Institute of Management Sciences Peshawar

Guidelines for the Submission and Format of Theses

Format
Length of Thesis
 The normal length of a thesis, inclusive of notes, bibliography and appendices, has been
determined as follows:
a) For PhD programs the thesis should not exceed 100,000 words;
b) For MS programs the thesis should not exceed 60,000 words;
c) For Master programs the thesis should not exceed 50,000 words;
d) For Bachelor programs the thesis should not exceed 40,000 words;
 If your thesis exceeds the maximum limit student will need to apply for approval from the
Joint Director before submission via R&DD office.
Language
• English must be used unless special permission for an alternative language has been granted
by the Joint Director.
Font
• All text should be printed in Times New Roman;
• All text should be 12-point with the exception of chapter headings.
Layout and Paper
• Printed single-sided on white A4 paper within the range 80g/m2 to 100g/m2;
• The left hand margin should be 40mm (1.5”); all other margins 20mm (0.75”);
• Text should be in a single column and left-aligned;
• One and a half spacing between lines, including appendices and bibliography, but excluding
quotations, footnotes or captions, which may be single-spaced.
Pagination
• Number pages consecutively throughout the thesis from the Introduction, including all pages
whether textual or otherwise;
• Page numbers should be Arabic numerals, i.e. 1, 2, 3;
• Numbers should be located centrally at the bottom of the page;

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 • Preliminary pages (e.g. Contents) should be numbered using lower case Roman numerals, i.e.
i, ii, iii.
Chapter Headings and Sub Headings
• Begin new chapters on a fresh page;
• Chapter headings should be in Title case, centre of the page, bold 14-point font, preceded by
“Chapter” and the appropriate number:
Chapter 1. Title of Chapter
• Section headings should be in Title case, bold 12-point font, left-aligned:
1.1 Title of Section
• Sub-section headings should be italicized, bold 12-point font, left-aligned:
1.1.1Title of sub-section
• All headings should be consistent, providing a clear indication of changes in content and
emphasis. No further section subdivisions other than those described above should be used.
Photographs, photocopies, maps etc.
• Material should be scanned or provided in copyright-cleared, high quality digital format of at
least 300dpi.
Figures and Tables
• Number consecutively either throughout the thesis (Table 1, Figure 2) or within individual
chapters (Table 1.2 , Figure 2.3), but not within sections or sub sections;
• Refer to figures/tables within the text as Table 1, Figure 2, etc;
• Numbers and captions should appear at the bottom of the table/figure;
• The top of tables/figures printed sideways should align to the left of the page;
Content
The order of the thesis should be as follows:
Title page – please state the following:
• The full title of the thesis and any subtitle as approved by the Director/Joint Director;
• Student’s full name;
• The qualification for which the thesis is submitted, e.g. Doctor of Philosophy, MS, MBA
• The name of the Institute;
• The month and year of submission.

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Certificate of Approval
Declaration
Abstract
• The abstract should be no longer than 800 words.
Dedication (if any)
Acknowledgements
• Use this page to acknowledge those who have assisted you with your work.
• In the case of any work done jointly, or in wider collaborations, or under direction, it is
important that the extent of your own contribution, and that made by others, is made clear
both under Acknowledgements and at relevant points within the thesis. Where you have
worked as part of a team, please state the name of individual team members and specify
their contributions and yours.
Table of Contents
• The Table of Contents must list in sequence all relevant chapters, sections and subsections;
appendices, references and bibliography, and any other supporting material, with the
relevant page numbers;
• If a thesis comprises more than one volume, the Title page, Abstract and Table of Contents
of the whole thesis must appear in each volume.
Lists of tables, figures, etc.
• Items should be in the order in which they appear in the text.
Introduction
The thesis must clearly state its theme, objectives, the research question(s), and hypotheses and
provide sufficient background information to enable a non-specialist scholar to understand them.
Literature Review
The aim of a literature review is to show a reader that researcher have read, and have a good grasp
of, the main published work concerning a particular topic or question in the field. The review should
not be simply a description of what others have published in the form of a set of summaries, but
should take the form of a critical discussion, showing insight and an awareness of differing
arguments, theories and approaches. It should be a synthesis and analysis of the relevant published
work, linked at all times to your own purpose and rationale.
The purposes of the review are:

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• To define and limit the research problem.
• To place the study in an historical perspective.
• To avoid unnecessary duplication.
• To evaluate promising research methods.
• To relate findings to previous knowledge and suggest further research.
A good literature review, therefore, is critical of what has been written, identifies areas of
controversy, raises questions and identifies areas which need further research.
Methodology
Research methods is a systematically reviews of the tools and techniques which are used to
undertake a particular research study. In research methodology, it is very significant to use concepts
and theories underlie them and justify with the clear reason for the choice of any particular methods.
It is essential to mention the appropriateness of the particular research method and how research
questions and hypotheses from those methods are addressed.
Key points to be focused include:
 Choosing an appropriate research philosophy.
 Research approach (deductive and inductive)
 Research strategies such as experiments, survey, case studies, and action research.
 Research choice such as quantitative and qualitative methods.
 Time horizon such as cross–sectional and longitudinal
 Techniques and procedures such sample, data collection and analysis techniques etc.
Results
The results section should set out key results, including any statistical analysis and whether or not
the results of these are significant. It should cover any literature supporting the research
interpretation of significance. Make sure to include the information about the size and direction of
any changes, including percentage change if appropriate. Statistical tests should include details of p
values or confidence intervals and limits.
Discussion
The purpose of the discussion is to interpret and describe the significance of findings in light of what
was already known about the research problem being investigated, and to explain any new
understanding or insights about the problem after taking the findings into consideration. The
discussion will always connect to the introduction by way of the research questions or hypotheses

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posed and the literature reviewed, but it does not simply repeat or rearrange the introduction; the
discussion should always explain how the study has moved the reader's understanding of the
research problem forward from where it was left at the end of the introduction.
Conclusion
In this section the student must demonstrate his/her mastery of the field and describe the work's
overall contribution to the broader discipline in context. A strong conclusion includes the following:

• Conclusions regarding the research questions or hypotheses presented in the Introduction,

• Reflective analysis of the scholarly work and its conclusions in light of current knowledge
in the field,
• Comments on the significance and contribution of the scholarship reported,
• Comments on strengths and limitations of the research/scholarship,
• Discussion of any potential applications of the findings, and
• A description of possible future research directions, drawing on the work reported.
Appendices
• Supporting material of considerable length, lists, commentaries, questionnaires etc., which
would interrupt the main text, should be included as appendices;
• Label appendices as A,B, etc and treat as additional chapters after the main text;
References
• The APA style of referencing and alternative styles as directed by the Institute.
Bibliography
• If a bibliography is supplied it should be arranged in a logical order, for example
alphabetically by author within broad topic categories.
Binding
• Softbound copies are required for the first examination and for resubmission.
• Hardbound copies should be submitted on recommendation of the award, and only when
instructed by the office of R&DD.
• The front cover should be clearly lettered and bear the title of the thesis only.
• The spine should be clearly lettered and bear your first name (or initials) and surname, the
name of the degree for which the thesis is submitted, e.g. PhD/MPhil, MBA Thesis, the year
of submission.

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 Annexure A: Title page sample

Human Resource Management and Organizational

Performance

Full Name of Student

MBA

INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES PESHAWAR

Month/year

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 Annexure B: Table format sample

Table 4.1 Summary of the Respondents’ Experience in Banking

Experience Frequency Percentage Cumulative Percent

Less than 5 years 515 58.1 58.1

6 to 10 years 137 15.4 73.5

11 to 15 years 104 11.7 85.2

Above 15 years 131 14.8 100.0

Total 887 100.0 -