Writing a Thesis or Dissertation the PUP Way

The PUP manual sets common standards for writing theses and dissertations. Its goal is to help students produce original research and present it clearly and correctly.

Students are expected to choose a topic that fits the program research agenda of the University. They must also follow the manual instead of copying the format of another paper.

The college or graduate school may reject a manuscript that does not follow the guidelines. Students are also responsible for grammar, punctuation, and spelling, and the University requires help from a professional editor.

A thesis or dissertation proposal begins with preliminaries such as the Title Page, Table of Contents, and lists of tables or figures when needed.

For both quantitative and qualitative studies, Chapter 1 covers the problem and its setting. Common parts include the introduction, statement of the problem, theoretical framework, conceptual framework, scope and limitations, and significance of the study.

Chapter 2 is the review of literature and studies. It should follow a thematic organization and end with a synthesis.

Chapter 3 is methodology. Its format may differ by program and by research type. Some programs use sections like method of research, respondents, instrument, and data-gathering procedure, while qualitative work may include tradition of inquiry, sources of data, instrumentation, and ethical considerations.

For graduate programs, application starts after passing the comprehensive examinations. The researcher submits the proposal to the Program Chair, who recommends the adviser and panel of examiners to the Dean.

After the proposal is approved, the researcher enrolls in the Thesis or Dissertation Writing course and pays the needed fees, including the originality check processing fee.

Once enrolled, the required copies are submitted to the Program Chair. The Dean then endorses the proposal to the Thesis/Dissertation Evaluation Committee.

The defense process has three stages: Proposal Presentation, Pre-oral Defense, and Oral Defense.

In the Proposal Presentation, the student presents the proposal to the Thesis/Dissertation Evaluation Committee. The student receives recommendations for revision.

In the Pre-oral Defense, the completed research is presented after Chapters 4 and 5 are finished and endorsed. Required copies and proof of payment must be submitted at least seven days before the schedule.

In the Oral Defense, the student presents the revised work after complying with pre-oral recommendations. A Panel on Oral Examination conducts the final evaluation and gives comments for the final copy.

The full manuscript includes preliminaries, the main chapters, references, and appendices.

The preliminaries include the Copyright Page, Title Page, Certification-and-Approval Sheet, Acknowledgments, Certification of Originality, Abstract, Table of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures.

The main text usually has Chapter 1 to Chapter 5. These cover the problem and setting, review of literature and studies, methodology, results and discussion, and summary of findings, conclusions, and recommendations.

The manuscript ends with references and appendices such as the instrument, correspondence, originality check, certification of statistical treatment, certification of editing, and biographical statement.

The final copy must be printed on one side of a standard-sized PUP template, 8.5 x 11 inches, using a laser printer.

The required font is 11-point Arial, except when a large table needs compression. The text is double-spaced. Long quotations and some special materials are single-spaced.

Margins should be 1.5 inches on the left and 1 inch on the top, bottom, and right.

Preliminaries use lowercase Roman numerals at the bottom center. The text, references, and appendices use Arabic numerals. The first page of each chapter is counted but not numbered.

The abstract is a short summary of the study. It includes the main objective, method, major findings, conclusions or arguments, and recommendations. It must not exceed 250 words.

The abstract page also includes the title, researcher’s name, degree, institution, year of completion, and adviser’s name. At least five keywords are required.

The Table of Contents must list the preliminaries, chapter titles, main headings, references, and appendices. Titles and wording should match the text exactly.

In the Definition of Terms section, only variables or key terms in the study should be defined. Terms should be arranged alphabetically. Definitions may be operational or theoretical.

The review of literature and studies should be organized by theme. A synthesis of the reviewed literature and studies should appear at the end of the chapter.

The manual states that, except for classical theories and other relevant literature, sources in the review should have been published or written at least ten years before the current study. It also gives minimum numbers of studies for undergraduate, master's, and doctoral work.

Tables and figures must be numbered continuously. Every table needs a number and title. Large tables may use landscape layout or a smaller Arial font, with a minimum of 8 points if needed.

For citation, the manual requires APA style using the author-date system. For direct quotations, include the page number.