Disclaimer
This entry does not replace the necessary required reading text suggested by the faculty in each of the program. Students must read and understand the content of textbooks suggested. Although every effort is made to cite and or make reference to original copyright holders, the author shall not be liable for any loss, expenses, damage or claim arising out of statements and or issues and expressly disclaims all responsibility for the material in this document and all liability to any person in relation to any action that person may take or fail to take in reliance, whether in whole or in part, on this document. ALL names and entities used are merely for illustrative purposes only and has no relevance whatsoever.
Due to the varying programs and differing type of academic papers produced within universities, students must refer to their individual program guidebook for full requirements and restrictions. However, it has been widely accepted in the academic world, the general format for academic papers to be as follows:
Front Matter
Front matter comprises of pages and documentations required by the program, for example (not in proper order), the cover page, title page, approval form, declaration form, distribution authorisation form, table of content pages, list of figures, tables and abbreviations (if necessary), abstract page and acknowledgement (if student wishes to do so).
Main Body
The main body represents the crux of the academic paper. Depending on the program attended by the student, in general, the main body comprises of five (5) chapters, namely:
Chapter 1: Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to set the stage for the paper to the readers in general terms. It generally states the purpose, objectives and scope of the paper. In thesis writing, this usually states the research problems, issues, hypotheses that will be examined and generally, sub-sections are included in writing the introduction chapter of project paper or thesis for ease of paper organisation and increasing the readability.
Chapter 2: Literature Reviews
There are many reasons on why literature reviews are carried out. Literature reviews assist students to expand the current body of knowledge in terms of content and context of area under study. It also assists students to define problems and to support the empirical and theoretical bases for the research. This chapter is also used to surface any limitations and expansion of previous research work conducted on the topic under study.
Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology
This chapter describes the exact steps undertaken by student in preparing their academic papers. It is the aim of this chapter to provide readers and students alike, a complete description in details of the specific steps to be followed and to replicate the study, if necessary. The usual sub-sections in this chapter will vary, depending on whether the research is quantitative or qualitatively in nature.
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings
This chapter describes in details how data were analysed and the considerations made in making deductions. Although qualitative and quantitative data analysis and findings may differ, students have to bear in mind that, the output presented in this chapter is all about “making sense”, may it be for conceptual deductions or hypothesis testing.
Chapter 5: Discussions, Conclusions and Recommendations
This chapter can be difficult for many students especially for conclusion. Unlike quanitative and or technical study, the realm of business management and practices is full of non-conclusiveness. Students are encouraged to discuss or to summarise the study more rather than to conclude. This chapter can be used to integrate and interpret the study by comparing to the earlier stated objectives, purpose and scope as mentioned in Chapter 1, Introduction. The limitations of study and recommendations for future research can be highlighted in this chapter.
The above chapters outline is merely a suggestion basing on the generally accepted work in academic writing. However, students may decide on using specific title of each chapter of their academic papers or thesis depending on their individual style, area of research etc. It is always useful for the student to discuss with their supervisor on the structure or organisation of the project paper or thesis before writing commences.
Back Matter
Back matter comprises of pages and documentations required by the program and further information used to support the main body. Examples of materials provided in back matter are (not in proper order) the appendixes, indexes (if required) and bibliography (a must in academic writing).
Illustrated below are typical samples of cover page, title page, abstract and main body layout, spacing and font’s requirements for students’ Final Reports. Students must comply with their respective University’s requirements.
Figure 04(a) Typical sample of thesis cover page and spine (click for larger image)
Figure 04(b) Typical sample of thesis title page (click for larger image)
Figure 04(c) Typical sample of Thesis abstract page (click for larger image)
Figure 04(d): Sample page layout (click image for larger view)
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