UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ASIA

A HANDBOOK FOR FINAL PROJECT

GUIDELINES FOR GRADUATE LEVEL STUDENTS

Arranged By: Syed Tanvir Hussain Kazmi (Director Academics-HICs)

47-Tufail Road, Lahore Cantt.

Tel: (042) 36672942 - 5
E-mail: info@usa.edu.pk, U.R.L: www.usa.edu.pk

INDEX
NO

DESCRIPTION

PAGE NO

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Characteristics of Good Project Paper

1.2

Specializations

THE PROJECT PAPER PROCESS

2.1

Selection of Project Topic

2.2

Scope of Work / Activities

3
3.1

ARRANGEMENT OF CONTENTS

List of Sections

GENERAL FORMAT OF WRITING PROJECT PAPER

BIBLIOGRAPHY

TABLES AND FIGURES

ANNEXURES

COVER AND SPINE

EVALUATION

9.1

Internal Evaluation

9.2

External Evaluation

9.3

Final Result Intimation

10

Annexure No-I

11

Annexure No-II (Specimen Format of Table of Contents)

11

12

Annexure No-III (Specimen Format of Declaration)

12

Project Guidelines (2014)

(Specimen Format of Title Page)

10

PREFACE
The objective of this handbook is to facilitate and guide the graduate level students
(management sciences, commerce and accounting & finance) for preparing their projects as an
essential requirement for obtaining the degree. These guidelines will play an important role to
ensure uniformity in formats of arranging contents of the project reports. The guidelines have
been prepared to serve as reference / guiding principles both for project supervisors and the
students.
This is a starting point to streamline the Project Activities, with weightage of 6 credit hours
and include the preparation of project reports. Many improvements are likely to take place
in the times to come. I, therefore, will welcome feedback from students, project supervisors,
teachers and all others who make use of this. This will help improve next edition.
Finally, I would also like to thank Mr. Khalid Iqbal and Mr. Khalid Omer for their
contribution and all those who gave valuable suggestions, ideas and input for better
presentation of the Handbook.
Use it in a practical manner!

Syed Tanvir Hussain Kazmi

Project Guidelines (2014)

1. 1NTRODUCTION:The Project Paper is an essential requirement for the award of degree. The students are expected to write a
well-articulated paper in a specific format with a length of 20,000 to 30,000 words (Approx. 75 to 100, A-4
size pages Main Report Text). It carries 6 credit hours weightage in the scheme of studies at University of
South Asia (USA) / Higher Education Commission (HEC) Syllabi.
1.1.

Characteristics of Good Project Paper

A good Project Paper should have the following characteristics:

It should demonstrate that a student is capable of conducting research, can write a critical review
of the literature, apply statistical tools to analyze data and interpret the results to
conclude / recommend.
It makes a contribution to the academic literature and business policy and / or practice.
It makes evident the link between research objectives, literature review, conceptual framework
and findings.
Its writing quality reflects that considerable effort has been invested in producing the final draft.
It is well edited and has been thoroughly checked for spelling, grammatical, punctuation and
typographical errors.

The project paper should show an overall coherence. The examiners will look for a link between one
chapter to the next, so that the logic of the connection between chapters and of the points made within the
chapters is quite clear.
These guidelines are prepared for the students and project supervisors with the intention of providing
specific and detailed particulars of procedures for preparation and submission of the Project Reports.
1.2.

Specializations
The Guidelines are equally applicable for all specializations being offered by University of South
Asia (USA) for graduate program namely Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, Management,
Accounting & Finance and Banking & Finance etc.

Please read and follow these procedures carefully to avoid unnecessary and time-consuming
revisions.

2. THE PROJECT PAPER PROCESS:2.1.

Selection of Project Topic

The project topic has to be selected with respect to the program of study and its relevance
to the specialization area, selected by the student.
Title of the Project should clearly specify the objectives and scope of the study. It should be
specific arid not a vague one.
Project topic selection has to be made in consultation with the appointed faculty member of
the department who will act as project supervisor and initially approved by HOD of the
Department followed by Final concurrence from the HICs Head Office.

Project Guidelines (2014)

2.2.

Scope of Work/Activities
The student is expected to carry out the following activities in the project:Prepare a Synopsis of the project and get it approved from the project supervisor.
Undertake a detailed literature survey on the subject matter.
Make relevant data collection / observation / experimentation.
Consult experts in the field / related to project.
Visit related organizations / institutions / industries.
Compile data in proper form / tables
Analyze the data, preferably with the help of suitable software, such as SPSS.
Make proper Conclusions / Recommendations.
Prepare Draft Project Report and submit it to Project Supervisor for detailed review.
The students may be asked to make presentation of their Drafts as a part of Review Process.
The student will prepare three (3) copies of project report in the light of reviewed draft (duly
signed by project supervisor) and standardized formats / instructions contained in this handbook.
Apart from these guidelines, the student should seek guidance from his / her project
Supervisor who will subsequently act as Internal Examiner.

ARRANGEMENT OF THE CONTENTS:-

All project papers should be divided into appropriate chapters. The following ordered list of project paper
contents is supposed to serve as a guide. Not all project papers will include all items listed below; so
students are advised to discuss this with their respective project supervisor well in advance before they
start writing the final report to avoid unnecessary changes in the final version of the project paper. This
must be finalized at review stage of the draft.
3.1.

List and Sequence of Chapters

Title Page (Hard Bound)

Specimen as per Annexure-I
Inner Title Page
Specimen as per Annexure-I
Declaration
Specimen as per Annexure-II
Dedication
(Optional)
Acknowledgement
Table of Contents
Specimen as per Annexure-III
Executive Summary (or Abstract)
(One Page)
Objectives, Scope and Limitations
(of the project)
Introduction
(Introduction to Topic/Organization/Sector selected)
Theoretical Aspects
Literature Review
Detailed Discussion and Analysis
Conclusions and Recommendations
List of Abbreviation, Symbols / Specialized Nomenclature
Bibliography (or References)
Annexure
Back Page (Hard Bound)

Note. Preliminary Pages will have Roman Numbering

Project Guidelines (2014)

4. GENERAL FORMAT OF WRITING THE PROJECT PAPER:4.1

General

Language
The language of the project paper is English.
Paper
Size:
Quality:
Color:

A4 (Standard)
Off-Set Paper of 80gm weight or more
White

Types of Printer
Students are encouraged to use a personal computer (PC) / laptop to write their project paper. Laserjet printers should be used. Dot-matrix ink-jet printers are not acceptable.
Font Size and Types
Candidates must use Time New Roman font. No other fonts are acceptable. Font size:
For Report Text, use 12 point font
For tables and figures, use 10 point
For footnotes, 10-point
Please type in bold for headings and subheadings. Headings should be typed in all upper case
letters while sub-headings are to be typed in upper and lower case letters.
Headings
Chapter headings are to be centered and written in bold, upper case letters. The font size for chapter
headings is 16 point. Other sub-headings are to be aligned to the left margin and should be 14 point
in font -size. Sub-headings should be in upper and lower-case. Underlining and boldface in the subheadings is at the student's discretion.
Paragraphs
Spacing between two paragraphs in the basic text should be set at 2.0 spaces. A heading that appears
as last line on a page will not be accepted.
Photocopying
All photocopied material must be clear, clean and sharp. Photocopied material on any page should
be numbered as part of the Project Report and should be within the margin, as required under these
Guidelines.
Line spacing
The project paper should be typed on one side of the page. The text should be Single-spaced
throughout.
Project Guidelines (2014)

Margins and Justification

Set the justification to "full" and the margins to the following measurements.
TOP
1
Inch
BOTTOM
1.5
Inch
LEFT
1.5
Inch
RIGHT
1
Inch
Page Numbering
The following plan of page numbering has been standardized and must be observed. All page numbers
should be centered at the bottom of the page. When you insert the page numbers, set your position to
"bottom" of page (footer) and alignment to "Center".
Important Notes on Plagiarism
Making proper text citations and providing accurate referencing for quotations are crucial to help ensure
that students do not intentionally or otherwise, plagiarize the work of others. Plagiarism occurs when
people "steal the words", ideas and or work that rightfully belong to others and then present these word, ideas
or work. Students are advised to pay serious attention to this matter, as it is a very serious offence to plagiarize
the work of others. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make proper documentation of the sources to
which referred to in the project paper. Students are strongly cautioned that if there is evidence that a
part or parts of a project paper has been plagiarized, university reserves the right to fail the student
concerned and to report the student to the Disciplinary Committee of the Department, for necessary
action under intellectual Property Rights Act.

5.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:-

A bibliography is an alphabetical list of sources of information used during the assignment/research report.
Gather information as possible from a variety of sources. Each source of information is listed in the
bibliography in alphabetical order.
Example of bibliography entries from different-sources of information;
The Bibliography should be single-spaced, with a font size of 12-points.
All the references cited are listed in alphabetical order. Do not number the references.

The Bibliography begins on a new page.

Heading: BIBLIOGRAPHY (centered, in upper-case letter, on the first line).

Format: The references (with hanging indent) begin on the line following the Bibliography
heading. Entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first authors. Most references
entries have three components:
I.

Source reference include title, city of publication, publisher (for book), Italic
title of books, title of periodicals, and periodical volume number.

Project Guidelines (2014)

II.

III.

Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the source, using surnames and
initials. Commas separate all authors. When there are seven or more authors, list the
first six and then use "et al." for remaining authors. If no author is identified, the title
of the document begins the reference.
Year of publication in parentheses following authors,
identified, use "n.d" in parentheses following the authors.

with

period

date

is

Examples of Sources

Encyclopedia (without author's name)

Author's name. Title of article, name of encyclopedia, year, page numbers used.

Encyclopedia (with author's Name)

Title of article, name of encyclopedia, year, page number used.

Book

Author's last name, first name (use the Latin phrase "et al" if more than three authors). Title of book, place
of publication, publisher, year, page number used.

Magazine / Journal

Author's name. Title of article, name of magazine / journal, Volume number, date of publication, page
numbers used.

Video / Television / Radio

(Title of episode in quotation marks if possible). Title of program (underlined name of network, local
station, broadcast dale, duration.

Government Pamphlet

Name of agency publication the information. Name of publication, place of publication, date of
publication, page number used.

Personal Interview

Name of person interview. Occupation, place of employment, date of Interview.

Electronic Mail (e-mail)

Author of e-mail message. Subject line of message, (online) available e-mail:

student@address.edu from author@address.edu date of message, worldwide web (WWW)
Author. Title of item, (online), available http://address /filename, date of document of download,
(The complete address of the concerned page / link should be provided).
Project Guidelines (2014)

Usenet Newsgroup

Author, title of item, (online), available usenet: group, date of post.

EXAMPLES

Binkle, Bartholomew. "Plant Growth", World Book Encyclopedia, 1997.

DiStephano, Vance. Guidelines for better Plant Growth, (online), Available http://www.usa.net.
Vanced /home/better-plant growth.html, January 9, 1997. J Farmer, Fred, Expert Gardener,
Washington State University Cooperative Extension, Sept. 8, 1996.
Heimler, Charles Hetal. Focus on Life Sciences, Colembus, Ohio, Merrill, 1984.
Kanfer, Steven. Entre-Manure-Making Money from Fertilizer, Farm Digest, 24 May 1993:71.
Photosynthesis, Goliers Encyclopedia, 1997.
Plants. Videotape. National Geographic Video, 1985. 60 min.

6. TABLES AND FIGURES:Use font size 10-point and single spacing. Number all tables and figures with Arabic numerals in the
order in which the tables are first mentioned in the text. Title of the tables and figures must be placed
on the top. Charts and graphs must be centered. Source(s) of data must be placed at the bottom left of
the tables and figures, printed in the font size 10-point. Please refer to the example given.
Table 1: Car Sales, Selected World Markets, 1991-97

SEA-4
Japan
NAFTA
Western Europe
World

1991
621
4868
9445
13500
33432

UNITS (,OOO)
Growth (%)
1994
261
4210
10154
11934
33359

1997
585
4492.
9333
13408
36161

GROWTH
1991-97
34.0
-1.3
2.0
-0.1
1.3

*Source: IMF (1999)

7- ANNEXURES:All annexure should be placed after the bibliography. This section will depend on the contents of the
individual project report. It contains supplementary illustrative materia l, original data, and quotations
too long for inclusion and not immediately essential to an understanding of the subject. This section may
be divided into sub-sections, such as Annex 1, etc. with appropriate titles. Any figures or tables included
in the annexure should be numbered and captioned.

8. COVER AND SPINE: Cover

The information printed on the cover must be with gold-colored letters of 16 points font size and must
be in the following order.
Project Guidelines (2014)

 Title
The TITLE of the project paper appears at the top of the cover. It should include meaningful keywords
descriptive of the subject ad content.
Formulate, symbols, superscripts, Greeks, letters, acronyms and abbreviated forms in general are to be spelled
out.
DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT SCIENCES FOLLOWED BY University of South Asia (USA), appear in
full upper-case letters at the bottom of the page,
The top and bottom margin for the cover should be 1.5 inches. All information printed on the cover must be
centered,
Specimen Format is attached as Annexure No. l
Spine
Information printed on the spine must be with gold-colored letters of 16 point font size, and must be in the
following order:

Name of Student along with Registration No. e.g Atif Aslam (M-0000001)
Acronym of the name of the degree along with specialization e.g. MBA (Marketing)
Session e.g. (2010-2014)
Acronym of the name of the University i.e. University of South Asia

The top and bottom margins of the spine should be 1.5 inches.

Review / Draft Check

The first submission of one copy of the project report draft for review purposes should preferably be in
temporary ring binding. It will be thoroughly checked & reviewed by project supervisor. Student may be asked
to make presentation as -part of review.

Binding

After approval of the Draft, final submission of the project report must be in permanent Hard
Cover Binding. The color of the cover shall be as follows:Navy Blue
Any queries about the shade of color or the kind of cover or binding should be referred to the Project
Supervisor.

9. EVALUATION:Project Paper is treated as a course / paper of study, carrying 6 credit hours. It is will be evaluated by
Internal Examiner and by an External Examiner.

Project Guidelines (2014)

9.1. Internal Evaluation

The Project Supervisor will be the Internal Examiner.

Internal Evaluation will carry 50% weightage of Total Marks with following Break-up:

Overall Involvement of Student

10%
Quality of Work
10%
Preparation of Report
10%
Presentation
10%
Viva Voce (Internal) __________________________ 10%
Total
50% Marks

The Internal Assessment will be done by the Examiner on an Internal Assessment Form, based upon above
Criteria.
9.2. External Evaluation
Director Academics or his nominee will be authorized to conduct external assessment (presentation/viva
voce) of the project paper. 50% Marks will be reserved for such evaluation. The external examiner will
follow same criteria with the points detailed under paragraph 9.1 above; however, with different percentages
on the discretion of the Director Academics.
9.3. Final Result Intimation
Based upon the marks obtained by the student in internal and external evaluation, the final result of the
project paper will be sent on a prescribed format to the Controller of Examinations. It will be signed by
internal examiner and external examiner (duly signed).

Project Guidelines (2014)

Annexure No. I

(SPECIMEN FORMAT OF "TITLE PAGE - HARD BOUND)

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ASIA

Department Of Management Sciences

<COMPLETE TITLE OF A PROJECT IN CAPITAL LETTERS>

<PROGRAM (Specialization), Session (20__ - 20__)>
Submitted by:
<Name of Student>

<Registration No.>
Submitted to:

<Name of Supervisor>
<Name of Head of Department>

Project Advisor
Head of Department

______________________________________________________
47-Tufail Road, Lahore Cantt.
Tel: (042) 36672942 - 5
E-mail: info@usa.edu.pk, U.R.L: www.usa.edu.pk
Project Guidelines (2014)

10

Annexure No. II
(SPECIMEN FORMAT OF "TABLE OF CONTENTS")

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Sr. No.
(i)
Inner Title Page

DESCRIPTION

(ii)

Declaration

(iii)

Dedication

(iv)

Acknowledgement

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY / ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

2.1

Research Question / Research Statement

2.2

Objectives, Scope and Limitations of Project / Research

2.3

Research Type & Methodology

2.4

Introduction of Topic

2.5

Introduction of relevant Sector / Industry

2.6

Information of related Organization(s)

LITERATURE REVIEW

3.1

Listing of Reports on Similar or alike Topics

THEORETICAL ASPECTS

4.1

Relevant Theory

4.2

Glossary of Terms and Definitions

ANALYSIS AND DETAILED DISCUSSION

5.1

Analysis of Sector / Industry

5.2

Analysis of Organization

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

6.1

Findings

6.2

Conclusion

6.3

Recommendations & Suggestions

BIBLIOGRAPHY / REFERENCES

ANNEXURES

Project Guidelines (2014)

Page No.

11

Annexure No. III

(SPECIMEN FORMAT OF "DECLARATION")

DECLARATION
I declare that this study submitted for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration /
Master of Business Administration has not already been accepted in substance for any degree,
and is not being concurrently submitted in candidature for any degree.

Signed.

I also declare that this study submitted for the Degree of Bachelor of Business Administration /
Master of Business Administration is the result of my own work and investigations. Wherever
possible I have acknowledged the authors of references used and of views expressed which are
other than my own.

Signed.

Project Guidelines (2014)

12