Thesis-Dissertation Writing Guideline Final Version PDF
Thesis-Dissertation Writing Guideline Final Version PDF
Thesis-Dissertation Writing Guideline Final Version PDF
Final Version
May 2022
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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By
1. Amsalu Bedemo (Ph.D., Associate Professor)
2. Admasu Tesso (Ph.D., Associate Professor)
3. Tesfa Nega (Ph.D., Assistant Professor)
4. Kassa Moges (Ph.D., Assistant Professor)
5. Mrs. Selamawit W/Silasie (Assistant Professor)
6. Melkamu Moshago (Ph.D., Assistant Professor)
7. Belete Ejigu (Ph.D., Assistant Professor)
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Contents
1. OVERVIEW OF THE GUIDELINE ............................................................................................ 1
7. References ....................................................................................................................................... 39
8. Annexes........................................................................................................................................... 40
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1. OVERVIEW OF THE GUIDELINE
1.1.Introduction
Scientific research is a series of planned research processes that involve critical examination of the
problems under investigation to come up with suggestions for future action. Writing a master’s thesis
or a doctoral dissertation test candidates’ intelligence, endurance, and commitment. The successful
completion of these undertakings opens up the opportunity to organize, write up and present scholarly
work in a scientific and convincing manner. It will also lead to the conduct of other scholarly works
and presentation of the findings to a wider audience at a higher level following the standards prescribed
in this Thesis and Dissertation Writing Guideline. This sub-section of the guideline presents the
purpose, scope, and structure of the guideline.
This guideline provides a comprehensive procedure to be followed by post-graduate students and their
supervisors during proposal development and the final thesis/dissertation writing at ECSU. The
initiative to prepare the guideline has emerged out of recognition of the shortcomings of the existing
thesis writing manual of the University prepared in 2017.
The guideline is a result of extensive work by members of the task force established by the Academic
Vice President, ECSU which comprises a group of seven academic staff members two from each
college and the Director of the School of Graduate Studies. Since the assignment, the task force has
been working on the modification of the old guideline by collecting experiences from different
universities and research institutions inland and abroad. A number of guidelines from public and
private Higher Education Institutions in the country were reviewed, and useful experiences were
drawn from abroad in order to enrich the guideline. Besides, the guideline has been well substantiated
with the provisions of the existing ECSU Legislation (2017).
As such, the guideline is expected to be implemented by all academic units under ECSU that are
running graduate studies at the master’s and Ph.D. levels. In some circumstances, however, academic
units may revise some parts of the guideline in relation to their specific requirements depending on
the nature of their fields of study. However, the provisions of this guideline are equally applicable to
all graduate studies at ECSU. Finally, the SGS would like to extend its gratitude to the members of
the Task Force for their extraordinary commitment to revising the guideline, and to concerned offices,
academic staff for support throughout the entire process of the revision of the guideline.
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1.2. Purpose of the Guideline
The purpose of this guideline is to:
✓ Provide a quick and special reference to academic unit heads, supervisors, candidates, and other
stakeholders involved in their thesis/dissertation writing.
✓ Establish uniform working procedures across academic departments/schools, colleges/ institutes
in the university.
✓ Determine the ways in which graduate studies can be integrated and run smoothly at ECSU so as
to maintain the quality of graduate studies.
✓ Establish a sense of accountability, responsibility, and transparency, at all levels, students and their
supervisors.
✓ Integrate our graduate research endeavors into international research practices so as to enhance
internationalization of our graduate research work.
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guideline which incorporates formatting requirements, writing styles as well as citation and reference
writing styles. The third part provides narration on the proposal as well as thesis/dissertation writing
issues.
2. STRUCTURE OF A PROPOSAL AND THESIS/DISSERTATION)
2.1. Structure of a Proposal
The proposal format for thesis and dissertation are similar and the overall structure must consist of
preliminary pages, three chapters for the main body, and annexes. They must be written in the
following list of order.
i) Cover Page
ii) Title Page
iii) Declaration
iv) Approval Forms
v) Acknowledgments
vi) Table of Contents
vii) List of Tables
viii) List of Figures
ix) List of Abbreviations and Acronyms
x) List of Annex
xi) Abstract (Optional)
CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
1.2. Statement of the Problem
1.3. Research Questions /or Hypothesis
1.4. Objectives of the Study
1.4.1. General Objective
1.4.2. Specific Objective
1.5. Significance of the Study
1.6. Scope of the Study
1.7. Operational Definition (Optional)
1.8. Organization of the Study
CHAPTER TWO
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1.Theoretical Review of Literature
2.1.1. Review of Concepts
2.1.2. Review of Theories
2.2. Empirical Review of Literature
2.3. Research Gap
2.4. Conceptual Framework
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CHAPTER THREE
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Description of the Study Area
3.2. Research Paradigm, Design and Approach
3.2.1. Research Paradigm
3.2.2. Research Design
3.2.3. Research Approach
3.3. Types and Sources of Data
3.3.1. Types of Data
3.3.2. Sources of Data
3.4. Sampling Design
3.4.1. Population and Sampling Frame
3.4.2. Sampling Unit
3.4.3. Sample Size Determination
3.4.4. Sampling Techniques and Procedure
3.5. Data Collection Instruments
3.6. Data Validity and Reliability
3.6.1.Validity
3.6.2. Reliability
3.7. Methods of Data Analysis
3.7.1. Methods of Quantitative Data Analysis
3.7.1.1. Model Specification
3.7.1.2. Measurement of Variables
3.7.2. Methods of Qualitative Data Analysis
3.8. Ethical Consideration
References
Annexes
2.2. Structure of Thesis
The structure of the final master’s thesis must contain preliminary pages, the main body consisting
five chapters, a reference list, and annexes. They must be organized in the following list of order.
• PRELIMINARY PAGES
i) Cover Page
ii) Title Page
iii) Declaration
iv) Dedication
v) Approval Forms
vi) Acknowledgments
vii) Table of Contents
viii) List of Tables
ix) List of Figures
x) List of Abbreviation and Acronym
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xi) List of Annex
xii) Abstract
CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background of the Study
1.2. Statement of the Problem
1.3. Research Questions or Hypotheses
1.4. Objectives of the Study
1.4.1. General Objective
1.4.2. Specific Objective
1.5. Significance of the Study
1.6. Scope of the Study
1.7. Operational Definition (Optional)
1.8. Organization of the Study
CHAPTER TWO
2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1. Theoretical Review of Literature
2.1.2. Review of Concepts
2.1.3. Review of Theories
2.2. Empirical Review Literature
2.3. Research Gap
2.4. Conceptual Framework
CHAPTER THREE
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1.Description of the Study Area
3.2. Research Paradigm, Design and Approach
3.2.1. Research Paradigm
3.2.2. Research Design
3.2.3. Research Approach
3.3.Types and Sources of Data
3.3.1. Types of Data
3.3.2. Sources of Data
3.4. Sampling Design
3.4.1. Population and Sampling Frame
3.4.2. Sampling Unit
3.4.3. Sample Size Determination
3.4.4. Sampling Techniques and Sampling Procedure
3.5. Data Collection Instruments
3.6. Data Validity and Reliability
3.6.1.Validity
3.6.2. Reliability
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3.7. Methods of Data Analysis
3.7.1. Methods of Quantitative Data Analysis
3.7.1.1. Model Specification
3.7.1.2. Measurement of Variables
3.7.2. Methods of Qualitative Data Analysis
3.8. Ethical Consideration
References
Annexes
CHAPTER FOUR
4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
4.1. Demographic Characteristics and Response Rate of Respondents
4.2. Findings and Discussions of Objective One
4.2.1. Finding of Objective One
4.2.2. Discussion of Objective One
4.3. Findings and Discussions of Objective Two
4.3.1. Findings of Objective Two
4.3.2. Discussion of Objective Two
4.4. Finding and Discussing of Objective Three
4.4.1. Finding of Objective Three
4.4.2. Discussion of Objective Three
CHAPTER FIVE
5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1. Summary of Findings
5.2. Conclusions
5.3. Recommendations
5.4. Future Research Direction
References
Annexes
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writing result and discussion section. For master’s thesis the ‘result and discussion’ section is
considered as one chapter (chapter four) as explicitly stated above; however, since the work volume
of PhD dissertation is bulky, result and discussion section for PhD dissertation should be to organized
as separate chapters for each objective.
Thus, students must consider the introduction section in chapter one, literature review in chapter two
and research methodology in chapter three. Here, all research methodology issues that refer to the
entire dissertation work such as research design and approach, sampling issues and procedure, data
collection techniques and the like are stated under chapter three (methodology). However, some
specific objective related issues such as method of analysis and model specification (if any) for a
particular objective must be addressed under each chapter (objective). Thus, after completing chapter
three (research methodology part), PhD students should organize their result and discussion sections
as a separate chapter for each specific objective. That means, the first objective of the dissertation must
come as chapter four. This chapter should begin with a brief introduction about the chapter followed
by the model specification and methods of analysis specific to this objective (chapter) if any without
any repetition. Moreover, reporting the findings, rigorous interpretation and discussion on the findings
should be made in this section. When providing result and discussion, first state the findings in separate
sub-title and discussion using another sub-section as prescribed for master’s thesis.
Similarly, the second objective of the dissertation must come as chapter five following similar
procedures as outlined for chapter three above emphasizing on objective specific methodology issues,
findings, interpretation, discussion. This trend continues to the remaining objectives of the dissertation
till all objectives should exhaustively analysed and included as a chapter following similar procedure.
Then after, comes the summary, conclusions and recommendations as the last common chapter
followed by reference list. Generally, dissertation research with, say, 4 objectives will have eight
chapters. All related explanations and elaborations provided in each section of the guideline applies
both to the PhD and masters study programs.
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• All the main headings (or chapters) must be prepared in 14 font sizes, should be bold, written
in block (capital) letters and must be centered.
• For the first sub-headings, the first letters of the main words must be in block letters, all 13
font sizes, and written in bold.
• The remaining lower-order sub-headings must be in 12 font sizes and should be bold. But
here only the first letter of the first main word should to be in a block letter.
• Besides, on the title and cover pages, the title (topic) must be in 20 font sizes but the rest of
the texts on these pages should be in 16 font sizes.
• The abstract of the thesis/dissertation should be in 11 font size, Times New Roman, and
should be written in italic style.
• Table or figure captions, endnotes, footnotes, references, and long quotations should be in 11
font sizes.
Therefore, generally, except for the unique issues listed above, the whole text of the document
(proposal, thesis/dissertation) must be written in a uniform (consistent) way in terms of font type, size,
and cases.
Spacing and Margins: The whole document (proposal or thesis/dissertation) must be written in a 1.5
line spacing (space between lines) for the whole text. However, it is important to note the following
exceptions;
• The abstract, reference section, long quotations, long endnotes or footnotes, and long captions are
recommended to be prepared in a single space.
• One free spacing in between paragraphs, as well as in between the headings (sub-headings) and
a paragraph is recommended.
• Tables, figures, and appendixes must be single-spaced as far as they are readable. Moreover,
single space between each reference entry is required and the second line of a reference needs to
be indented (or as prescribed by APA style).
• Set a 1.5-inch spacing margin at the left border, and 1-inch margins for the top, bottom, and right
sides.
• To make the document easier to read, it is necessary to align your content in both left and right
margins (or the document should be justified) in the main text.
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Page numbers
• All preliminary pages should be numbered in the Roman numeral system (i, ii, iii, etc.) but the
main body must be numbered in the Arabic numeral system (1,2, 3.) and should be centered.
• New chapters must always start on a new page.
• The first line after the heading or sub-heading should be indented and the rest of the text quoted
to the left.
• It is recommended that a table needs to be completed on one page, that is, as much as possible
a table must not be extended to the next page.
• Table of contents, list of figures, and list of tables should be automatically generated using the
Microsoft Word tools.
Language and grammar
• The final proposal or thesis/dissertation must be properly written and seriously edited for
language issues and grammar problems. The student and his supervisor/s must take full
responsibility for the problem.
• If necessary, students may be required to bring testimonial letters for language and related
editorial services from professional editors.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is academic theft. It is stealing someone’s words or ideas and passing them
off as your own. In the context of academic writing, it means quoting someone’s words without
quotation marks or paraphrasing an idea without including a proper citation. As it is an academic theft,
the University has zero tolerance for the problem. The following guiding issues will help avoid or
reduce plagiarism cases;
✓ Ensure that your Thesis/Dissertation is original, has not been published, and has not been
submitted for publication or for the award of any degree elsewhere or at Ethiopian Civil Service
University.
✓ If you are quoting more than 500 words of a published work in your thesis/dissertation, you need
to submit a copy of the permission obtained from the respective copyright holder.
✓ If you are quoting a Table or a Figure or a Photograph in your thesis/dissertation which is not
the result of your original fieldwork, the source of the item needs to be properly cited.
✓ If you made modifications to the original figure or table or photograph; it must be indicated as;
‘modified from ‘name of author/organization’ or after ‘name of author/organization’.
✓ All other quotations, reviewed literature, tables, figures, photographs, etc. must be cited and
prepared properly using “APA Style”.
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✓ If any Table, Figure, or Photograph is the result of your own fieldwork; you must mention it as
a source i.e.: Field Survey, 2010.
If one fails to follow the above rules and is found plagiarized, several serious measures may be taken
as indicated on Senate Legislation and graduate research policy. The measures may include academic
dismissal, cancellation of thesis/dissertation degree and re-working the research on another topic or
maybe withdrawal of graduation degree, etc depending on the severity of problem/plagiarism.
✓ The master’s thesis proposal should range between 25 pages (minimum) to 32 pages
(maximum); but the final thesis document must range between 50 pages (minimum) to 70 pages
(maximum); excluding all preliminary pages and list of annexes).
✓ Similarly, the Ph.D. dissertation proposal must range between 32 pages (minimum) to 42 pages
(maximum) and the final dissertation document should have minimum of 120 pages and
maximum of not more than 250 pages; all excluding preliminary pages, references, and the
annex. As a rule, the page numbers less than the minimum or greater than maximum specified
are not acceptable.
✓ The submission date must strictly follow the academic calendar of the University and any
submission after or before that calendar is not acceptable. Table 1 and 2 below describes the
proportional distribution of pages for each chapter.
Table 1: Page limits and proportions for each chapter (PhD dissertation and Master’s Thesis)
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Table 2: Page limits and chapter weights for PhD Dissertation and Master’s Thesis
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Ethiopia”. These authors further argue that the dietary diversity score of the same household varies
depending on the seasons of data collection.
Note that APA allows two forms for in-text citations: narrative citation and parenthetical citations.
Narrative citations: - this form of citation includes the author's name directly in the 'narrative' of your
writing, with the year and page number in separate sets of parentheses. The year always appears in
brackets after the author's name. You will typically use this style when introducing a direct quotation,
but it can also be used when paraphrasing.
Examples:
1) According to Admassu and Beneberu (2019, p.1), “there is no dietary diversity difference
between male headed and female headed households in the rural Ethiopia”.
2) Admassu and Beneberu (2019, pp.15-16) argue that “human, natural and physical capital
possession differences among the rural households greatly influence their dietary diversity”.
Note that double “pp” indicates that the information is taken from more than a page.
Parenthetical citations: - this form of citation include the author's name, date, and page number all
in one set of parentheses at the end of a sentence containing secondary material. You will likely use
this form of a citation with paraphrased information, though it can also be used for direct quotations.
Example: Human, natural, and physical capital possession differences among the rural households
greatly influence their dietary diversity (Admassu & Beneberu, Determinants of household dietary
diversity in the Yayo biosphere reserve of Ethiopia: An empirical analysis using sustainable livelihood
framework, 2019).
When citing reference someone quoted in another author's work (a secondary citation), please
follow the following example:
1) Narrative example: Hoddinott & Yohannes (2002 as cited in Admassu & Beneberu, 2019)
argued that the Household Dietary Diversity score is a good measure of food security.
2) Parenthetical example: Household Dietary Diversity score is a good measure for food security
(Hoddinott & Yohannes, 2002, as cited in Admassu and Beneberu, 2019).
In both cases note that only Admassu and Beneberu’s work appears in the reference list; never list the
work of Hoddinott & Yohannes. When you cite multiple sources, write the sources from the most
recent to the old by separating the sources with a semicolon as shown in the example below:
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Example: A number of authors (Kriesemer, Keding, Huluka, & Dürr, 2021; Admassu &
Beneberu,2019; Arndt & Jones, 2015; Tesfay, Seifu, Solomon, & Katia, 2014) acknowledge that “food
security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and
nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.
A bibliography is a list of all of the sources you read and which may have influenced or directed your
research, whether or not you actually quote or paraphrase information from them in your work.
A reference list is a list of ONLY the sources whose information you quote directly or paraphrase in
your work. Your tutors will usually only require you to include a reference list with your assignments.
A reference list is an alphabetically arranged list of sources used in a paper. It starts on a new page
immediately after the last page of the paper. The list has the heading References (centered, not in
italics, and not underlined). Each reference has a hanging indent of 1 cm. No bullets or numbers. It is
helpful to add extra space (8 pts) after each entry. Hint: begin your reference list as you start work on
your assignment, adding items as you locate each source. This will save time and energy later. To this
end, you are strongly advised to use any of such software (EndNote, Mendeley, Lytro, or Microsoft
Word).
In any case, any source that you use in your paper should appear in an alphabetized list on this page.
Here are the basic guidelines,
• Entries are in alphabetical order by author’s last name, or by title for sources without authors.
• Author’s first name is always reduced to initials.
• Entries should be double-spaced and have a period at the end.
• In article titles, only capitalize the first word and proper nouns.
• Use the ampersand “&” instead of “and” for entries with multiple authors.
• Use p. or pp. to abbreviate paper number.
• The first line of an entry is flush with the left margin. If an entry goes on to two lines, indent
it one-half inch.
• Italicize, not underline, books.
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Citing Books
Basic Format
Author Name. (Year of publication). Title and subtitle. City of publication: Name of publisher.
Citing Articles from Journals, Magazines, and Newspapers
Basic Format
Author’s Name. (Date of publication in Parenthesis). Title and subtitle. Journal Title, Volume
number, Page number.
Citing Internet Websites and Blogs
Websites don’t follow the same rules as some of the other traditional sources from above do. Given
this fact, you may need to improvise at times, doing your best to still supply the same kind of
information that is required of a traditional publication.
• Author, if listed
• Website Title
• Date of Publication, (If none, put “n.d.”)
• Retrieval Statement (or “Available from” and a homepage)
Single Web Page
ECSU Library. Introduction to Research. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2022, from the ECSU Library
website: [URL]
YouTube Video
Basic Format
Poster’s Username/Author. (Publication Year) Title of Video Clip. Medium. Retrieved from [URL to
video]
Personal communications
Personal communications include:
• telephone conversations
• interviews or notes that are not recoverable
• emails
• private letters
• non-archived discussion groups
In-text citation:
Shibabaw (personal communication, January 25, 2019) suggested in an email that..... Note that No
entry in the reference list is needed as personal communications are unable to be retrieved.
The following examples illustrate the basic reference listing following APA 7th referencing style
guide. For a more detailed guide, please visit: https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/APA7th
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Article with a DOI
Dilkes-Frayne, E., Savic, M., Carter, A., Kakanovic, R. & Lubman, D. I. (2019). Going online: The
affordances of online counseling for families affected by alcohol and other drug
issues. Qualitative Health Research, 29(14), 2010–
2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319838231
Article without a DOI and not from a Library database
Dayton, K. J. (2019). Tangled arms: Modernizing and unifying the arm-of-the-state doctrine. The
University of Chicago Law Review, 86.6, 1497–1737. https://bit.ly/2SkWwcy
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Books and ebooks with DOI
Ewert, E. W., Mitten, D. S., & Overholt, J. R. (2014). Natural environments and human health. CAB
International. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781845939199.0000
Group author (organisation)
The CORE Team. (2017). The economy: Economics for a changing world. Oxford University Press.
Edited book
Hamilton, L., & Ravenscroft, J. (Eds.). (2018). Building research design in education: Theoretically
informed advanced methods. Bloomsbury Academic.
ebook - free online, no DOI
Lessig, L. (2011). Republic, lost: How money corrupts – and a plan to stop it. Twelve.
https://lesterland.lessig.org/pdf/republic-lost.pdf
Published conference proceedings
Herculano-Houzel, S., Collins, C. E., Wong, P., Kaas, J. H., & Lent, R. (2008). The basic
nonuniformity of the cerebral cortex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America, 105(34), 12593-12598. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0805417105
Paper presentation
Mason, I. & Missingham, R. (2019, October 21–25). Research libraries, data curation, and
workflows [Paper presentation]. eResearch Australasia Conference, Brisbane, QLD,
Australia. https://bit.ly/2v1CjRg
Symposium contribution
Cochrane, T. & Narayan, V. (2019, February 14–15). Evaluation the CMALT cMOOC: An agile and
scalable professional development framework. In R. Shekhawat (Chairs). Breakout
session [Symposium]. Scholarship of Technology Enhanced Learning Symposium, Auckland,
New Zealand.
Annual report
Fletcher Building Limited. (2019). Annual report 2019. https://fletcherbuilding.com/assets/4-
investor-centre/annual-reports/2019-annual-report.pdf
Government report
Chiswell, S. & Grant, B. (2019). New Zealand coastal sea surface temperature (Report No. CR388).
National Institute of Water & Atmospheric
Research. https://www.mfe.govt.nz/sites/default/files/media/Marine/nz-coastal-sea-surface-
Published theses and dissertations
Miller, T. (2019). Enhancing readiness: An exploration of the New Zealand Qualified Firefighter
Programme [Master's thesis, Auckland University of Technology].
Tuwhera. https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/handle/10292/12338
Unpublished theses and dissertations
Tewart, Y. (2000). Dressing the tarot [Unpublished master's thesis]. Auckland University of
Technology.
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4. PRELIMINARY PAGES
This section provides a detailed explanation for writing the preliminary pages of the proposal and the
final thesis/dissertation.
Cover Page: The cover page should contain the official logo of the University (ECSU) at the top
centre of the page. The name of the college will be stated on the first line followed by the name of the
department/school/institute the student belongs to. Then write the title of the dissertation/thesis in
block (capital) letters, followed by the word ‘by’ and the name of the candidate. The month, year, and
place of submission (separated by commas) must be written at the bottom right end of the page. See
annex 1.
Title page: the title page contains the name of the university (now without a logo), the name of the
college, and then the department/school/institute to which the student belongs. This should be followed
by the title of the thesis/dissertation written in capital letters. Then, type the word ‘by’ followed by the
name of the student and the names of his/her supervisors. This will be followed by the statement
‘Thesis/dissertation is submitted to (name of department/school/institute) in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Masters/Ph.D. in (write field of specialization or specific program).
Finally, the month and year of submission as well as the location of the university (Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia) will be stated in the end. See annex 2.
Declaration: The declaration is required for the final thesis or dissertation but is optional to the
proposal. This is the place where the candidate declares that the thesis/dissertation is fully his own
original work and has never been submitted to any other institution to acquire any degree or certificate.
See annex 3.
Dedication (Optional) – This is a formal inscription written in a simple statement to whom you are
dedicating your work.
Supervisor’s Approval page: The supervisor approval form (approval page) is a page where the
supervisors confirm (by their signature) the completion of the research work and readiness for its
submission to the respective department for defense. This page must contain; the name of the college,
department, and then the phrase ‘Approval of Proposal/Thesis/Dissertation for Defense’ as a heading.
Finally, a statement of a declaration by supervisors followed by their names, signature, and date must
be provided. See annex 4.
Examiners' Approval Form: - This form is meant for the final thesis/dissertation to be signed by the
board of examiners after the open defense examination (after incorporating the comments). It contains
the following points as listed in the order below;
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• Name of the University and then the college;
• Name of the department/school/institute
• ‘Approval of Thesis/Dissertation after Defense’ as a heading
• Statement of the board of examiners
• The board of examiners’ name, signature, and date. See annex 5.
Acknowledgment: An acknowledgment contains words of appreciation for any special assistance
offered by individuals or institutions in recognition of their financial, technical, or moral support
during the research work. It is optional for a proposal but needed for the final thesis/dissertation.
Please, do not reference religious terms such as Jesus Christ or Allah since a thesis/dissertation work
is a scholarly document prepared in a secular institution. See annex 6.
Table of contents: The table of contents should list all of the major headings and sub-headings within
the body of the thesis/dissertation. They must be worded exactly as they appear in the body of the
thesis/dissertation or proposal. The table of contents shall be generated automatically or prepared in a
hyperlink format so that searching topics in the document can be easily done.
List of Tables: First, the term ‘List of tables’ should be written in block letters and centered at the
top of the page. Tables are simply numerical values or text displayed in rows and columns indicated
by captions in the document. When listing tables, students must use the captions as they appear above
the tables in their main text.
List of Figures: First, the term ‘List of figures’ should be written in block letters and centered at the
top of the page. Figures are illustrations expressed using charts, graphs, maps, or photos used to
elaborate on the issue. They have to be listed by using the captions as they appear above the tables in
their main text.
List of abbreviations and acronyms: Abbreviations and acronyms are short forms of words or
phrases or the name of an institution. Specifically, an abbreviation is usually a shortened form of words
used to represent the whole (such as Dr.) but an acronym contains a set of initial letters from a phrase
that usually form another word (ECSU, FDRE). The list of abbreviations and acronyms should be
presented in alphabetical order. It is important to note that the universally recognized or well-known
abbreviations and acronyms (such as kg, km, etc) must not be included in the list of abbreviations and
acronyms.
Abstract: - An abstract is a concise explanation of the thesis or dissertation work that provides the
reader with a summary of the contents of the thesis/dissertation. The abstract must be prepared/written
after completing the write-up of the whole document. It should contain brief but sufficient information
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to be self-contained so that readers can have a good initial impression of the whole thesis/dissertation
work. The abstract should be written in a single paragraph, italic form, and should not exceed 250
words for Thesis and 450 words for dissertation. No reference is cited in the abstract and abbreviations
are not recommended. The abstract for proposal is optional. The abstract is expected to include;
• A brief and precise statement of the problem followed by the main objective of the study;
• Brief methodology of the study (data nature and source, data collection methods; sampling
issues including sample size and methods of data analysis);
• The major findings of the study as per the specific objectives, then followed by concluding
remarks and a brief recommendation.
• Finally, the abstract should contain three to six keywords
Introduction (optional)
The introduction sub-section is optional. If the candidate includes this, it should tell the reader what
the chapter is about, the key variables of the study, and how the chapter is organized. It should not be
numbered. At the end, the researcher may outline number of sections and their sequences in the first
chapter. Note that the introduction section should be very brief and just one paragraph.
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cited unless it has some historical importance). The candidate articulates understanding of empirical
studies done at the global, regional and national context in relation to the study area to show his/her
knowledge base. The section must demonstrate that the researcher is aware of the historical evolution
and theoretical developments of the proposed study area. It must be consistently and carefully written.
As a guide, the researcher is expected to write the background section from general to specific as:
a) Globally, what key debates and (gaps) exist on the subject area to be investigated?
b) Regionally, what key debates (and gaps) exist on the subject area to be investigated?
c) Nationally, what key debates and (gaps) exist on the subject area to be investigated?
d) Locally, what key issues exist in your specific research area?
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1.4. Research Objectives
State clear, precise and indicative objectives of the study. The general and specific objectives you want
to achieve must be clearly written. Note that your research objectives must be strongly linked to your
statement of the problem. The number of objectives is therefore influenced by the statement of the
problem and the nature of relationships the researcher is interested to investigate. Since, the number
of specific objectives will influence the volume of the literature review and data to be collected, it is
reasonable to limit 3 to 5 specific objectives.
1.5.Research Questions and /Hypothesis
Research questions/hypotheses further clarify the research objectives and direction of relationships. In
other words, research questions/hypotheses help the researcher to see the problem more clearly.
Hypotheses are tentative assumption made in order to draw out and test its logical or empirical
consequences. Research Questions refer to questions which a researcher would like answered by
undertaking the study. Whether to include research questions/hypotheses in the proposal will be
influenced by the nature of the study. For example, as a guide, if the study is exploratory and therefore
there are no answers to predict the relationship, then the scholars may not be required to state
hypotheses. As a guide, qualitative studies may not be required to state the hypotheses. Instead, you
must state research questions. However, for quantitative studies, depending on the nature the either
hypotheses or research questions must be provided (but not both for the same specific objective). For
all studies that have a quantitative orientation, the researcher has to present testable hypothesis. It is
recommended that alternative hypothesis is formulated based on the underlying theory to be tested.
The number of research questions and or hypotheses to be specified depends on the nature of the
research problem.
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your findings add to the literature. Your contributions must be specific and focused. Provide
significant evidence indicating that your research is worthy of investigation.
1.7. Scope of the study (geographical, time, and thematic scope)
The scope provides for the boundary or limits of the research in terms of content (i.e., independent
and dependent variables to be investigated), geographical area, and time span of the research as well
as methodological scopes(if any).
1.8. Operational definition (optional)
If the student includes this sub-section in his/her document, he/she is expected to provide operational
definitions that are used in his/her research work.
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of different arguments, theories, and approaches. In special cases where the graduate research is
qualitative in nature that may not require theory or if the interest of researcher is to formulate
grounded theory based on qualitative analysis, he/she may not be forced to include in the document.
This will be decided by the candidate and his/her supervisors. The candidates are expected to
identify/refer to related and well-established theories which can best explain the variables of your
study. Furthermore, candidates must make sure that the related theoretical review of literature:
▪ Provides information that is relevant to the research question/objectives. You need to compel
a related literature review that supports your research question(s) and research objectives,
justifies the thrust of your research, and communicates a problem that is relevant and
significant (Torraco, 2005).
▪ Presents a carefully organized account of a critical review of relevant theories to study and
includes reasons why the theories are relevant or support the review with evidence and justify
the rationale for your research.
▪ Needs to be organized by topic/construct, chronologically, general to specific.
▪ Crafts related literature review to present what is currently known about the topic from reliable
sources, and show how your study fits within the area of the study topic. In so doing, you will
demonstrate your understanding of the topic. Be sure to include subheadings where possible
to help guide the advisor and examining committee members.
▪ Criticizes groups of studies rather than each one individually. When using any of the
chronological, conceptual/ theoretical organizational structures, address how other
researchers’ work informs the proposed research. How will your research build on, or fill the
gap? What problems suggested by the literature will your research address?
▪ Requires to be based on the assumption that knowledge accumulates and that we learn from
and build on what others have done. Hence, the researcher should undertake an extensive
survey of the literature related to the problem.
▪ Fully acknowledges the research of others and needs to avoid charges of plagiarism and the
associated penalties.
▪ Bringing together an argument in the process of the literature review is indispensable: To put
together a strong case, you need to bring the evidence together to show a comprehensive picture
of the current situation of research evidence in your chosen topic area. Present your position
by considering all of the evidence that you have found from the review, including evidence
that is both for and against your research question. Thus, you need to categorize information
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and attempt for continuity and connectivity between themes of the study topic. When you bring
together all of the facts, generalizations, and theories you have gathered from your review, you
have to use it to form an argument that is academically interesting. You have to present an
objective and balanced view of the relevant literature to create a strong background and strong
underpinning for your research.
The example below provides what we mean by a balanced argument based on the available evidence:
While scholars A, B, and C state that corporate governance issue is linked directly to the
dispersion of shareholders, scholars X, Y, and Z disagree and state that corporate governance
issue arises out of a lack of independence between board members and the management. While
both sets of scholars disagree, all the research cited above suggests that there is more than
one dimension to the study of corporate governance. Therefore, the idea of research on
corporate governance from a multidimensional standpoint is important to financial
economists. Furthermore, this multidimensional approach will be adopted in this research
study.
✓ Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers—add your own interpretations
where possible, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole
✓ Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources
✓ It needs to be brief and to the point, the student relates his/her study to the larger, ongoing
debates/dialogue/ discourses in the literature about the topic, filling in gaps and extending
prior studies.
✓ The review of empirical literature should place the current project in context through a critical
analysis of selected research reports.
✓ Place a given research project in the context of its contribution to the understanding of the
subject under review
✓ Identify areas of prior scholarship to prevent duplication of effort
✓ Provide a synthesis of findings in a "state-of-knowledge" summary in regard to the problem
area, including additional evidence as to the nature and/or the importance of the problem;
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✓ Make clear how further research should extend, differ from, or replicate past studies, including
the identification of the critical variables in the problem area and important hypotheses to be
tested;
✓ Indicate shortcomings in the design of prior research that should be avoided, as well as
strengths to be repeated, in conducting another study;
✓ Provide a critique of the literature as a basis for any controversial methodological decisions to
be presented in the proposal.
✓ Resolve conflicts amongst seemingly contradictory previous studies
✓ Point the way forward for further research
It is important to note that some literatures which are neither theoretical nor empirical such as policies,
country contextual features, strategies, programs, and best practices that are relevant to the research
topic, can be provided in background of the study or at the last section of empirical review.
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In this sub-section, candidates are expected to operationally define the concepts, factors, and variables
to be used in the research. The operational definitions would indicate the way the concepts, factors,
variables, and indicators need to be understood by the reader. The conceptual framework can better be
illustrated using a diagram, accompanied by a textual description of its elements: the factors that cause
and the effects of a phenomenon; the possible measures/indicators of a variable, assessment
themes/issues, etc.
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➢ The research paradigms: As a research paradigm, students need to rationally decide either
Positivism (i.e., objectivism for quantitative study), or Interpretivism (i.e., constructivism,
subjectivism and naturalistic for qualitative study pragmatism).
3.3 Research Design and Approach
The choice of the research design and approach should be based on their appropriateness to the
objectives or research questions stated, the availability of resources and ethical. To come up with good
research design and approach, candidates should be able to know the state of knowledge of his/her
research problem, which will guide you in the process of selection of your research questions and
objectives.
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3.4 Types and Sources of Data
In this sub-section candidates must state the types of data to be used and where to get them along with
clear justifications. The guiding questions in this regard may include: what is the nature of your data?
what types of data are going to be used and why? What are their sources etc? Data sources refer to
primary or secondary sources.
Research investigation can be either a Census based or sample survey. Census survey involves a study
conducted on entire population or engaging all members in research work as respondents. Here, there
is no need to discuss about sampling issues as samples are not used. Whereas, sample survey requires
a study on a part of the entire population since the whole population will not be practically manageable
due to limited resource such as time, money, and effort). When the study is a sample survey, the
candidate is expected to provide sample design showing detail procedures during selection of the
respondent. Hence, researchers need to draw samples with the right quality and adequate quantity of
elements from the population. This will be done by defining the target population and determining
sample size and sampling methods. However, there are some fields of studies (such as engineering
with different approaches to sample design or law or others that may require purely qualitative
approaches and related field specific design, sampling approaches and techniques. In such cases,
under the umbrella of this guideline, the concerned departments/schools/institutes can revise a
specific part of this document related to their particular fields of study and get the approval from
AC and Council of Graduate Studies before its implementation.
Population here refers to the entire elements of the unit of analysis from which a researcher draws a
sample and depending on the sample result will make conclusions (or infer) about it. The population
for your study may be individuals, households, organizations, regions, countries, plants, animals,
records, etc depending on the nature of your study. The nature and characteristics of the population
such as homogeneity or heterogeneity must be clearly defined in consistent with the statement of the
problem and stated objectives. The sample frame, also known as the source list, is the list of the
sampling units from which the researcher chooses his sample, whereas the unit of analysis refers to
the elements from which the researcher actually collects data. The unit of analysis may be a household,
an individual or organization or some other depending on your study.
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In order to facilitate the process of sampling and sample size determination, it is very essential to
clearly identify and state the sampling frame and the unit of analysis. Thus, the sampling frame lies
between the population and sample. The frame may consist of either a list of units or a map of the area
(in case a sample of the area is being taken), such that every element in the population belongs to one
and only one unit. The frame should be accurate, free from omission and duplication (overlapping),
adequate, and up-to-date and the units must cover the whole of the population and should be well-
identified. This enables researchers to reduce the probability of sampling error or random error.
Generally, the way you define your study population, the sample frame and unit of analysis depends
on the problem you want to investigate and on the objectives of the study. The exact number of N
must be indicated if it is finite and known with an appropriate citation or source.
Since sample size has an important implication on the quality of research and resource requirement, it
must be carefully determined based on scientific, statistical and logical procedures. In this regard, the
researcher should consider many factors when determining size of a sample in quantitative researches.
These may include the level of precision, different population proportions, operational constraints such
as cost and time, population size and characteristics such as homogeneity vs heterogeneity etc.
For example, the smaller is acceptable error (the higher is the level of precision), the larger will be the
sample size. Similarly, given the need to balance time and costs, some sample sizes generated from
statistical formulas tend to give a large number of respondents that students may not be able to handle
within the short space of time allocated to them. Moreover, if your target population is homogenous,
you may not benefit much from large numbers since you will most likely get the same information.
That is, for a homogeneous population small sample may be adequate while in a heterogeneous
population, a larger sample size should be considered since there is wider variability or diversification
in the population. Generally, as a researcher, you may be required to justify what is known as ‘optimal
sample size’ by balancing all these factors. Remember, it’s better to be ‘honest’ and utilize a small
sample size than to be ‘fake’ and use a large unrealistic sample size.
In experimental researches and qualitative types of studies, the sample size may not be that much
worrisome because such studies prefer to be more intensive and detail in their studies than to explore
issues extensively. In such cases, relatively small sample size may be adequate. When determining
sample size for qualitative studies, it is important to remember that there are no hard and fast rules.
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There are, however, at least some factors that need to be considered. For example, the size of the
sample depends on the content and nature of the study, and perspectives he/she tries to investigate in
her/his research. The other factor may be the sample size that will reach saturation or redundancy.
For example- depending on the complexity of the research objectives, researchers can start with few
numbers of respondents and if the different data sets reconfirm each other the researcher may end the
discussion or sample selection at this point. The other factor may be the variation within the target
population. That means, the researcher may consider larger sample size that is adequate enough to
assess an appropriate amount of diversity exist in the population of interest. In general, researchers
should convince the readers that the sample size determined has used well-accepted statistical decision
criteria (formula) and followed scientific procedure and other logical considerations.
As outlined above, determining adequate and representative sample size (n) based on scientific and
acceptable procedure is an essential step in sample survey research. Under such conditions, after
determining the total sample size, the researcher is expected to clarify the sampling procedures and
techniques employed in his/her research. Broadley speaking there are two main sampling techniques;
probability and non-probability sampling. The probability sampling requires giving equal chance to
all members of the population to be included in the sample. They involve a random selection of the
unit of analysis or some group of population characteristics. It requires that a list of the population
under investigation exists or can be compiled, which is termed as the sampling frame. Sometimes it is
impossible to obtain a complete list of the population in which case researcher can use a wider
categorization and consider samples proportionately to the size procedure to make selection easier.
The methods of probability sampling include simple random, systematic sampling, stratified, and
cluster (area) random sampling.
As procedure, the researcher can apply multistage sampling, or also known as multistage cluster
sampling in situations where researchers divide geographically wide area and large population into
groups (or clusters) and further split into sub-groups at various stages to make it simpler to arrive at
the sample unit from whom data are collected. Researchers are expected to clarify the detail procedures
till arriving the last respondent.
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case, researchers apply their own personal judgments than giving pure chances to each element of the
population. The common methods under this technique include purposive sampling, accidental
sampling, quota sampling, and snowball (chain) sampling. The non-probability sampling and the use
of a particular method of such sampling needs strong justification as why you go for such sampling,
otherwise it will introduce subjectivity in the selection procedure.
A key characteristic of sampling is its representativeness. Since researchers are expected to draw valid
conclusions about the population on the basis of a sample, they should give due care for the whole
procedure to get representative sample. A representative sample has all the important characteristics
of the population from which it is drawn. Generally, whichever techniques is applied, researchers must
provide specific types of sampling techniques and the actual selection procedures used to arrive at the
unit of analysis following clear, consistent, scientifically acceptable techniques and procedures to
select the last respondent.
The data collection methods, instruments, and detailed procedures used in a particular research work
must be clearly stated and well-justified in the document. Different methods and instruments are
available to collect quantitative and qualitative data from primary sources. For instance, to collect
primary data, instrumentations such as questionnaire (close or open-ended), interview (personal or
telephonic, informal or key informant), Focus Group Discussion (FGD), personal observation
(participant or non-participant), physical testing, case studies, and other relevant methods can be
applied. In the case where the researcher prepares and uses instruments or checklists for data
collection, the process of developing and designing the questionnaire, the sections, and the nature of
the questions in the instrument (as open-ended or clothed ended) should be described clearly. If
instruments are adopted from other authors, the source should be cited properly.
The manageability type and number of questions, typography and grammatical/issues of questions
(language, wording, and pre-test of questions), and training of data collectors need to be well
considered and stated. In any case, the development of a data collection instruments should consider
the context of the research such as the research objectives/question. The researcher should also provide
a reasonable description of the method(s) and the procedures. For example, each data collection
method has its own procedures or techniques which should be clearly stated. Each data collection
methods and procedure should be clearly stated with its justification.
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3.7 Data Validity and Reliability
Data quality assurance is the process of data proofing to identify and eliminate inconsistencies and
other anomalies in the data by means of data cleansing activities (e.g., removing outliers, missing data
interpolation) so as to improve the data quality. Researchers should take the responsibility to control
the quality of their data to ensure its completeness, validity, and consistency. To do this, they should
state the methods and tools of assuring data quality in detail and clear way. This can be done by means
of making a pilot study or pre-test, to check the effectiveness and make improvements if necessary.
They are helpful in identifying potential issues early, which can then be rectified before committing
to the length and expense of a full investigation. Any part of the study could be tested, for instance,
the validity of the measure (e.g., does the questionnaire measure what it is supposed to?) or whether a
procedure is effective (e.g., does it take too long? Are the instructions too complicated for participants
to understand? or have any vital steps been left out? etc). Therefore, researchers should describe the
means to assure the data quality, validity, reliability, practicability, and generalizability of the data
before commencing the task of data analysis.
Once adequate and right quality data have been collected, the task of data processing and analysis
should proceed. Data processing involves editing, coding, classifying, and tabulation of the collected
data so that they are amenable to analysis. The researcher will start data analysis after all data have
been checked and cleared for problems. The researcher must look for appropriate methods of data
analysis depending on the nature and type of data collected. Data analysis involves finding out
interpretable results and conducting different tests to facilitate further discussion and interpretation.
Basically, purpose of the study, type of data and level of data measurement, number of variables
involved, size of the sample, and application of ethical principles are important factors to be considered
during selection of a particular method of data analysis.
Model specification refers to describing the type of the model used and expressing the relationship
between dependent and explanatory variables in equation form. It involves identifying dependent and
independent variables, explaining their expected theoretical relationships and stating the parameters
to be estimated. Model specification must be done during proposed development time. In general, the
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specification of a model should be based primarily on the purpose of the study, the nature of the
variable, the number of dependent and independent variables, and other relevant factors. The research
should tell the readers how and why the model is chosen.
This requires defining the variables used in the model, stating how they are measured and explaining
the expected theoretical relationships that may exist between dependent and independent variables if
such relationships exist. The operational definition and measurement of key variables should be
described in detail for each specific research objective or question. A detailed discussion of indexes
or scales of measurement is also needed. Besides, you need to show the potential external or
confounding variables and how you minimized them by using various kinds of controls.
Most variables can easily be defined and measured in terms of a numerical unit of measurement yet,
there are many different concepts that cannot be measured in such quantitative terms. Hence,
definition, conceptualization and operationalization of variables for such types concepts to be used in
the research should be discussed and well-presented. The measurement of concepts involves the
process of defining abstract concepts with specific characteristics (conceptualization) and specifying
the characteristics of such concepts to operationalize them to a specific study context. As a result,
researchers are expected to change their research-specific objectives or questions into operational
variables. In this regard, various levels of measurement scales may be used whenever appropriate. The
scales of measurement that are helpful to operationalize abstract concepts include nominal, ordinal,
interval, and ratio scales.
Statistical data analysis: As part of quantitative data analysis, various statistical methods may be used
to analyze the data such as methods of descriptive and inferential analysis. Descriptive analysis is a
statistical method of analysis using tabular, graphical, and numerical techniques for organizing,
analyzing data presenting the results. Researchers should specify the right analytical tools to be used
in research as part of descriptive statistical analysis. These may include distribution (absolute &
relative frequency, percentage, and proportions), a measure of central tendencies (like mean, median,
and mode), and a measure of dispersion (such as minimum value, maximum value, interquartile range,
variance, and standard deviation).
Besides to descriptive method of data analysis, researchers can also use inferential statistical methods
analysis based on the nature of their study. The inferential analysis is a statistical method used to
33
estimate parameters and infer about the population using sample statistical results. Several methods,
tools, and tests (parametric and non-parametric) may be used in inferential statistical analysis in order
to test mean difference, association/relationship and establish cause-effect. Different methods of
multivariate analysis such as factor analysis, principal component analysis, discriminant analysis, etc.
can be to estimate measurement models and create abstract constructs as variables.
Qualitative data analysis involves the analysis of data which are not in metric measurement units such
as words/textual data, images, and audio-video data. Depending on the nature and type of qualitative
data different qualitative methods of analyses can be used such as content analysis, narrative analysis,
discourse analysis, thematic analysis, grounded theory (GT), and interpretive phenomenological
analysis (IPA) etc. The researcher should describe breifly why a specific method of qualitative data
analysis is chosen.
Work Plan: A good research timetable enables both the researchers and the advisor to inspect work
progress and provide timely feedback for modification. Accordingly, the GANTT chart is often used
to indicate the various research activities that must be completed and the duration of each activity.
Researchers should consider the research road map to be issued by the department (college) or school
of graduate studies and need to consider the following issues:
34
• Is the timetable or roadmap for the completion of the research realistic?
• How and for who will regular updates and progress reports be submitted?
Financial Plan: To facilitate budget approval and clearance processes for this specific research,
budget items need to be explicitly stated with adequate justification considering the existing research
finance policy of the university. It may include expenditure/cost components such as peridium, travel
costs, expenses to data collectors and data collection supervisors, expenses to consumable supplies
such as stationeries, secretarial services and educational materials, communications expenses etc. Just
like the activity timetable, the budget breakdown should also be included as an appendix during
proposal development.
The introduction sub-section is optional and if the candidate includes this in the document, it should
not be numbered and should briefly tell the reader about the chapter and its main contents. Any
introductory idea related to the subject matter under investigation or any other explanations related to
methodological issues of your research should not be included as a part of an introduction here.
35
4.1. Demographic Characteristics and Response Rate
Since it is necessary to provide information about the response rate before reporting the results or
presenting the demographic characteristics of respondents, students are expected to include the
response rate from their surveys using a separate paragraph here (without a sub-title).
The demographic and socioeconomic features of respondents may be provided using descriptive
summary tables or graphs, or any other relevant tools depending on the context of the study. Students
may create separate sub-titles for the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of respondents
depending on the volume. However, it is not recommended to use two different tools (such as tables
and graphs at the same time) to describe the same feature of the respondents. Moreover, as graphs and
tables are self-explanatory, it is important to minimize extensive explanations after a table or a graph.
However, the description of the demographic and the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents
is an optional part for qualitative researches that uses data from limited qualitative sources.
Note also that tables and graphs here and elsewhere in the documents should be well formatted, with
proper headings or captions indicated at the top for tables and at the bottom for graphs. Please refer to
the formatting sub-section in this document for more information on this issue.
✓ It is preferable to number tables and figures sequentially in Arabic numerals, beginning with
for example (Table/Figure 1.1, if there is a table or figure in chapter one) and Table/Figure
4.1 for tables/figures in chapter 4, and so on.
36
✓ If information is taken from another source/s, there must be an appropriate citation and the
source must be written in the referencing list. For more information on citation and reference
writing please refer to the citation and reference writing section of this guideline.
Tables
✓ Table and figure placement should be consistent throughout the text
✓ Keep table and figure captions brief (or short) and do not use multiple sentences.
✓ The spacing of all table and figures captions, as well as equations, should remain consistent
throughout the document.
✓ The title of a table should precisely reflect the content of the table and be placed above the
table, in single-spaced and 11 font size.
✓ The source should be written below the table.
✓ Do not split a table if it can fit on a single page or it is expected to be finalized on one page.
✓ Tables may be inserted vertically (i.e., in the “portrait” orientation)
Figures
• All kinds of illustrations - such as photographs, graphs, diagrams, and maps are presented as
figures.
• As with tables, each figure must have a figure caption that is precisely and uniquely titled
and must be presented below the figure.
Equations
• Equations should be prepared and numbered sequentially
• Equations must be prepared using Microsoft equation on MS-Word and should be well-
formatted.
• A list of equations is not required. It is customary/expected to set equations off from the rest
of the text and you may choose to number them consecutively throughout the document,
especially if a list of equations is present in the front matter
37
The interpretation and the discussions made should strictly be in line with findings, must be clear and
strong (rigorous), and should try to link (compare) the findings with similar empirical studies
elsewhere as reviewed in the literature. Moreover, the discussion should provide logical links with the
ongoing debates, links with pervious empirical studies and must show policy implications.
Finally, it should be noted that the candidate must follow a similar procedure for presenting findings
and making discussion for the remaining objectives of your study till they are all done.
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5.2. Conclusions
• A conclusion is the end of a chapter and its main purpose is to conclude the text smoothly.
• A good conclusion should be both interesting and attractive and must provide the reader with
a good impression of the whole document. It is expected to contain the deductions made based
on the main points of the study, and implications of the problems discussed in a way it can
help for recommendations.
• Conclusions are answers to the hypothesis or research question stated in chapter one. They are
not the same as summary statements and should not simply restatement the finding.
A student can make concluding remarks primarily based on the findings; but can also take into
consideration, the existing policy contexts, and the researcher’s experiences and exposures in
expressing them. A conclusion is broader and more encompassing than a specific finding and several
findings may be incorporated into one conclusion or several findings may be used to support one
conclusion.
5.3. Recommendations
The final section of the chapter is a recommendation that emerges out of the findings and conclusions.
Recommendations should be softly and precisely stated, justified by the finding of the data.
Recommendations are provided for practical action. Practice recommendations are expected to be
strict or inflexible and must address what should be done by practitioners or concerned bodies in terms
of professional practice and policy. These recommendations are generally based on the results of the
study. Please don’t use jargon and some general statements or generic issues when writing
recommendations. They must be clear, specific, and written for each research finding.
7. References
The explanation for this is provided on reference writing and intext citation section.
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8. Annexes
Annex 1. Sample Cover page
By
[Month, Year]
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
40
Annex 2- Sample Title Page
By
[Month, Year]
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
41
Annex 3: Declaration Form
Declaration
This is to declare that the thesis/dissertation entitled “----------------------”, submitted in
partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy/Master of
[Science/Arts] in the (write the name of Department/School/Institute) of ---, Ethiopian
Civil Service University, is a record of original work carried out by me and has never
been submitted to any other institution to get any other degree or certificates. The
assistance and help I received during the course of this investigation have been duly
acknowledged.
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Annex 4- Advisor/Supervisor Approval Form
I hereby certify that I have supervised, read, and evaluated this thesis/dissertation titled
“___________________________________________________________” by
________________________________ prepared under my guidance. I recommend the
thesis/dissertation be submitted for oral defense.
_____________________ ________________ _____________
Supervisor’s name Signature Date
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Annex 5- Board of Examiner’s Approval Form
Board of Examiners
External examiner 1
Name Signature Date
_____________________ ________________ _____________
Internal examiner
Name Signature Date
____________________ ________________ _____________
Chair person’s
Name Signature Date
_____________________ ________________ ______________
44
References
1. Manual for Masters Research Proposal and Thesis Writing of Ethiopian Civil Service
University, 2012.
2. Senate Legislation, ECSU, (2017).
3. Dissertation and Thesis Guideline, Bahir Dar University, 2020.
4. A Comprehensive Graduate Studies Guideline (For Master’s and PhD Programs), Hawassa
University, 2020.
5. Guideline to Writing Thesis/Dissertation, KDI School of Public Policy and Management
6. Comprehensive Graduate Studies Guideline (For Master’s and PhD Programs), 2020, Hawassa
University
7. Guideline for Doctoral Training Program, 2021, Jimma University.
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