of the thesis defense, the board
can pend the decision until it proves or gets proof. The chairperson takes the responsibility
to collect additional information required by the Board and call another meeting of the
Board within one to two weeks. Candidates may not be required to appear during the
second meeting of the board.
ii) Rejected/Failed
A thesis may berated rejected under the following conditions: If
1) the methodology followed or any of the chapters is scientifically wrong and that
defective part has to be rewritten.

29
 2) The thesis is rated as failed if it is plagiarized as judged by the examining
boards; or
3) the work has been already used to confer a degree from this or another university
or
4) the thesis is below the standard and cannot be accepted as a master’s thesis and
cannot be salvaged in any way.
The student whose thesis is rated as Fail will have to reregister and bear the
consequences, that is, cover all the cost of registration and thesis fee payments and take
from 1- 2 semesters depending up on the advisor’s suggestions and the approval of the
Council for Graduate Studies.
7.3.2. Appeal
i) A candidate has the right to appeal his/her complaints in writing to the SGS when
he/she is discontented with any decision made.
ii) A candidate who decides to appeal is required to pay 3,691 birr to cover some of the
administrative and the reexamination of the thesis expenses. The SGS will examine
the candidate’s appeal vis-à-vis the Board of Examiners’ decision by presenting it to
the Council for Graduate Studies and by establishing a committee of professionals
and pass a final verdict. If the verdict happens to be negative, the student will have to
reregister and bear the consequences, that is, he/she has to cover all the registration
and thesis fees.
7.4. Approval
i) A defended thesis gets final approval when the candidate incorporates the decisions
made by the board of examiners and submits it to the chairperson of the board.
ii) The chairperson should check if the advisor and the external examiner or his/her
delegate have signed approving that the modifications are made as per the decisions.
Moreover, the head of the department and the college/institute graduate program
coordinator should sign on the approval page.
iii) Then, the department accepts four copies (for department, SGS coordination office,
advisor and library) of the final thesis, both in electronic and hardcopy, from the
candidate.

30
 iv) A candidate who fulfills all the requirements (see Senate legislation Article 135)
shall be recommended by the head of the department to the college/institute council
for the award of an appropriate degree by the University College’s Senate.
7.5. Clearance
After being awarded an appropriate degree and graduating from a graduate program, the
student should make him/herself clear from all properties he/she received from the
university. To prove that he/she is free of any property of the university, the student should
obtain signature of all concerned bodies. The following steps are passed through to clear
from SGS.
1. Collect clearance form(see Appendix 21)from SGS office
2. Get the form signed by concerned bodies
3. Get clearance letter from SGS
4. Get official letter/certificate of completion from the University College registrar
Sometimes, students could be forced to withdraw from their study before they complete the
study for various reasons. In such cases, they are also required to clear from SGS. They use
the same form and procedure to withdraw officially.

31
APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Sample Thesis Title Cover Page (Outer Cover)

Alpha University College

School of Graduate Studies

EMPLOYER – EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP TOWARDS SERVICE

QUALITY IN SELECTED BANKS: THE CASE OF COMMERCIAL
BANK OF ETHIOPIA AND BANK OF ABYSSINIA

BY
SOLOMON KIFLE

AUGUST 2017
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

iv
Appendix 2: Sample Thesis Title Page (Inner Cover)

Alph University College

School of Graduate Studies

EMPLOYER – EMPLOYEE RELATIONSHIP TOWARDS SERVICE

QUALITY IN SELECTED BANKS: THE CASE OF COMMERCIAL
BANK OF ETHIOPIA AND BANK OF ABYSSINIA

BY
SOLOMON KIFLE

ADVISOR
KIFLE YIMER (PhD)

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES, ALPHA

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

AUGUST 2017
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

v
Appendix 3: Declaration (on a separate page)

Declaration
I hereby declare that this MSc/MA/thesis is my original work and has not been presented
for a degree in any other university, and all sources of material used for this thesis have
been duly acknowledged.

Student’s Name: _________________________________________

Signature: _____________________________________________
Date: __________________________________________

vi
Appendix 4: Advisor’s Thesis Submission Approval Page (on a separate page)

ALPHA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
(ADVISORS’ THESIS SUBMISSION APPROVAL FORM)
This is to certify that the thesis entitled“
” submitted in partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Master’s with specialization in
________________, the Graduate Program has been carried out by
_______________ Id. No __________, under my supervision. Therefore I
recommend that the student has fulfilled the requirements and hence hereby can
submit the thesis to the Scholl of Graduate Studies for defense.

___________________ _____________ _________________

Name of advisor Signature Date

vii
Appendix 5: Work Plan

No. Activity Duration Remark

1

viii
Appendix 6: Budget Plan
Required Items Total Cost in Birr

1. Per diem

2. Transportation

3. Supplies (materials) including stationery

4. Services

5. Others

Total

ix
Appendix7: Advisors’ Proposal Approval Form (at the proposal stage)

ALPHA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

ADVISORS’ THESIS PROPOSAL APPROVAL FORM

This is to certify that the thesis proposal entitled “

” has been developed by
_______________ Id. No __________, under my/our supervision. Therefore I/we
recommend that the student’s proposal can be presented for review and open oral
presentation.

______________________ ____________________ _____________

Name of advisor Signature Date

Remark: This has to be signed in two copies and has to be attached with the proposal.

Accepted by SGS Coordinator/Dean _______________ Sign___________ _Date_________

x
Appendix 8: Thesis Evaluation Criteria (for students’ information)

1. Technicalities (out of 20 points) ______________________

 Topic framing
 Stating objectives
 Formulating hypothesis & research questions
 Research design
 Appropriate and consistent referencing
 Use of Standard margins (left margin 2.5 cm. bottom, top and right margin 2
cm.)
 Appendices

2. Language Use- (out of 15points) _________________

 Acceptability and grammaticality of English language use

 Paragraphing and the use of transitional/linking words and or phrases

3. Contents – (out of 40points) ______________

 The choice of sound methodology

 Related literature review
 Appropriateness of the instruments of data collection
 Data presentation, analysis, interpretation, summary, logical conclusion and
implementable recommendation(s)

4. Oral presentation (out of 25points) _________

 Knowledge of the research area

 Mastery of the language
 Smooth flow of ideas
 Attempts made to understand and respond to questions posed and
explanation sought by examiners

Total Out of 100 _________________

N.B.: Grading Scale

Raw Mark Letter Grade Grade Points Description

[90, 100) A+ 4.00
[85, 90) A 4.00 Excellent
[80, 85) A- 3.75
[75, 80) B+ 3.50 Very Good
[70, 75) B 3.00
[65, 70) B- 2.75 Good
[60, 65) C+ 2.50
[50, 60) C 2.00 Satisfactory
< 50 F 0.00 Fail

xi
Appendix 9: Summary Reports on Master’s Defence and Examiner’s
Approval (for students’ information)

ALPHA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

SUMMERY REPORTS ON DEFENSE EXAMINATION PERFORMANCE

CERTIFICATE FOR MASTER’S DEGREE

Name of the candidate:_______________________________________________

Program__________________________________________
Thesis Title:__________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Date of Defense: _________________________________________________
1. Comments given and/or suggestions made on thesis preparation and defense
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
2. Modification(s) to be made
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
3. Final decision by the Board of Examiners
The Candidate Thesis is rated as _________________
(Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fail/Rejected)
4. Deadline for submitting the final version of the thesis to SGS __________
____________________________________________________________
Name _________________________________ Signature__________ Date___________
External Examiner
Name _______________________________ Signature_____________ Date ________
Internal Examiner
Name____________________________ Signature______________ Date _______
Dean SGS

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