MA-MBA Project Paper Guidebook

GUIDE TO DISSERTATION/PROJECT PAPER WRITING
MASTERS PROGRAMMES
ADAPTED FROM
ASSIGNMENT AND PROJECT P APER GUIDEBOOK
Writing and presenting the academic assignment and project paper
for Masters Degree Students [Document Number 90-60-00]
Document Number: 90-60-87
Non Commercial and Educational Use only
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................1
GENERAL GUIDELINE .....................................................................................................4
GENERAL PROCESSES.....................................................................................................6
Idea Paper ......................................................................................................................... . 8
Research Proposal............................................................................................................... . 9
Research Problem and Goal ..................................................................................................................................... 9
Relevance, Significance, and Literature Review ......................................................................................................... 9
Barriers and Issues................................................................................................................................................ 10
Approach .............................................................................................................................................................. 10
Project Plan .......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Annotated Bibliography.......................................................................................................................................... 10
Reference List ....................................................................................................................................................... 10
Final Research Proposal ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Research Effort ................................................................................................................. . 12

Dissertation Drafting .......................................................................................................... 13
Defence ........................................................................................................................... . 14
SPECIFIC FORMS ..........................................................................................................15
Research Proposal.............................................................................................................. 16
Sample Proposal Title Page ................................................................................................. 18
DISSERTATION GENERAL FORMAT ..............................................................................19
Sample Layout ................................................................................................................... 21
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 001: DISSERTATION GENERATION ........................................................................................................................... 6
FIGURE 002: TYPICAL RESEARCH PROCESS ........................................................................................................................ 12
FIGURE 003: SAMPLE OF PROPOSAL TITLE PAGE ................................................................................................................. 18
FIGURE 004: SAMPLE OF DISSERTATION TITLE PAGE. .......................................................................................................... 21
FIGURE 005: SAMPLE OF ABSTRACT PAGE LAYOUT. ............................................................................................................. 22
FIGURE 006: SAMPLE OF MAIN BODY PAGE ........................................................................................................................ 23
FIGURE 007: SAMPLE OF FINAL BOOK COVER PAGE ............................................................................................................. 24
FIGURE 008: SAMPLE OF DISSERTATION DECLARATION PAGE ................................................................................................. 25
APPENDIX A:
APPENDIX B:
DISSERTATION REGISTRATION FORM A

DISSERTATION REGISTRATION FORM B

Introduction
The purpose of this guidebook is to assist, facilitate and guide Limkokwing
University of Creative Technology (hereinafter referred to LUCT) students
pursuing their Masters Degree programmes in documenting and presenting their
dissertation. It is an attempt to compile and share some of the vast knowledge
and ideas put forward by many experts in this subject and adapting to LUCTs
environment and requirements. The Academic Committee believes that this
guidebook will serve as an important starting point for postgraduate students
to prepare and present creative, innovative and quality academic documents.
It also acts as an easy and mutually useful reference to supervisors and
examiners.
The universally accepted standard technical terms commonly used in research
discipline are retained while other terms peculiar to the research context are the
prerogatives of the researcher. However, such freedom must be within the
acceptable boundary of academic research.
Masters degree students are required to write a well-articulated paper in the
form of dissertation as part fulfillment for them to graduate.
The length of these papers varies in terms of length and number of words
depending on the programme the students are pursuing. As a general rule, the
number of words for MBA Dissertation is 30,000 words; while the Master
Dissertation is 50,000 words.
Some of the material in this unit is adapted from Woodward-Kron, R. (1997) Writing in Commerce: a guide to assist Commerce students with
assignment writing, (Revised edition), Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, The University of Newcastle, pp. 25-31. Material
extracted from University of Wollongong http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/rep_business.html viewed December 25 2009. Refer to Main
Document No 90-00-00 for full bibliography list.
Page 1
Any intellectual or academic effort will go through a widely accepted phases,

namely:
Thinking or Conceptualizing
Preparing the Idea Paper and the Research Proposal
Conducting the actual Research
Writing the Dissertation
Sharing the Research Outcomes
Revising or Refining the Dissertation
Submitting the final completed Dissertation
Defending the Dissertation
Submitting t h e f i n a l D i s s e r t a t i o n a f t e r i n c o r p o r a t i n g
s u g g e s t i o n s received from the defence.
the
Indeed, students always asked the importance of such requirement and why
they are frequently subjected to such despair. There are number of reasons as to
why L U C T i s p u r s u i n g t h i s p a t h . Although n o n -exhaustive, t h e l i s t
below represents why Dissertation is crucial at LUCT.
It the case of Dissertation, it develops and enhances the individual

students writing competencies.
It harnesses creative thinking amongst students that are much needed in
the real business world.
It provides the lecturers, supervisors, academic committee and examiners
with an instrument for assessing students competency levels.
Producing a Dissertation at LUCT is not as difficult as it seems. Students need

only to conform to the LUCTs requirements that are also the universally
accepted general requirements of the academic world.
It is in the best interest of the students to fully comprehend and understand
these requirements to avoid unnecessary, costly and time-consuming revisions.
Always bear in mind that, a dissertation is indeed an individual students product.
The quality of such product will tell the customers, in this case the examiners
and academic committee, the quality of the student.

Page 2
On the same premise, not limited to, the following are attributes of a good
dissertation:
The dissertation clearly demonstrates the students ability to undertake a

research exercise. The output (dissertation) includes critical reviews of the
literatures, applying appropriate research methods and tools in analysing
the data and interpreting the results into useful information.
The dissertation makes significant contribution to the academic knowledge
as well as to the business practice.
The dissertation is written using a concise and simple language that can
be easily understood by the readers.
The dissertation shows an overall coherence, between chapters and the
connections between chapters and the ideas put forward; and clearly
written in a smooth and logical manner.
The format and layout of the paper conform to the LUCTs requirements.
It is well edited, thoroughly checked for spelling, grammatical and
typographical errors.
Text citations and references conform to the Harvard referencing style.

Page 3
General Guideline
The work must be in English. However, a brief quotation in language other than
English is permitted. The length of dissertation for Masters Degree, excluding
the front and back matters, are as follow:
MBA Dissertation is 30,000 words;

Master Dissertation is 50,000 words.
The work must be submitted in condition appropriate for preservation in LUCTs

library and there shall be no restriction whatsoever for the access to the
academic paper.
All statements, citations and must be clearly indicated and properly referenced.
The work must be original and students are required to sign-off the declaration
form attached at the front for the final submitted dissertation.
All work must be either type written or printed in letter-quality prints on a white
A4 size paper of not less than 80 grams weight. The use of colour paper is only
allowed as separators, if the student so wishes.
The Final draft dissertation submitted for review by the academic must in three
(3) sets and properly comb-bind.
The Final Dissertation after defence must be in a book bind using black
coloured hardcover for both front and back.

Page 4
The type setting must be at least one and a half (1) spacing for using 12
points Arial or Tahoma fonts, with the following page set up:
Left Margin
Right Margin
Top and bottom spaces
3.81cm or 1
2.54cm or 1
2.54cm or 1
For Microsoft word users, these can be easily set from the File>Page Set up
menu as shown in the image below.
Only single sided printing is allowed and pages must be consecutively numbered
with proper table of contents, figures, tables.
It is crucial for all students to conform to all the requirements set as expanded
later in this guide.

Page 5
General Processes
In the case of dissertation arising from research proposals, the processes are
commonly rigorous. Illustrated in figure 001 is a typical process in general.
Students must refer to the detail descriptions in this guidebook and familiarise
themselves thoroughly with the full requirements and restrictions.
Figure 001: Dissertation generation
The dissertation is a partial fulfillment for students to graduate from the Project
Management Masters degree programme. It is commonly practiced that for
dissertation; students are free to propose their research topic of interest within
their stream.

Page 6
The generally accepted processes for dissertation are as described below:
Students are encouraged to prepare an Idea Paper. The purpose of

Idea Paper is to enable student to clarify their research intent and to
solicit appropriate supervisor for their research effort.
The completed Idea Paper is then submitted to principal lecturer for
acceptance and appointment of appropriate lecturer to supervise the
students.
Once, Idea Paper is accepted and supervisor established, students are
required to prepare a Research Project Proposal basing on their areas
of interest.
Students are encouraged to comprehend thoroughly the research area
proposed and the desired outcomes.
Students are expected to perform a literature search and to conduct
critical reviews of relevant literatures prior drafting the Research
Project Proposal.
Students can only proceed with their research proper when their
proposal is accepted and approved. It is in the students best interest
that they conduct a reasonable amount of research work, with
sufficient depth and breadth of the chosen topic for their research
proposal to be accepted and approved.
Once the proposal is accepted and approved, students can initiate their
research effort. Throughout the research exercise, students are
expected to be rigorous in every phase of the research. Appraisals,
analysis and opinions have to be intellectually discussed and
supported.
Once the submission draft is complete, students are to submit three
(3) copies of their Final Draft Dissertation by the stipulated deadline
accompanied by the relevant form. Be advised that students will be
penalised for late submission.
Students are to defend their research effort before an academic
defence panel or committee for their acceptance, which will be
arranged by the faculty.
The assigned examiner(s) will assess the academic papers, the
academic presentations (defence) and grade the students accordingly.
Students are advised to be thoroughly familiar with the processes in producing

their Final Dissertation to avoid disappointments and to attend any relevant
seminars or classes to enhance their skills.

Page 7
Idea Paper
The purpose of an idea paper is twofold; firstly, to conceptualise and clarify the
students research intent and secondly, to identify and matches appropriate
supervisor for the students.
An idea paper is generally less than ten pages document. It contains a short
description of the research topic, the research motives, its significance, proposed
research outcome, proposed supervisor name or specialisation, and list of
proposed literatures sources.
Students are encouraged to discuss the idea paper with their proposed
supervisor prior submission for acceptance. In the case where there is no
suitable supervisor, students are to discuss their idea paper with their lecturers
and or the principal lecturers in moving forward. Once the idea paper is
accepted, a research proposal can be initiated.

Page 8
Research Proposal
The research proposal is the first important step in any academic research effort.
Generally about 25 40 pages in length and written in the future tense.
A full literature search is not required at this stage; however, an annotated
bibliography must be prepared and included in the proposal covering the
material relevant to the proposed area of interest or topic. The relationship
between the proposed topic and the literature reviewed should be discussed in
this proposal.
Research Problem and Goal

This section describe the Research Problem that need to be addressed (why this
research effort is being undertaken) and a concise description of research goal
(what the research effort will accomplish).
Both research problem and goal must be supported by evidence from the
literature search. Effort must be made to define a goal that is measurable, that
is, the faculty must be able to use the goal statement to determine whether the
research project is successfully completed. Therefore, the goal contained in the
research proposal should be measurable.
Poorly written research problem and goal measurement can be the basis for
rejection. If students not able to justify the motives of their research effort, then
the student do not have the basis for a project paper.
Relevance, Significance, and Literature Review

Any academic research effort must have relevance to the situation described,
and contribute in a significant way to the advancement of body of knowledge,
improve professional practice, and /or contribute to understanding of issues
described. Where possible, the project paper is worthy of publication in a journal
or conference proceeding in the area or as a textbook or monograph.
An extensive critical review of literature is not required at this stage, but a brief
review and discussion of the literature must be included in the proposal. An
annotated bibliography is necessary covering the literatures relevant to the
proposed research areas. See annotated bibliography section below for
amplification.

Page 9
Barriers and Issues

In this section, students are to discuss any major issues or problems that they
might face during the research effort, and the expected degree of difficulties in
resolving them.
Approach
Students are expected to discuss, in details how they intent to accomplish the
research goal. A list of major steps to be taken, in sequence that must be taken
to accomplish the research goal.
Project Plan
Student are required to prepare a plan to include (i) activities or task that need
to be accomplished, including a list of major milestones, with dates or
timeframes; (ii) resources, both human and non-human that are required to
perform or support the research effort. Students are suggested to attend any
seminar or classes on project management to enhance their skills.
Annotated Bibliography
Students are recommended to conduct both physical and computer search.
Physical library resources should be at least 30 items out of which 70 percent (21
items) derived from related journals and 30 percent (9 items) from related
books. However, students are reminded that these annotations must be theirs
and not those obtained from publications abstract. The relationships of the
identified literature and its relevance to the topic must be discussed.
Reference List
A list of references must be prepared and cited in the proposal. However, only
those cited and referred-to in the proposal can be included. For those not cited
or referred to must be excluded for the list.

Page 10
Final Research Proposal

The finalised research proposal is a formal document that provides the
framework and supports the students research effort. The document must state
clearly the fundamental concepts and theories to the study; with concise and
accurate research problem; that is, specific and measurable goals are specified;
a thorough literature review is presented; the methods for conducting the
research are delineated; and strategies to achieve the research goal is given.
Generally, the proposal is written in the future tense and a well formulated
proposal acts as a blueprint for generating the final dissertation.
Evaluation of research proposal is generally based on the content and clarity of
the introduction, literature review, procedures, expectations, and the
effectiveness with which the document is organised and planned. Factors
affecting the evaluation process include the purpose, significance, merit of the
investigation and the appropriateness of procedures chosen to meet the goal.
Students are advised to engage their supervisors frequently during the proposal
drafting.

Page 11
Research Effort
Figure 002 typically describe the overall research process. However, students are
reminded that such process does not occur in a logically sequenced manner, as
there will be many inductions and deductions occurring during the research
cycle. It is imperative that students to understand the research cycle and
processes during the class discussions and or tutorials.
Figure 002: Typical Research Process
Attending the course MBI 1113 Advanced Research Methodology will ensure students
to fully comprehend the research effort. The rationale for the course is to provide students wide
range of possible approaches to conducting research or consultancy studies which vary in terms of
the kinds of questions they seek to answer and the methods used to provide answers. As future
managers, participants often need to rely on research-based information. In order to make proper
use of such material and to ensure that any decisions made on the basis of research findings are
soundly based, it is necessary to know the strengths and weaknesses of the methods and techniques
used.

Page 12
Dissertation Drafting
Thanks to the marvel of modern technology, dissertation drafting is now a
painless undertaking. Availability of powerful word-processing software, such as
Microsoft Word has made document generation and editing easy. The only
barrier to producing an excellent project paper is the person doing it!
Students are reminded that documents such as their Final Dissertation is not
something they can take lightly. There is never such thing as last minute
generation of Dissertation and burning the midnight oil.
Drafting must start as early as the research effort itself. The research proposal
can be a good starting point and to be later expanded in a full dissertation
document.
There will be many iterations and revisions. Every chapter can be written in
simple paragraphs or bullet points for a start and can be later recomposed into
proper phrases and paragraphs.
Since there will be many re-writes and versions, students are encouraged to
keep track of the changes and backing up of files is important. A last minute
computer hard drive failure can be disastrous for student.
Text can be written in both US English and UK English; students must choose
either one of the text style and must be consistent throughout the paper.
Students are required to keep track of their sources and references. Annotate
those references using Harvard Referencing System, early in drafting and keep
building the reference list. Do not by any chance, leave it to the last minute, as
there will swamps of paperwork during the final paper generation. Keep all the
relevant documentations organised!

Page 13
Defence
Defence is a generally a formal presentation of the students research work.
Students are required to prepare a thirty (30) minutes presentation on their
research work. Depending on the research topic and the question and answer
session, the duration of defence varies.
The main purpose of defence is to asses the students overall understanding of
the research effort. It also serves as a platform for examiners to engage or
discuss the whole research effort with the students.
Defence is not something to be taken lightly. Do not attempt to prepare the
defence at the last minute. Students must make every effort to present their
research effort within the time allocated in a concise manner. It is in the best
interest of the students to prepare all material themselves and be thoroughly
familiar with the material they use.

Page 14
Specific Forms
In managing academic papers, forms are used for many reasons. It has been
widely accepted that forms:
Serve as a tracking and monitoring tool for the students as well as the
dissertations progress.
Serve as evidence for the required reviews and approvals.
Serve as evidence for the required declaration of students work
concerning copyright and plagiarism.
Due to the varying programs and differing type of forms used within LUCT,
students must use the correct form for their respective effort as mentioned in
this guidebook. Typically, the following list represents some of the commonly
used forms.
Submission Forms: This form is to be used when submitting the

Dissertation
Declaration Forms: This form serves as declaration that the work
submitted is students original work and all references are cited
accordingly
Distribution Authorisation Forms: This form allows LUCT to deposit,
archive and distribute the students work as deemed necessary.
Assessment and Grading Forms: This form is purely meant to be used
by examiners in grading the students work.
For Master, students are required to use the specific form as stated below for all
Dissertation work.
1.
Masters Project Paper Registration Form A For All MA & MBA students
(except MA Project Management and MBA Project Management)
2. Masters Project Paper Registration Form B For MA Project Management and MBA
Project Management

Page 15
Research Proposal
The outline for the Final Research Proposal can be described as follows.
However, not all of the sections outlined here may be appropriate for all projects.
Students are to engage their supervisor while drafting the proposal.
Front Matter
Title Page: The title page includes the exact title of the project, date
of submission, the student's name, and name of the student's Masters.
The title must clearly state the topic of the project, reflects the scope
and content of the investigation. No page number is placed on the title
page.
Form: Master Dissertation Registration
Abstract: Preferably a one-paged brief summary of the research
purpose and content of the proposal. The abstract includes the
problem statement, a description of procedures or methodology, and
an account of expectations. The abstract shall be within 350 words in
length and written in future tense. Page number ONE in roman (i) is
placed at the bottom centre of the abstract page.
Table of Contents: The table of contents includes entries for the
abstract, list of tables, list of figures, chapters with their numbers and
titles, main headings and subheadings, appendices, and reference list.
The title of each entry in the table of contents corresponds to the title
listed in the respective text. Each listing specifies a page number
indicating where it is located. A separate list of tables and list of
figures are used if the document contains two or more tables and
figures.
List of Tables
List of Figures
Page numbers on the abstracts, table of contents, lists of tables or figures, and
any other front matter of the proposal is printed in lower case roman numerals
centred at the bottom of the page. All other pages in the proposal are numbered
in Arabic numerals and printed in the lower right of the page.

Page 16
Chapter 1: Introduction
Statement of the problem to be investigated and goal to be achieved

Relevance, significance and need for the study
Barriers and issues
Elements, hypotheses, theories, or research questions to be
investigated
Limitations and delimitations of the study
Definition of terms
Summary
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
Historical overview of the theory and research literature

The theory and research literature specific to the topic
Summary of what is known and unknown about the topic
The contribution this study will make to the field
Chapter 3: Methodology
Research method(s) to be employed

Specific procedures to be employed
Formats for presenting results
Expected outcomes
Resource requirements
Reliability and validity
Summary
Chapter 4: Discussion of Expectations
Anticipated benefits
Expected outcomes
Practical applications of the findings
Constraints and limitations of the study
Recommendations for future research
Contributions to the field of study and advancement of knowledge
Back Matter
Appendices
List of Source and References in accordance to Harvard referencing
system.

Page 17
Sample Proposal Title Page

Figure 003 shows a sample of the proposals title page. This is to be submitted
with FORM PGC MDR 01 20120101. Please note the layout dimensions,
font sizes, typeface and required content.
Figure 003: Sample of Proposal Title Page
2.54cm
or 1
A Research Proposal for An Empirical Study on Factors
Influencing The Project Success in Malaysian Companies
2.54c
2.54cm
or 1
m
3.81cm
or 1
Fonts: Arial Size: 14

points, single spacing
and page centered.

Fonts:
p ints, single
pooints,
singlespacing
spacing
page
a d pageannd
centered.
centered.
Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Professional Development

Centre
Limkokwing
for Postgraduate
University ofStudies
Creative
& Technology
ProfessionalOctober
Development
2013
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology October 2013
2.54cm
2.54cm
or 1

Page 18
Dissertation General Format

Due to the varying programs and differing type of academic papers produced
within LUCT, students must use the correct guidebook for full requirements and
restrictions. However, it has been widely accepted in the academic world, the
general format for academic papers are as follows:
Front Matter
Front matter comprises of pages and documentations required by the program,
for example (not in proper order), the cover page, title page, approval form,
declaration form, distribution authorization form, table of content pages, list of
figures, tables and abbreviations (if necessary), abstract page and
acknowledgement (if student wishes to do so).
Main Body
The main body represents the crux of the academic paper. Depending on the
program attended by the student, in general, the main body comprises of five
(5) chapters, namely:
The purpose of this chapter is to set the stage for the paper to the readers in
general terms. It generally states the purpose, objectives and scope of the
paper. In dissertation writing, this usually states the research problems, issues,
hypotheses that will be examined and generally, sub-sections are included in
writing the introduction chapter of dissertation for ease of paper organization
and increasing the readability.
Chapter 2: Literature Reviews
There are many reasons on why literature reviews are carried out. Literature
reviews assist students to expand the current body of knowledge in terms of
content and context of area under study. It also assists students to define
problems and to support the empirical and theoretical bases for the research.
This chapter is also used to surface any limitations and expansion of previous
research work conducted on the topic under study.

Page 19
Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology

This chapter describes the exact steps undertaken by student in preparing their
dissertation. It is the aim of this chapter to provide readers and students alike, a
complete description in details of the specific steps to be followed and to
replicate the study, if necessary. The usual sub-sections in this chapter will vary,
depending on whether the research is quantitative or qualitatively in nature.
Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings
This chapter describes in details how data were analysed and the considerations
made in making deductions. Although qualitative and quantitative data analysis
and findings may differ, students have to bear in mind that, the output
presented in this chapter is all about making sense, may it be for conceptual
deductions or hypothesis testing.
Chapter 5: Discussions, Conclusions and Recommendations
This chapter can be difficult for many students especially for conclusion. Unlike
qualitative and or technical study, the realm of project management and
practices is full of non-conclusiveness. Students are encouraged to discuss or to
summarise the study more rather than to conclude. This chapter can be used to
integrate and interpret the study by comparing to the earlier stated objectives,
purpose and scope as mentioned in Chapter 1, Introduction. The limitations of
study and recommendations for future research can be highlighted in this
chapter.
The above chapters outline is merely a suggestion basing on the generally
accepted work in academic writing. However, students may decide on using
specific title of each chapter of their dissertation depending on their individual
style, area of research etc. It is always useful for the student to discuss with
their supervisor on the structure or organisation of the project paper or thesis
before writing commences.
Back Matter
Back matter comprises of pages and documentations required by the program
and further information used to support the main body. Examples of materials
provided in back matter are (not in proper order) the appendixes, indexes (if
required) and bibliography (a must in academic writing).

Page 20
Sample Layout
Figure 004 is a sample of how the Dissertation TITLE PAGE must be formatted.
Note the layout, spacing and fonts requirements for students Final submission.
Figure 004: Sample of Dissertation Title Page.
2.54cm
or 1
An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing The Project

Success in Malaysian Companies from 2000 2010
2.54cm
2.54c
or 1
3.81cm
m
or 1

and page centered.
Fonts:
F
onts: Arial Size: 12
points,
and page centered.
and
Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Professional Development

Centre
Limkokwing
for Postgraduate
University ofStudies
Creative
& Professional
Technology October
Development
2013
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology October 2013
2.54cm
2.54cm
or 1

Page 21
Figure 005 is a sample of ABSTRACT PAGE layout, spacing and fonts

requirements for students Final Dissertation.
Figure 005: Sample of Abstract Page Layout.
2.54cm
or 1
3.81cm
or 1
An Abstract of Dissertation submitted to Faculty of Business and

Globalisation, Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in
Partial Fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of
Project Management
An Empirical
EmpiricalStudy
Studyon
onFactors
FactorsInfluencing
InfluencingThe
The Project
ProjectSuccess
SuccessininMalaysian
Malaysian
An
Companies from 2000 2010
by
Rachael Ngabe
October 2014

and page centered.
s: Arial Size: 12
Fonts:
Font
points,
and page centered.
Fonts:
Font s: Arial Size: 12
poinnts,
singlespacing
poi ts, single
Not
spacing
and justified.
and justified.
Not
excceeding
350
ex eeding
350 words
words
2.54cm
or 1

2
2.54cm
or
o 1
Lower case roman

numerals center
center
of page for page
numbering
Page 22
Figure 006 is a sample of MAIN BODY PAGE layout, spacing and fonts
requirements for students Final Dissertation.
Figure 006: Sample of Main body page
2.54cm
or 1
3.81cm
or 1
2.54cm
2.54cm
or 1
Arabic
Arabic numerals
numerals for
page numbering
Fonts: Arial
Arial or
or Tahoma,
Tahoma,
Size: 12
12 points
pointsand
and1
1
spacing.
2.54cm
or 1
Source: Faisal 2006(b)

Page 23
Figure 007 is a sample of dissertation BOOK COVER PAGE layout, spacing and
fonts requirements for students Final Dissertation submission.
Figure 007: Sample of Final Book Cover Page
2.54cm
or 1
5.08cm
or 2
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON FACTORS INFLUENCING

THE PROJECT SUCCESS IN MALAYSIAN
COMPANIES FROM 2000 2010
3.81cm
m
or 1
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON FACTORS INFLUENCING

INFLUENCING
THE PROJECT
PROJECT SUCCESS
SUCCESSININMALAYSIAN
MALAYSIANCOMPANIES
COMPANIES
FROM 2000 2010
Fonts:: Arial
Fonts
Arial Size:
Size: 16
16 points,
points,
ALL CAPTIAL, single
spac ng and page centered.
spaciing
centered.
RACHAEL NGABE
Fonts: Arial Size: 14, points,

CAPTAL, single spacing
ALL CAPTAL,
and centered.
centere d.
2014
2.54cm
or 1

2.54cm
2.5
or 1
Fonts:
Fonts: Arial Size:
Size: 14,
14,points,
points,
ALL CAPTAL,
CAPTAL, single
single spacing
spacing
and page centered.
RACHAEL NGABE
MANAGEMENT
MASTER OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT
FACULTY
FACULTY OF
OF BUSINESS
BUSINESS AND
AND GLOBALISATION
GLOBALISATION
OF CREATIVE
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY
LIMKOKWING UNIVERSITY OF
OCTOBER 2014
2014
2.54cm
or 1
Page 24
Figure 008 is a sample of dissertation DECLARATION PAGE layout, spacing and

fonts requirements for students Final Dissertation submission.
Figure 008: Sample of Dissertation Declaration Page
End of Guidebook

Page 25
APPENDIX A
FORM PGC
Master Dissertation Registration Form A
For MA Project Management & MBA Project Management

CENTRE FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MASTER DISSERTATION REGISTRATION FORM
IMPORTANT INFORMATION before filling the form; please read and understands them carefully.
1. All fields in this form are required fields; please fill in all the required information.
2. You are advised to seek a lecturers advice before proceeding with the submission.
3. You are to submit the Dissertation Registration Form to Centre of Postgraduate Studies once you
have completed the necessary modules.
4. You must plan for a suitable timeframe from the official approval date to complete the Dissertation.
5. The Centre will use candidates e-mail addresses for all official communication regarding your
research project. It is the candidates responsibility to monitor this email account regularly.
6. This registration form must be accompanied by all relevant hardcopies of your material.
7. Submit the completed form to Centre of Postgraduate Studies at each stage of your Dissertation
process.
8. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the Dissertation guidebook is read and
understood.
9. Please ensure all the checklist items are completed. Centre of Postgraduate Studies reserves the
rights to reject any incomplete submissions.
1. Student Details
Student Name
Program
Student Number
Specialisation
Current email address
Intake
Master of
Current house
address
Contact Number
(mobile)
(house)
(others)
2. Modules Attended
1
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Have you attended Advanced Research Methodology Course (MBI 1113)
Yes
Have you read and understood the Project Management Programme Dissertation
Guidebook?
Yes
Limkokwing University of Creative Technology

Form MA/MBA Project Management Dissertation Registration
Form No: PGC MDR 01 20120101 z
No
No
page 1 of 5

3.:
Idea Paper
Preliminary Proposal
Initial Draft Dissertation
Final Dissertation
Type of submission
(ensure all relevant
hardcopies are
attached)
Final Proposal
Revise Dissertation, Rev no:
4. Idea Paper and Preliminary Proposal Submission Checklist:

Items
(Please see Dissertation Guidebook for details)
Idea Paper
Preliminary
Proposal
Final Proposal
Initial/ Revision
Draft Dissertation
Title Page
Problem Statement and Goal
Relevance and Significance
Relevance, Significance & Literature Review
Barriers and Issues
Approach
Resources
Project Plan activities & Resources
List of References
5. Dissertation Submission Checklist:

Items
Final
Dissertation
Front Matters:
Title Page
Abstract
Table of Contents, including List of Tables and List of Figures
Statement of Problems and Goals
Relevance, significance or need for the study
Barriers and issues
Elements, hypotheses, theories, or research questions to be
investigated
Limitations and delimitations of the study
Operational Definition of terms
Summary
All submissions MUST be accompanied by relevant hardcopies of the material. Centre of Postgraduate
Studies will not accept incomplete submissions.

page 2 of 5

5. Thesis/Dissertation Submission Checklist:

Items
Final Proposal
Initial/ Revision
Draft Dissertation
Final
Dissertation
Chapter 2: Literature Review

Overview of the theory and research literature
Theory and research literature specific to the topic
Summary of what is known and unknown about the topic
Contribution this study will make to the field
Chapter 3: Methodology
Research method(s) to be employed
Specific procedures to be employed
Formats for presenting results
Projected outcomes
Resource requirements
Reliability and validity
Summary
Chapter 4: Discussion of Expectations
Anticipated Benefits
Projected Outcomes
Practical applications of the findings
Constraints and limitations of the study
Recommendations for additional studies
Contributions to the field of study & Body of Knowledge
Chapter 4: Analysis and Findings
Data Analysis
Findings
Summary of Results
Chapter 5: Discussions, Implications, Recommendations,
and Summary
Discussions & Conclusions
Implications
Recommendations
Summary
Back Matters
Appendixes
Reference List
6. Proposed Research Time Frame

Proposed timeframe
[dd/mmm/yyyy]

From:
.... To .
page 3 of 5

7. Proposed Supervisor
ii
Have you discussed your proposal with any lecturers in Centre of Postgraduate studies?
If yes, please state their name(s) below:
Name
Date of discussion
Yes
No
Lecture(s) Signature
1.
2.
6. Declaration
iii
I hereby certify that; (i) I have read and fully understand all the important information stated in page 1 and (ii)
all above information provided by me is true and correct. I understand that I shall be fully responsible for any
mistakes and non disclosure of information in this form; and the University has full rights to take any actions
deemed fit.
Student Signature:
Date/Time:
Student Name:
Student Number:
Centre of Postgraduate Use Only

I hereby acknowledge the receipt of the submitted form from the above stated students name and number
Recipients Signature
Date/Time:
Recipients Name
ii
Appointment of supervisor(s) is subjected to the recommendation and approval by Supervisory Committee. It

is the students responsibility to obtain the supervisors signature and to hand this form in to the
administrator, Centre of Postgraduate Studies.
iii
No forms will be processed without a signed declaration from the students.
page 4 of 5
CENTRE FOR POSTGRADUATE STUDIES & PROFESSIONAL

DEVELOPMENT MASTER DISSERTATION REGISTRATION FORM
FOR RESEARCH & SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE USE ONLY

We, the undersigned certify that the submitted final research proposal has been thoroughly discussed
before this academic committee and our collective opinions are; the submitted final research proposal is
rejected / accepted for proposal defence. iv
We, the undersigned certify that the submitted final dissertation has been thoroughly discussed before
this academic committee and our collective opinions are; the submitted dissertation is rejected / accepted
for viva. iv
Reasons for Rejection / Acceptance
Research & Supervisory Committee

Members Name
Signature
Date
1.
2.
3.
iv
Academic committee must be in ODD numbers with a minimum of three (3) members that must
review and collectively agrees on the decision. Please tick where applicable and strikethrough NOT
applicable clearly.

Page 5 of 5
APPENDIX B
FORM PGC
Master Project Paper Registration Form B
All MA & MBA Programs
(Except For MA Project Management & MBA Project Management)
CENTRE OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

MASTERS PROJECT PAPER REGISTRATION FORM
IMPORTANT INFORMATION before filling the form; please read and understands them carefully.
1. All fields in this form are required; please fill in all the required information.
2. This registration form should be submitted to Centre of Postgraduate Studies upon completing of the Project
Paper subject.
3. You are advised to seek a lecturers advice before proceeding with the proposal.
4. You are to submit the Masters Project Paper Registration Form to Centre of Postgraduate Studies once you
have completed your 8th module.
5. You must plan on a six (6) months timeframe from the official approval date to complete the Project paper.
6. The Centre will use students e-mail addresses for all official communication regarding the project paper. It is
the student's responsibility to monitor this email account regularly.
7. Students need to enclose a five (5) page research proposal together with this application as stated in the
project paper guidebook. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the guidebook is being read and
understood.
1. Student Details
Student Name
Program
Student Number
Specialisation
Current email address
Intake
MBA/MA/MSc
Current house
address
Contact Number
(mobile)
(house)
(others)
2. Modules Attended
1
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
Have you attended the Project Paper Class?

Have you read and understood the Project Paper Guidebook for Masters Student?
Yes No
Yes No
Page 1 of 5

3. Project Paper Proposal
Proposed title
Research Case Study Conceptual
others (please specify below)
Proposed Research
Approach
.
Proposed timeframe
[dd/mmm/yyyy]
From: .... To .
4. Project Proposal Brief
Introduction (a brief description of the proposed research effort)
Research Objective(s) and Expected Outcome(s) (state the expected outcomes and objectives of the proposed research effort)
Students are encouraged to submit a proper hardcopy of their project paper proposal with this form. Please refer to
Project Paper Guidebook for details.
Page 2 of 5

Relevance and Significance of Research (state the expected contribution made from the proposed research effort)
Barriers (State the expected barriers & constraints in conducting this research effort)
Annotated Bibliography (Briefly state the literatures reviewed to support research effort)
Page 3 of 5

5. Proposed Supervisor
Have you discussed your proposal with any lecturers in Centre of Postgraduate studies?
Yes No
If yes, please state their name(s) below:

Name
Date of discussion
Lecture(s) Signature
1.
2.
6. Declaration
I hereby certify that; (i) I have read and fully understand all the important information stated in page 1 and (ii)
all above information provided by me is true and correct. I understand that I shall be fully responsible for any
mistakes and non disclosure of information in this form; and the University has fully rights to take any actions
deemed fit.
Student Signature:
Date/Time:
Student Name:
Student Number:
Centre of Postgraduate Use Only

I hereby acknowledge receipt of the submitted form from the above stated students name and number
Recipients Signature
Date/Time:
Recipients Name
Appointment of supervisor(s) is subjected to the recommendation and approval by Supervisory Committee. It is the
students responsibility to obtain the supervisors signature and to hand this form in to the administrator, Centre of
Postgraduate Studies.
3
No forms will be processed without a signed declaration from the students.
Page 4 of 5

FOR SUPERVISORY COMMITTEE USE ONLY

We, the undersigned certify that the submitted research proposal has been thoroughly discussed before this
academic committee and our collective opinions are; the submitted research proposal is rejected / approved.
Reasons for Rejection / Approval
Supervisory Committee Members Name
Signature
Date
1.
2.
3.
Page 5 of 5

MA-MBA Project Paper Guidebook

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GUIDE TO DISSERTATION/PROJECT PAPER WRITING

Document Number: 90-60-87

Non Commercial and Educational Use only

Research Effort ................................................................................................................. . 12

DISSERTATION REGISTRATION FORM A

Document Number: 90-60-87

Any intellectual or academic effort will go through a widely accepted phases,

It the case of Dissertation, it develops and enhances the individual

Producing a Dissertation at LUCT is not as difficult as it seems. Students need

Document Number: 90-60-87

The dissertation clearly demonstrates the students ability to undertake a

Document Number: 90-60-87

MBA Dissertation is 30,000 words;

The work must be submitted in condition appropriate for preservation in LUCTs

Document Number: 90-60-87

Document Number: 90-60-87

Document Number: 90-60-87

The generally accepted processes for dissertation are as described below:

Students are encouraged to prepare an Idea Paper. The purpose of

Students are advised to be thoroughly familiar with the processes in producing

Document Number: 90-60-87

Document Number: 90-60-87

Research Problem and Goal

Relevance, Significance, and Literature Review

Document Number: 90-60-87

Barriers and Issues

Document Number: 90-60-87

Final Research Proposal

Document Number: 90-60-87

Document Number: 90-60-87

Document Number: 90-60-87

Document Number: 90-60-87

Submission Forms: This form is to be used when submitting the

Document Number: 90-60-87

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Statement of the problem to be investigated and goal to be achieved

Chapter 2: Review of the Literature

Historical overview of the theory and research literature

Research method(s) to be employed

Chapter 4: Discussion of Expectations

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Sample Proposal Title Page

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Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Professional Development

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Dissertation General Format

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Chapter 3: Research Design and Methodology

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An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing The Project

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Centre for Postgraduate Studies & Professional Development

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Figure 005 is a sample of ABSTRACT PAGE layout, spacing and fonts

An Abstract of Dissertation submitted to Faculty of Business and

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Lower case roman

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AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON FACTORS INFLUENCING

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON FACTORS INFLUENCING

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Document Number: 90-60-87