Bachelor in Forensic Science (Hons) Management & Science University

THESIS & PROPOSAL PREPARATION GUIDELINES

This guide is meant to serve as a guideline for the Bachelor in Forensic Science

(Hons) students of Management and Science University in their preparation of a

research proposal and thesis. It deals with the format of both a thesis and proposal as

practiced by the university. It also contains brief explanations of each component of

the manuscript. This guideline is an adaptation of the Guide to the Preparation of

Thesis 3rd Edition FHLS MSU 2009.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 INTRODUCTION 5

2.0 ORDER OF CONTENTS 6

2.1 Preface

2.2 Text

2.3 Supplementary

6

8

12

3.0 FORMAT 13

3.1 Header & Footer

3.2 Papers

3.3 Binding

3.4 Length

3.5 Typeface and Font Size

3.6 Numbers & Symbols

3.7 Margins

3.8 Spacing

3.9 Page Numbering

3.10 Tables

3.11 Figures

13

13

13

14

14

14

14

15

15

17

17

4.0 POSTER 19

4.1 Poster Size

4.2 Sections

19

19

APPENDIX A 21

APPENDIX B 22

APPENDIX C 23

APPENDIX D 24

APPENDIX E 25

APPENDIX F 26

APPENDIX G 27

APPENDIX H 28

APPENDIX I 29

APPENDIX J 30

APPENDIX K 32

APPENDIX L 33

APPENDIX M 34

1.0 INTRODUCTION In the process of completing a Bachelors degree at Management and Science

University, a student is required to submit a thesis depending on the requirements of

the specific programme.

The Bachelor in Forensic Science (Hons) programme requires a student to

successfully complete and submit a thesis. These guidelines will assist students to

meet the minimal format requirements to complete the final form of their theses.

2.0 ORDER OF CONTENTS The structure of the thesis is based on a standard format which contains the following

sections:

Preface

Text

Supplemetary

2.1 PREFACE

This section consists of the following:

2.1.1 Title Page

The title page is the first page after the font cover and should include the research title

which has been approved by the Faculty (or Research Coordinator), name of

candidate according to the registration records, and the statement Thesis Submitted

in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Degree of Forensic Science in the

Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Management and Science University and finally

the year of submission. Refer to the appendix section for examples.

2.1.2 Abstract

Generally the abstract is written after the completion of the text of the research/thesis.

It summarizes the structure of the whole text and the major facts it contains. It should

be written in the language of the thesis and translated to Bahasa Malaysia and contain

not more than 500 words. The abstract should be placed on the page immediately after

the title page.

2.1.3 Acknowledgements

Most theses have a subsection to convey appreciation to those who have been

involved in the study.

2.1.4 Table of Contents

The table of contents lists the chapters, topics and sub-topics together with their age

numbers. Sub-topics and topics should be labelled according to the chapter.

E.g. the first topic in Chapter 1 should be marked 1.1 and the first sub-topic, 1.1.1.

This numbering system provides a clear picture of the relationship between chapters

and topics and show how they are connected.

2.1.5 List of Figures

This list contains the titles of figures, together with their page numbers, which are

listed in the text.

2.1.6 List of Tables

This list contains the titles of tables, together with their page numbers which are listed

in the text.

2.1.7 List of Symbols and Abbreviations

The symbols and abbreviations must be in accordance with international convention.

2.1.8 List of Appendices

This list is optional and contains the titles of appendices placed in the supplementary

section.

2.2 TEXT

Candidates and supervisors should ensure that the text follows the agreed conventions

of the individual faculty. Normally, the text consists of the following chapters:

2.2.1 Introduction

This chapter contains the introduction to the issues in which the research is

concerned, the aims and objectives of the study, and the outline of the research

approach.

2.2.2 Literature Review

This chapter surveys previous literature and studies relevant to the field of study. The

literature review should be comprehensive and include recent publications. This

section will review published research related to the purpose and objectives described

above. It should be noted that references may be found throughout the proposal, but it

is preferable for most of the literature review to be reported in this section.

A review of the literature should also relate to the hypotheses, definition and

operationalization of variables, methodology and data analysis that follow. It should

summarize the results of previous studies that have reported relationships among the

variables included in the proposed research.

An important function of the literature review is to provide a theoretical explanation

of the relationships among the variables of interest. It is most important that the

review explain what mechanisms link the variables. The review can also provide

descriptive information about related problems, intervention programs and target

populations.

The literature review must address three areas:

1 . Topic or problem area: This part of the literature review covers material directly

related to the problem being studied. There will usually be at least two substantive

areas reviewed because most research involves variables that have been studied in

separate substantive areas.

For example, a study on some aspect of juvenile antisocial behavior suggests a review

of the literatures on anti-social behavior, adolescent development and families at risk.

As another example, research on the differential impact on males and females of

intervention characteristics in a substance abuse program would require a review of

the literature on substance abuse programs, the specific intervention characteristics in

question, and pertinent

research on gender differences. As another example, research on conceptualizations

of work in high stress settings would suggest a review of literature on the stress

factors in such settings, the concept of stress and the development of job-related

attitudes.

2. Theory area: Investigators must identify the theories which relate to the problem

areas.

3. Methodology: Investigators must review the literature which is appropriate to

various aspects of their chosen method, including design, selection of subjects, and

methods of data collection.

This section describes research methods and measurement approaches used in

previous investigations in the area. This content should be considered in designing the

proposed research and used to support the choice of design and measurement

techniques. Otherwise, the investigator must explain why s/he has chosen methods or

approaches that have not been used previously.

After reading the literature review, the reader should understand the problem area you

have selected and the theoretical models, findings, methodologies, and measurement

techniques that have been used in previous, related research efforts.

The literature review should lead up to specific hypotheses, which are then listed at

the end of the literature review.

2.2.3 Methodology

This chapter describes and explains the research methodology used in the study. The

sub-topics for the chapter include the key research questions, the research design, and

the research procedures adopted. It may also, where appropriate, indicate sampling

methods, research instruments and statistical methods employed. The purpose of this

is to inform the reader of the methods used to collect the data and generate the

findings reported.

Design

This section will describe the type of research design to be used. Will it be an

idiographic, survey, quasi-experimental or experimental design? Will it be cross-

sectional or longitudinal? Will it be a retrospective or a prospective design? The

design should also describe the sequence of events that will occur in conducting the

research. This would include how the subjects will be divided up, what the subjects

are expected to experience during the research, and when and how often they will be

observed or asked for information. After reading this section, the reader should have a

clear understanding of the overall design of the study.

Data Collection

This section will operationalize the variables to be included in the proposed

evaluation. It is helpful to divide the variables into dependent variables, independent

variables, and covariates.

Dependent variables are outcomes (e.g., drug abuse, self-esteem, depression) which

are affected directly by other variables. They might also include variables which are

affected indirectly (e.g., arrest rates, recidivism, employment record). Independent

variables can include intervention approaches, program characteristics, and subject

characteristics believed to affect the dependent variables. Covariates are additional

independent variables included in the research solely for the purpose of controlling

for differences that might exist among subjects. These differences are controlled

statistically so that they will not confound conclusions that are drawn about

relationships between independent variables and dependent variables.

A description of how each variable will be measured should be included in this

section. Ideally, one should measure each variable two different ways so that some

estimate of measurement validity can be made. After reading this section, the reader

will know the specific variables that will be included in the proposed study and, most

important. how they will be measured.

This section MUST be written in complete sentences, organised in paragraphs. It is

advisable for students to produce a flow chart of the methods in order to ease the

readers understanding.

2.2.4 Results

This chapter presents a complete account of results and analyses of the study in the

form of figures, tables or text, highlighting key information Each figure and/or table

attached must be followed by an explanation.

Data Analysis

This section will explain how the data will be analyzed once they are collected.

Usually, more than one analysis is conducted. Each analysis that will be used to meet

each objective listed above should be described. Also a description of the specific

effects to be examined in each analysis, such as main effects, interaction effects. or

simple main effects, should be included.

The unit of analysis to be used should be specified and the reason for choosing that

unit should be explained. After reading this section, the reader should know which

effects will guide the data analysis and in exactly what way the data are to be

analyzed to meet each objective of the proposed study.

Data analyses should be specifically linked to the hypotheses so that it is clear how

each hypothesis will be tested.

2.2.5 Discussion

This chapter contains the interpretation of the results. The findings of the research

should be compared and contrasted with those of previous studies presented in the

literature review. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the findings of the research.

The discussion should also relate to the hypotheses put forward. Students can also

give their opinions based on the findings. Students are allowed to combine the results

and discussion sections into one chapter.

2.2.6 Conclusion

In this section, the findings are summarised and their implications discussed. this

section may include suggestions for future work. The conclusion should be one to

three pages only in paragraphs format.

2.3 SUPPLEMENTARY

Specific items which were not included in the main body of the text, should be out in

this supplementary section. Typically, this section includes the following:

2.3.1 Appendix

Appendices consist of additional illustration of data sources, raw data and quoted

citations which are too long to be placed in the text. The appendix supports the

written text of the thesis. Research instruments such as questionnaires, maps or

computer programs are also attached in this section/chapter. Appendices can be

divided into Appendix A, B, C, etc. This section is commonly placed after the

references list.

2.3.2 References

All works or studies referred to in the thesis in the form of quotations or citations

must be included in the reference section/chapter. The references should be written

consistently in the American Psychological Association (APA) format. Each

reference should be written in single spacing format and a double space should be left

between references. This list of references should not be numbered and should be

arranged in alphabetical order.

3.0 FORMAT The format of the proposal follows the format of the thesis strictly. However, the

proposal will only contain the following sections:

Table of contents

Introduction

Literature Review

Methodology

3.1 HEADER & FOOTER

The use of header and footer is NOT allowed.

3.2 PAPERS

White paper (80gsm) or paper of equivalent quality should be used. Paper

should be of A4 size (201mm x 297 mm).

3.3 BINDING

3.3.1 Proposal

TWO (2) copies of the finalized manuscript/proposal should be comb-bound.

The title, author, name of the university and year of submission must be

printed on the cover. Refer to the Appendix section for the format. The cover

for both copies should be hard paper in blue. The letters for the Front cover

should be printed and in uppercase letters.

Both copies shall be handed in to the supervisors.

TWO (2) copies of the proposal shall be comb-bound, using BLUE cover.

3.3.2 Thesis

ONE (1) final, approved copy of the thesis MUST be hardbound in MAROON

colour with the fonts printed in GOLD. This copy shall be submitted to the

faculty.

ONE (1) copy of the same approved thesis should be soft bound in MAROON

colour and submitted to the respective supervisors.

3.4 LENGTH

The maximum length (excluding footnotes, appendices, tables and prefaces) for

a submission for examination:

Proposal : 10,000 words

Thesis : 15,000 words

3.5 TYPEFACE AND FONT SIZE

The entire text of the research proposal MUST be produced with the same

font or typeface stipulated in this section. The font size should be 12 points

(Times New Roman) and should not be scripted or italicised except for

scientific name and/or terms in a different language. Bold print may be used

for headings. Footnotes and texts in tables should not be less than 8 points.

3.6 NUMBERS & SYMBOLS

All integers less than ten should be spelt out unless they are attached to units

of measure (e.g. 10 kg, 5 mL). Use figures for numbers above 10, eg: About

225 students.. Numbers which are less than 10 must be spelt out, eg The

samples in the study consist of seven elderly.. If a sentence begins with a

number, write the number in words, eg: Twenty two students were

sampled..

The symbol % may be used in place of the word percent, e.g. 72.5% and

typed without a space. If the candidate prefers to write 72.5 percent in full,

then consistency should be maintained throughout.

3.7 MARGINS

For the first page of any NEW chapter:

Top : 50 mm

Bottom : 25 mm

Left : 38 mm

Right : 25 mm

For the rest of the pages:

Top : 30 mm

Bottom : 25 mm

Left : 38 mm

Right : 25 mm

All information (text heading, footnotes, illustrations) including page numbers

must be within the text area.

3.8 SPACING

The body of the text should be typed with 1.5 spacing. The following should

be single spaced:

Long quotations

Tables

Heading or subheading

References

Abstract

Acknowledgements

Explanatory footnotes

3.9 PAGE NUMBERING

Pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the thesis including

pages for tables, figures and appendices. All page numbers should be placed

at the bottom right hand side without any punctuation.

Font size 8 recommended for numbers.

Roman numerals (i, ii, iii etc) should be used in the Preface section.

Although the Title Page is the first page of the Preface, no number is

printed on it. Numbering begins on the second page with (ii). The number

of pages for acknowledgements, abstracts, table of content, list of tables,

list of figures, list of abbreviations or glossary are also numbered in the

same manner.

Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) are used on the pages of the text (starting with the

introduction page) and supplementary sections.

Each appendix should be identified separately by a capital letter (A, B, C,

etc.). The pages of the appendices should also be numbered accordingly.

Page 1 will only begin with the first page of the Introduction (Chapter 1).

3.9.1 Page Arrangements

1. Title Page

This page includes the following information:

Full title of thesis

Full name of author

Degree for which thesis is submitted

Name of the institution to which thesis is submitted

Faculty/centre in which research was conducted

Month and year of submission

2. Approval Sheet

The wordings on the page should read as follows:

This thesis submitted to the Senate of Management and Science University

has been accepted as fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Forensic

Science (Hons). The member of the Supervisory Committee are as follows:

Signature:

Supervisor: (Type name here)

Date:

3. Declaration Form

The declaration form should read as follows:

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the thesis is based on my original work except for

quotations and citations which have been duly acknowledged. I also declare

that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted for any other degree

at MSU or other institutions.

DATE: SIGNATURE

(name of candidate)

3.10 TABLES

Tables are printed within the body of the text at the centre of the frame and

labelled according to the chapter in which they appear. Thus, for example,

tables in Chapter 3 are numbered sequentially: Table 3.1, Table 3.2.

The label should be placed above the table itself and has the following format;

Table 3.1: Short Title

If the table occupies more than one page, the continued table on the following

page should indicate that it is a continuation: for example Table 3.7,

continued. If the table contains a citation, the source of the reference should

be placed below the table.

3.11 FIGURES

Figures, like tables are printed within the body of the text at the centre of the

frame and labelled according to the chapter in which they appear. Thus, for

example, figures in Chapter 3 are numbered sequentially: Figure 3.1, Figure

3.2.

Figures, unlike text or tables, contain graphs, illustrations or photographs and

their labels are placed at the bottom of the figure rather than at the top (using

the same format used for tables).

If the figure occupies more than one page, the continued figure on the

following page should indicate that it is a continuation: for example Figure

3.7, continued. If the figure contains a citation, the source of the reference

should be placed at the bottom, after the label.

4.0 POSTER 4.1 Poster Size

90 cm x 70 cm (Height x Width)

4.2 Sections

1. Title

Each poster should include a title banner with the names and institutional

affiliations (i.e. Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, MSU).

The title should be in a large font, preferably with letters which are

approximately 3 tall, so it will be readable from a distance.

2. Introduction

3. Objective (s)

4. Hypothesis

5. Methodology

Preferably represented by a flow chart.

6. Results

Include all illustrations and texts which should be sufficiently large to allow

them to be read or seen easily from a distance of 1.5 metres.

7. Discussion

Interpretation of results and presentation of discoveries.

Discussion of the merits, assumptions and limitations of your approach.

8. Conclusion

Discuss major finding (s) that can contribute effectively to your chosen

research area.

9. References

At least 4 major references.

10. Acknowledgement

APPENDIX A: Spine and Cover of Thesis

APPENDIX B: Sample of Title Page

APPENDIX C: Sample of Approval Sheet

APPENDIX D: Sample of Declaration

APPENDIX E: Sample of Abstract

APPENDIX F: Sample of Contents

APPENDIX G: Sample List of Tables

APPENDIX H: Sample List of Figures

APPENDIX I: Sample List of Abbreviations and Symbols

APPENDIX J: Sample of text

APPENDIX K: Sample of Figures

APPENDIX L: Sample of References

APPENDIX M: Sample of Proposal Cover