AFRICA GRADUATE UNIVERSITY

RESEARCH GUIDELINES FOR PROPOSALS AND DISSERTATIONS

 INTRODUCTION
The thesis is a significant part of most higher education requirements for the graduates from any
higher learning institution. The minimum number of thesis pages is 50 excluding preliminary
and Appendices. It carries 100 marks (equivalent to 3 credits hours) for the Degree courses
respectively. This guideline provides students research information and guidance on how to
undertake their dissertations. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association, 6th edition should be consulted for all questions pertaining to forms and styles not
indicated in this guideline.
A typical thesis/research proposal consists of three chapters which are: the Introduction
(Chapter 1), the Review of Related Literature (Chapter 2), and the Methodology (Chapter 3).
The completed thesis begins with the same three chapters and concludes with two additional
chapters which are: Data presentation and analysis (Chapter 4) and findings, conclusions and
recommendations (Chapter 5). The research proposal should be written in the present and future
tenses, the methodology and findings in the final report or thesis must be written in the past
tense.

A. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This guideline is intended to provide students with the opportunity to strengthen and
develop their research skills and techniques and apply theoretical concepts. It is aimed at
guiding students into the appropriate direction to discover, analyse, present and report
accurate information pertaining to their specifically interested research areas while using the
internationally recognized research standards and procedures.

B. SUPERVISION
Supervision is an essential part of a thesis to ensure that a student completes and
submits his/her work within the schedules and in the prescribed manner. The Dean
of the faculty will ensure that a Supervisor is allocated to each student. Where there
is no appropriate expertise or not enough full-time academic staff to act as
Supervisor within the faculty, a Supervisor may be sought from outside the faculty.
A Supervisor is essentially an academic staff or a professional from the industry,
with academic experience in the area in which the thesis is being carried out.

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The supervision period shall be one year. For Supervision to be efficient and effective, both the
Supervisor and the Student have to understand their respective roles. No supervision will
normally be provided in cases of extension.

Roles and Responsibilities of Supervisor

The primary function of a Supervisor is to provide the student with an overall guidance of the
proposal/thesis and to suggest corrective measures when the student‟s performance is not
satisfactory. The Supervisor will carry out among other things:
a. Assist the student in clarifying topics.
b. Direct the student to relevant areas of information and literature sources.
c. Guide students on appropriate methodologies, tools and techniques.
d. Maintain regular supervisory contacts with student in accordance with faculty policy, as
stipulated in the Proposal/thesis Supervision Guidelines, and keep records of same.
e. Inform student when his/her work is below standard and/or when progress is not
adequate.
f. Read and comment on draft of proposal, report, and advise student where changes are
required, if any, to reach desired standard.
Roles and Responsibilities of Students
The prime responsibility of the student is to manage his/her proposal/thesis and to
maintain regular contacts with his/her Supervisor. The student should realise that the
responsibility for the work submitted is entirely his/hers. The students will act upon among
other things:
a. Agree with the Supervisor on a schedule of meetings, and adhere to it.
b. Take the initiative to keep contact with the supervisor to ensure progress of his/her
work.
c. Keep records of supervisory contacts and meetings with the Supervisor and outcomes
of the discussion arising there from?
d. Take the initiative to discuss any problem arising from his/her proposal/thesis with
his/her Supervisor, such that they are resolved as early as possible.
e. Submit deliverable(s) as specified in their respective proposal/thesis guidelines.
f. Abide by all regulations pertaining to “Proposal/thesis guidelines”.

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 C. THE PROPOSAL/THESIS FORMAT
I. PRELIMINARIES

a) Title page/cover page Compulsory

b) Dedication Compulsory

c) Declaration Compulsory

d) Approval Compulsory

e) Acknowledgement Compulsory

f) Table of Contents Compulsory

g) List of Tables Compulsory

h) List of Figures If applicable

i) List of acronyms and abbreviations If applicable

j) Abstract Compulsory

II. MAIN TEXT ( FIVE CHAPTERS)

a. CHAPTER ONE: Introduction Compulsory

b. CHAPTER TWO: Literature Review Compulsory

c. CHAPTER THREE: Methodology Compulsory

d. CHAPTER FOUR: Data presentation and Compulsory

analysis

e. CHAPTER FIVE: Findings, Conclusions and Compulsory

recommendations

III. APPENDICES

a. References Compulsory
b. Questionnaire Compulsory
c. Time frame -if applicable
Compulsory
d. Budget frame
Compulsory
e. Introductory letter from the university

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 I. PRELIMINARIES
a) Title Page/Cover Page
The Title Page should start with the name of the University, the faculty, the title of the thesis,
the student‟s full name, the submission statement and the date of submission.
The Title/ the topic
The title/topic should be a concise summary of the proposed study. It should not be lengthy and
too detailed. However, where there is causation between variables, this should be clear in the
title. Typically, a researcher will select his or her research topics by identifying wide areas of
interest or concern (research area) and then narrow those areas to manageable sets of research
questions. Research topic should clearly indicate what to be investigated (i.e. the subject & the
object) as well as the context in which the study will be conducted (i.e. the target population).
Titles are stated in terms of a functional relationship, because such titles clearly indicate the
independent and dependent variables. However, if possible, think of an informative but catchy
title. An effective title not only pricks the reader's interest, but also predisposes him/her
favourably towards the proposal.
b) Dedication
Students must dedicate their work to someone who is important to their life, for example, his/her
Mother/father or wife/husband.
c) Declaration
Students must state that their thesis is the product of their own work and that all sources have
been fully acknowledged
d) Approval
Here the supervisor approves and clearly declares that the thesis is full supervised and guided
by him throughout the period it has been written.
e) Acknowledgements
This page should contain the recognition of the assistance of supervisors, other faculty or
University staff and other people whom students would like to thank for their contribution. As
a matter of principle, students are expected to acknowledge the contribution of the supervisor
to the dissertation in the first instance before acknowledging the help of others.

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f) Table of Contents
The Table of Contents should show the titles, sub-titles and page numbers. The Title Page
should not be included in the Table of Contents. Appropriate headings and subheadings which
are available in word processor should be assigned to every chapter.
g) List of Tables
The page referring to the List of Tables follows that of the Table of Contents. It should consist
of the table number and heading as well as the page where the table is positioned.
h) List of Figures
This page should follow the List of Tables and should consist of the numbers and heading of
the figures indicated in the study as well as their page number.
i) List of acronyms and abbreviations
Students may use acronyms when a term is used more than once. It should be in alphabetical
order. For example:
UNESCO United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization AU
African union etc.

j) Abstract
This is a brief summary of the thesis which indicate the research topic, problem investigated,
objectives of the study, target population, sample size, sampling technique, instruments, data
processing and analysis, key findings/conclusions and major recommendations. It should be
written in one paragraph minimally but can be extended up to one page and must be italicised
(Italic format). The abstract is required for all research projects. The purpose of the abstract is
to provide a clear and concise summary of the study.(Article, Proposal, Thesis).

I. THE MAIN TEXT

This part consists of the Introduction, Literature Review, Methodology, Data presentation and
analysis and Findings, Conclusions and recommendations. Students should note that they should
maintain a flow from chapter to chapter.
Detailed explanations of the main text are presented here to guide students.

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 CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION 1.0 Introduction/Overview
This presents the contents and sub topics to be discussed in this chapter. Chapter one is referred
to as an introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to provide a basis for the study. It
provides the background and the settings required to put the research problem in proper context.
The following sub-sections are usually included in the introduction (chapter 1) of a research
proposal.
1.1 Background to the study
This introduces the study and states the focus of the study, begins with background information
regarding the problem under investigation. The Introduction should provide readers with a brief
summary of literature and research related to the problem being investigated, and should lead
up to the statement of the problem. In general, the introduction begins with a broader perspective
of the problem and becomes narrower as the Introduction proceeds. Generally, the introductory
section of Chapter 1 consists of about three to seven pages, but may vary considerably
depending on the nature of the study. In building the background to the study, the researchers
should employ the broader-narrow approach of background development as suggested by
Mugenda and Mugenda (1999).
A research background has four main dimensions: the historical, the theoretical, the
conceptual and the contextual dimensions. The first to be written is the historical dimension. In
this section the researcher describes in short and precise paragraphs the relationships between
the variables in a historical perspective. Here, the researcher tells the reader what was the
„conditions‟ like in the past; what is it like today? In the second part, the writer reflects on the
work of other researchers in this field. That is; the researcher can describe the history from a
global, regional to a local perspective.
The second part is the theoretical basis of the background. In the theoretical background,
the researcher describes the theory (or theories) on which the study will be based. It describes
“any” discovered relationships between the variables in the study and the theory to be used.
The third dimension is the conceptual basis of the background. In the conceptual
background, the researcher provides the definitions of terms in the topic. The variables should
be defined literally as well as operationally.

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 The fourth dimension of a research background is the contextual basis of the
background. In the contextual background, the researcher describes the problems in the context
of the study. He/she describes the problem in each isolated variable, pointing out the gaps that
need to be filled by the study.

1.2 Problem Statement

This is the heart of the proposal/thesis. Normally a sentence, or at most a paragraph, is
all that is required to describe exactly what the problem is.
A statement of the problem may arise from issues, difficulties, current practices or
problems that need to be solved or better understood, or it may arise from deductions from
existing theories related to the current social and political issues, practical situations or personal
experiences. It can be described as the „why‟ of the study.
In writing a research problem, a researcher should describe the ideal relationships
between the variables and then point out the actual situations that must indicate the gap or
deviations from the ideal situations. With these, the researcher should proceed to describe the
implications of the current scenarios if they persist.
1.3 Objectives of the study
It can be categorized as General and specific objectives.
1.3.1 General objectives
This can also be referred to as the research purpose or general objective. It refers to the
general intention of the research. It identifies the goal of the study. It serves to elaborate upon
the information implied in the title of the study by presenting a quick overview of the study
itself
1.3.2 Specific objectives
They are statements of intended specific outcomes of the study and specify more directly
what the researcher is going to do. A good objective should be: S.M.A.R.T (specific,
measurable, attainable\achievable, realistic and time bound). It should clearly indicate the target
population (i.e. where the study will be conducted) and the variables to be investigated.
1.4 Research questions
Research objectives and questions and hypothesis have the same characteristics but
different wordings. Questions and hypotheses are usually used alternately. If questions are
posed, hypothesis should not be stated at the same time.

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 To write research questions, a researcher restates each objective in question form.
1.5 Hypothesis
Hypotheses suggest a relationship (or the absence of it) between the variables in the study. They
are declarative statements on the relationships between two or more variables on the nature of
some phenomenon.

1.6 Scope of the study

This is also referred to as the delimitations of the study. It is a description of the
boundary of the research in terms of content, geographical and time coverage in a single line or
paragraph.
1.7 Significance of the study
This refers to the relevance of the study in terms of academic contributions and practical use
that might be made by the findings. The intended or expected benefits or usage should be
targeted to: the immediate community, persons or society that have been studied or that were
involved in the study, national community, groups or persons and international community.
1.8 Conceptual framework
A Conceptual Framework is a scheme of concepts (or variables) which the researcher will
operationalize in order to achieve set objectives. It is a schematic (or a diagrammatic)
presentation of the theory. The conceptual framework is presented as a model where research
variables and the relationship between them are translated into a visual picture to illustrate the
interconnections between the independent, extraneous and dependent variables.

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction
This summarise the contents and review procedures of the available literature following the
objectives of the study. Students are advised to follow research objectives indicated in
chapter one.
The purpose of Chapter 2 is to provide the reader with a comprehensive review of the literature
related to the problem under investigation. The review of related literature should greatly
expand upon the introduction and background information presented in Chapter 1. Theoretical
and imperial review must be done in this chapter. In theoretical review, the researcher is
expected to bring a summary of a certain theory which he wants to base on his

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study. In imperial review, the researcher is expected to quote previous researches and
publications made by authors which relate to the current study that students are conducting.
Good review of literature should be done according to the topic of the study and should
reflect the objectives/hypotheses and research questions. Each research objective should be
discussed in brief and precise but detailed paragraphs. The reviewed literature on the study
variables should be done in accordance with the objectives of the study. For instance, if the
researcher stated three specific objectives, then he/she is expected to have three sub-sections
each focusing on a single objective. At the end of this chapter a summary of one paragraph is
required to conclude the chapter.

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction
It outlines the contents and sub topics in a brief of which should be discussed in this
chapter.
a. Research Design
It is the strategy used in the study. A researcher should be able to identify and isolate the design
most appropriate for a study. It could be experimental, quasi-experimental, descriptive survey,
co relational, ex post facto, and longitudinal research designs. A researcher should make the
form or design of investigation explicit and provide a justification for the choice. He can also
indicate if the approach he is adopting is quantitative or qualitative or both.

b. Research Population
A population is the complete collection of all the elements that are of interest in a particular
investigation. A target population is the population to which the researcher ultimately wants to
generalize the results. This target population is the population from which the sample will be
drawn. The result can best be generalized to the accessible population. They can, at times be
generalized to the target population also, if the two populations are very similar. The sample
drawn from the target population become the research subjects (if they are inanimate or animals)
or the research respondents of the study (if they are humans/individuals who answer the research
instrument administered). Relevant characteristics of the subjects or respondents must be stated
as well as the inclusion and exclusion criteria in selecting the subjects or respondents identified.

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 c. Sample Size
What size of sample can represent the accessible population? The ideal size varies with the
population size. There are laid down rules and tables to assist in determining the size of a
representative sample. Researchers are to indicate the population size and the corresponding
sample size and quote an authority that supports the sufficiency of the sample size. There are
various formula used for sample size calculation depending on the research design. How the
sample size is arrived at should be clearly stated.
d. Sampling Procedure
The sample should be a representation of the population. In other words most characteristics of
the population should be represented in the selected sample. This calls for the use of a suitable
sampling strategy. The procedure adopted should ensure that the selected sample represents the
population. This should be clearly explained. Simple random sampling, ling and purposive
sampling are the sampling procedures used by researchers.
e. Research Instrument
There are varieties of research instruments or tools that can be used to collect data. Examples
include the Questionnaire, Interview Guide, and Observations Checklist. The researcher needs
to indicate the research instrument(s) he intends to use. Whether researcher devised/structured
by the researcher or standardized research instrument. The basis for the options/content in a
standardized or researcher devised instrument are the aspects discussed in the Review of Related
Literature. The researcher should try not to develop his own questions or select a standardized
instrument without any basis then. A researcher devised instrument can be pre- tested to 5-10
subjects or respondents not included in the actual study to test its reliability and should also be
tested for its validity. If a standardized instrument is to be adopted, the name of the author of
the instrument and permission to use must be mentioned in this section. This is to avoid
plagiarism and legal suits from the author of the instrument. Whether the instrument is
researcher devised or standardized the response modes, scoring and interpretation of scores
needs to be discussed in this part of the study.
f. Validity and Reliability of the Instrument
Data quality control refers to validity and reliability of the instruments. Validity refers to the
appropriateness of the instruments while reliability refers to its consistency in measuring whatever
it is intended to measure. The researcher needs to describe how he intends to establish the validity
and reliability of the research instrument before using them. For purposes

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of triangulation more than one instrument can be used. NB: The validity and reliability
measurement should be given here.
g. Data Gathering Procedures
In this part of the study, the collection of data step by step, before, during and after the
administration of the research instrument should be described. It includes; taking an
introductory letter from the university, briefing the respondents and testing your research tools.
h. Data Analysis
This section presents how the data generated in the study are to be organized and analysed. The
technique to be used to analyse each group of data should be specified. Statistical packages for
social science (SPSS) and Excel are the most appropriate tools used to analyse your data.
i. Ethical Considerations
This refers to the moral justification of the investigation. How do you ensure the safety, social
and psychological wellbeing of the person and/or community involved in your study? This may
involve getting clearance from the ethical body/ethics committee and consent of the respondent.
Scholars whom you have quoted their information should recognized and cited their names at
the references section and as well as after the quotations.
j. Limitation of the study
This brings out the perceived factors which might affect the research in the course of the study.
It should also show the suggested methods which are supposed to deal with the problem. The
limitations should not be stated in terms of time or financial resources constraints. Researchers
are expected to plan and implement research projects within the available time and financial
resources.

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND

ANALYSIS 4.0 Introduction
It outlines the issues to be analysed in this chapter and the procedures and tools
used for this analysis.
This chapter contains a detailed description of the results obtained from the filed and
presents how it has been analysed. Tables and figures are useful in presenting the findings

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because they can summarize a lot of information in a small space. Tables and figures should
(usually) be accompanied by an explanation to highlight the contents.
One commonly used method of presenting findings is to follow the research objectives,
questions/hypotheses systematically. After a brief introduction, the researcher restates the
objectives, (hypothesis or the questions) and then presents all the findings under each objective.
They should appear in the order in which the objectives were stated, discuss possible reasons
why the results occurred and fit the findings in the context of the previous researches. This
should be done in the light of literature review. Discussion of results is about interpretation of
the findings in the context of previous research and implications of the findings. The most
important task of the researcher here is to identify and interpret major findings.

CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.0 Introduction
In summary, this introduction outlines what to be discussed in this chapter including
the sub headings under this chapter.

5.1 Findings
This is the presentations of the result that generated and derived from a reasoned
judgment of the issues raised by the study.
5.2 Conclusion
Conclusions must be based on the research objectives. A researcher must provide
conclusions basing on the findings under each objective. The conclusions should not be
numbered but presented in short and concise paragraphs each addressing an objective. There
should be as many conclusions as there are many objectives stated in chapter one.
5.3 Recommendations
Recommendations refer to the solutions produced by the research. A researcher presents the
possible solutions to the research questions or hypotheses based on the findings of the research.
The section customarily ends with a suggestion for further research. This emerges because in
the course of conducting the research, the researcher may have discovered variables that should
be investigated but which did not necessitate any additions into the already defined

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research project. The researcher should demonstrate an awareness of them and make
suggestions for their investigation.

APPENDICES

REFERENCES
A project/thesis should indicate the references of materials used in the development of the study.
The reference list at the end of the project report provides the information necessary to identify
and retrieve each source. It indicates the names of the authors, the books, and the date of
publications. APA referencing style should be used where the author/date method of citation is
applied and in which the author's last name and the year of the publication are inserted in the
actual text of the paper.

PAGE FORMAT AND LAYOUT

FONTS AND PAGE LAYOUT
The dissertation must be printed on one side of A4 white paper with 1.5 line-spacing for the
main text except for tables and figures where single-spacing may be used. 12 size fonts (Times
New Roman) should be used except for the title Page which should be set in upper case, bold,
14-font size. 10 size fonts may be used in tables and figures.
MARGINS
The top and left margin should be around 1.5 inches. The right and bottom margin around 1
inch respectively. The text alignment should be justified.
Pagination for the Preliminaries part should be done using lower case Roman figures, e.g.
(i), (ii), (iii) The Title Page should not be numbered.
PAGE NUMBERS

Page numbers should be placed on the right side at the bottom of the page. · Each page in the
dissertation, from the body onward, should be numbered in consecutive order. This includes the
text and references.

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SPELLINGS

British or American spellings may be used; as long as they are used consistently throughout the
paper. It is the student‟s responsibility to make sure that the dissertation is free of spelling and
punctuation errors.

N.B.

As a student of Africa Graduate University, you are kindly advised to print and use this
guideline when you are writing your proposal and thesis. Ensure this guideline is with you
throughout your research period. Always consult with your assigned supervisor to help you and
don‟t hesitate to him/her questions. Work with your group if you are not alone and make sure
that you are contributing to the study. Failure to work with your supervisor and group members
will automatically lead you to be out of the list of the graduating students and you may graduate
after one or two years depending on the university decision.

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