University of management and technology, Lahore

SCHOOL OF GOVERNANCE AND SOCEITY

GUIDE LINES FOR MPhil / MSc THESIS WRITING / SUBMISSION

General

These guidelines are meant for Mphil/ MSc students attending public policy program at the
School of governance and society, UMT, Lahore. These contents are for internal use only.
The document has been organized in four parts, as follows:

1. Part I – Contents of a research proposal

2. Part II – Structure and organization of thesis
3. Part III – Methods of citation
4. Part IV –Typographic specifications
5. Part V - HEC Plagiarism Policy

Part 1 - Contents of a research proposal

(Cited from ‘Syndicate discussion’ developed by Dr. Sikandar Hayat for participants of National
Management Course, National Management College, Lahore)

A careful, clear, and comprehensive proposal is an essential pre-requisite for research

in social sciences, whether it is in the form of a research paper, thesis, dissertation,
monograph, book, or indeed any research project. As one expert on Research Methods, David
E. McNabb, puts it:

The proposal is a description of what, why, and how you plan to carry out a
research project. It serves as a guide that keeps the researcher focused on the
tasks that need to be done. It also provides the research sponsor with a
rationale for investing in the effort1.

But while it is recognized that the research “proposal is a critical component of the
total research process, it has too often [been] treated as something that everyone intuitively
knows how to write”.2 This is naivety if not complete ignorance about the subject. Proposal
writing is a skill. This skill needs to be acquired, and it certainly improves and develops as
one learns and practices over a period of time. Lack of it can be problematic and
embarrassing both personally and professionally.

For instance, one of the studies that looked at a number of proposals submitted to a
sponsoring agency in the United States recently that were rejected (and hence did not receive
funding) identified more than a dozen mistakes in writing them. These mistakes clearly
suggested that the applicants did not have any proper training and guidance for writing

1
David E. McNabb, Research Method in Public Administration and Nonprofit Management: Quantitative and
Qualitative Approaches (New York, M.E. Sharpe, 2008), 105.
2
Ibid.

1
University of management and technology, Lahore

research proposals. They wrote as they deemed fit and, in the process, made all sorts of
mistakes. Some “common mistakes” are highlighted here.

Common Mistakes in Proposal Writing

1. Failure to provide the background necessary to frame the research question

2. Failure to delimit the boundary conditions for your research (proposing to do too
much)
3. Failure to cite landmark research on the topic
4. Failure to accurately present the contributions made by earlier researchers
5. Failure to stay focused on the research question
6. Failure to develop a coherent and persuasive argument for the research
7. Too much detail on minor issues; not enough on major issues
8. Rambling – going on and on without a clear direction
9. Missing too many citations and having incorrect references
10. Proposal is too long or too short
11. Failure to follow APA (Manual) style
12. Sloppy writing
13. Claiming the study is significant without demonstrating it
14. Claiming prior research was poor or inadequate without providing support
15. Stating the need for the research without substantiating your claims3

In view of the above, the importance of writing research proposals methodically and
systematically can hardly be over-emphasized. A good research proposal will make possible
good research.

But then, the question arises, what is or what will constitute a good research proposal?
Here is the rub. There is no one agreed, standard, universal model of a research proposal. In
fact, it will depend upon the nature and demand of the problem (research problem) and the
training, temperament and approach of the individual researcher. It will vary with both
approaches, that is, quantitative and qualitative (or indeed the ‘mixed method’). Thus, as one
writer put it succinctly, “no universally applicable and correct format exists for the research
proposal.”4That is why there are many ways of writing research proposals, including some
recommended by the sponsoring funding agencies. For example, the Social Sciences
Research Council, New York, one of the most prestigious research organization, suggests one
particular method for applicants. (Appendix-1). Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, Washington D.C., recommends this method to its fellowship applicants. However,
there are a host of other funding agencies which follow other methods.

McNabb, referred to earlier, after a survey of number of outlines and proposals,

highlighted some seven formats of research proposals before offering one of his own, based
3
Ibid.
4
Ibid.(Italics original).

2
University of management and technology, Lahore

on the commonality of elements included in these proposals.5 These seven sample formats are
as follows:

1. Sample Format 1
Cover/Title
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Introduction
 Problem statement
 Literature review
 Research questions and/or hypotheses
 Significance of proposed study
Design and Methodology
 Subjects
 Instrumentation
 Procedures
 Data analysis
 Presentation
 Limitations
References
Appendices

2. Sample Format 2
Cover/Title
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Objectives
Activities
Methodology
Personnel Involved
Facilities Needed
Other Information
Budget
Appendices
References
3. Sample Format 3
Cover/Title
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Background
Literature Review
Scope of the Study
Methodology
Work Schedule
Equipment
Estimated Costs

5
Ibid., 108.

3
University of management and technology, Lahore

References
4. Sample Format 4
Cover/Title
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Literature Review
Objectives
Research Plan
Methodology
Work Schedule
Budget
References
5. Sample Format 5
Cover/Title
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Introduction
Literature Survey
Problem Statement
Conceptual Framework
Specific Objectives
Hypotheses (if any)
Methodology
Bibliography
6. Sample Format 6
Cover/Title
Table of Contents
Executive Summary or Abstract
Introduction
Research Problem
Statement of Need
Major Issues and Subproblems
Key Independent and Dependent Variables
Hypotheses or Theory
Delimitations
Definitions
Literature Review
Methods and Design
Discussion
Bibliography

7. Sample Format 7
Cover/Title
Table of Contents

4
University of management and technology, Lahore

Executive Summary or Abstract

Introduction
 Problem statement
 Rationale
 Objective(s)
 Hypotheses
 Problem summary
Literature Review
 Current status of the topic
 Relationships between literature and problem
Method
 Participants
 Research design
 Definitions
 Reliability/validity
 Pilot study results
 Data analysis plan
Implications and Limitations
Appendices (instrument, human subjects approval, permission forms, time
line, budget)6
Concentrating upon some of the ‘common components’ of these formats, McNabb
himself suggested the following elements for a research proposal:

1. Abstract or Executive Summary

2. The Introduction
3. Statement of the Problem
4. Review of the Literature
5. Study Objectives
6. Research Design and Methodology
7. References and/or Bibliography7
McNabb’s format for a research proposal (not necessarily meant for funding, as most
of the seven sample formats shown earlier are), with plenty of information about the way the
research will proceed and actualize itself.

We will follow McNabb’s format with minor variations, as given below, at the SGS for
writing a research proposal. The length of research proposal should not exceed beyond
2000 words, at best.

1. The Introduction
2. Statement of the Problem
3. Review of the Literature
4. Research Methodology and Design

6
Ibid.,108-109.
7
Ibid., 107-111.

5
University of management and technology, Lahore

5. Expected outcomes of the study

6. References and/or working Bibliography

Elaboration of contents of research proposal (some material has been cited from ‘Thesis
writing’ NDU, Islamabad)

The Introduction
The introduction in a research proposal should contain elements that define and explain
rationale underpinning the study, its objective and intended contributions in existing body of
knowledge. In ways, former can be called a preliminary review of the literature on the subject
with the purpose to establish need for the study at hand. We discuss the dependent variable
here i.e., the main focus or subject area which may be a policy problem, a context, a social
phenomenon, an event such as floods etc. Thereafter, briefly identify salient objectives of the
study and ends that it intends to realize. This should be followed by what contributions this
study will make in the available scholarship on the subject being examined.

Statement of the Problem

It is the bed rock of entire research problem which gives direction and lays down the
substantive foundation of the enquiry. Essentially, it should comprise clear and explicit
identification of the issue to be investigated, research questions and hypothesis if any.

Review of the Literature

Literature review serves varying purposes. In a research proposal, its primary aim is to
establish originality of the study by citing and referring to what work has already been
accomplished by scholars and authors in the field, where exists the gap (s), what is not known
or well understood, needs further examination and why this study is potentially so important.
Present a brief, analytical summary of the major schools of thought or approaches to the
problem. This usually involves describing and analyzing the most pertinent 20-30 scholarly
documents with respect to their bearing on your general topic and specific research question.
This will highlight the originality of one’s impending work. One might as well include
implications in case this work is not undertaken at this time.

Research Methodology and Design

Here, you present a research framework (a model, theory, or set of hypotheses) that
will allow you to answer your research question. Simply put, you describe the method that
you are going to use to explore your problem and justify the use of this method based on
existing literature. Most of you will want to confront your ideas with data. If so, you must
also state your data collection methods and justify these. The data collection techniques must
be clearly specified. You can use a subheading such as Data Collection for this section. You
must specify in detail where and how you will gain access to the data that you will need. This
will require a survey of sources in the library, other universities, government agencies,
companies, and so on. If you are planning on doing interviews or conducting surveys, specify
how, when, where, with whom, etc.

6
University of management and technology, Lahore

Again, be specific. It will do you no good to get halfway through a project for which
some critical piece of information cannot be acquired.
If you are interested in a project which does not include an empirical phase (as is
sometimes the case in analytical studies and simulations), explain in this section you will
specify the model and undertake some assessment of its utility.
If you are using a case study approach in your analysis, you should discuss which
case(s) you will use and how you will use these cases. For example, will you employ a time-
series, crosssectional, single-case study or some other type of design?

Expected outcomes of the study(for Mphil thesis)

You will need to discuss some or all of the following in this section: (a) specifically
what you can learn from this study, i.e., what you will be able to infer logically from the
different possible results; (b) the likely generality of the results to other cases (i.e., why your
work has greater meaning and importance); (c) the limitations of the design; and, (d) the
policy relevance of the research.

References and/or working Bibliography

Providing citations of sources being used in the study adds to the originality as well as
credibility of the researcher. More importantly, it helps you at later stage to fall back and
consult these originally referred sources for inclusion in the main study. In a research
proposal, these should be kept to bare minimum. Preferably develop a working bibliography
which can be expanded subsequently. Concurrently, it is advisable that notes containing
specific references i.e., page no etc, should be kept in record for use at later stage.

PartII – Structure and organization of Mphil/ MSc Thesis

See power point presentation file

Part III - Methods of Citation

Importance of citation

Writers use footnotes, endnotes, or in-text citations to inform readers of the location of
their information sources. “Location” information is needed for others to either replicate the
study or test for flaws. However authors cannot use the work of others as their own. Doing
so is plagiarism, and plagiarism is theft. The practice is unethical, immoral and in most cases,
illegal. In the present era, all academic work (thesis) is checked through software (Turnitin,
crosscheck etc) to ascertain originality of the work. Material proved to be plagiarized more
than 19% might be rejected by the Supervisor / Examiner / University.

Chicago Manual of Style – 16th

Editionhttp://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html

7
 University of management and technology, Lahore

The Chicago Manual of Style presents two basic documentation systems: (1) notes and
bibliography and (2) author-date. Choosing between the two often depends on subject matter
and the nature of sources cited, as each system is favored by different groups of scholars.

The notes and bibliography style is preferred by many in the humanities, including those in
literature, history, and the arts. This style presents bibliographic information in notes and,
often, a bibliography. It accommodates a variety of sources, including esoteric ones less
appropriate to the author-date system.

The author-date system has long been used by those in the physical, natural, and social
sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses, by
author’s last name and date of publication. The short citations are amplified in a list of
references, where full bibliographic information is provided.

Aside from the use of notes versus parenthetical references in the text, the two systems share
a similar style. Click on the tabs below to see some common examples of materials cited in
each style, including examples of common electronic sources. For numerous specific
examples, see chapters 14 and 15 of the 16th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.

At SGS, we will follow Author-date style, explained as under.

Author-Date: Sample Citations

The following examples illustrate citations using the author-date system. Each example of a
reference list entry is accompanied by an example of a corresponding parenthetical citation in
the text. For more details and many more examples, see chapter 15 of The Chicago Manual of
Style. For examples of the same citations using the notes and bibliography system, click on
the Notes and Bibliography tab above.

Book
One author
Pollan, Michael. 2006. The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York:
Penguin.

(Pollan 2006, 99–100)

Two or more authors

Ward, Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. 2007. The War: An Intimate History, 1941–1945. New
York: Knopf.

(Ward and Burns 2007, 52)

For four or more authors, list all of the authors in the reference list; in the text, list only the
first author, followed by et al. (“and others”):

(Barnes et al. 2010)

8
 University of management and technology, Lahore

Editor, translator, or compiler instead of author

Lattimore, Richmond, trans. 1951. The Iliad of Homer. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

(Lattimore 1951, 91–92)

Editor, translator, or compiler in addition to author

GarcíaMárquez, Gabriel. 1988. Love in the Time of Cholera. Translated by Edith Grossman.
London: Cape.

(GarcíaMárquez 1988, 242–55)

Chapter or other part of a book

Kelly, John D. 2010. “Seeing Red: Mao Fetishism, Pax Americana, and the Moral Economy of
War.”In Anthropology and Global Counterinsurgency, edited by John D. Kelly, Beatrice
Jauregui, Sean T. Mitchell, and Jeremy Walton, 67–83. Chicago: University of Chicago
Press.

(Kelly 2010, 77)

Chapter of an edited volume originally published elsewhere (as in primary sources)

Cicero, Quintus Tullius. 1986. “Handbook on Canvassing for the Consulship.” In Rome: Late
Republic and Principate, edited by Walter Emil Kaegi Jr. and Peter White. Vol. 2
of University of Chicago Readings in Western Civilization, edited by John Boyer and Julius
Kirshner, 33–46. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Originally published in Evelyn S.
Shuckburgh, trans., The Letters of Cicero, vol. 1 (London: George Bell & Sons, 1908).

(Cicero 1986, 35)

Preface, foreword, introduction, or similar part of a book

Rieger, James. 1982. Introduction to Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, by Mary
Wollstonecraft Shelley, xi–xxxvii. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

(Rieger 1982, xx–xxi)

Book published electronically

If a book is available in more than one format, cite the version you consulted. For books
consulted online, list a URL; include an access date only if one is required by your publisher
or discipline. If no fixed page numbers are available, you can include a section title or a
chapter or other number.

Austen, Jane. 2007. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin Classics. Kindle edition.

Kurland, Philip B., and Ralph Lerner, eds. 1987. The Founders’ Constitution. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press. http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/.

(Austen 2007)

(Kurland and Lerner, chap. 10, doc. 19)

9
 University of management and technology, Lahore

Journal article
Article in a print journal
In the text, list the specific page numbers consulted, if any. In the reference list entry, list the
page range for the whole article.

Weinstein, Joshua I. 2009. “The Market in Plato’s Republic.” Classical Philology 104:439–58.

(Weinstein 2009, 440)

Article in an online journal

Include a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) if the journal lists one. A DOI is a permanent ID
that, when appended to http://dx.doi.org/ in the address bar of an Internet browser, will lead
to the source. If no DOI is available, list a URL. Include an access date only if one is required
by your publisher or discipline.

Kossinets, Gueorgi, and Duncan J. Watts. 2009. “Origins of Homophily in an Evolving Social
Network.” American Journal of Sociology 115:405–50. Accessed February 28,
2010.doi:10.1086/599247.

(Kossinets and Watts 2009, 411)

Article in a newspaper or popular magazine

Newspaper and magazine articles may be cited in running text (“As Sheryl Stolberg and
Robert Pear noted in a New York Times article on February 27, 2010,. . .”), and they are
commonly omitted from a reference list. The following examples show the more formal
versions of the citations. If you consulted the article online, include a URL; include an access
date only if your publisher or discipline requires one. If no author is identified, begin the
citation with the article title.

Mendelsohn, Daniel. 2010. “But Enough about Me.” New Yorker, January 25.

Stolberg, Sheryl Gay, and Robert Pear. 2010. “Wary Centrists Posing Challenge in Health Care
Vote.” New York Times, February 27. Accessed February 28, 2010.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/us/politics/28health.html.

(Mendelsohn 2010, 68)

(Stolberg and Pear 2010)

Book review
Kamp, David. 2006. “Deconstructing Dinner.” Review of The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural
History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan. New York Times, April 23, Sunday Book Review.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/23/books/review/23kamp.html.

(Kamp 2006)

Thesis or dissertation

10
 University of management and technology, Lahore

Choi, Mihwa. 2008. “Contesting Imaginaires in Death Rituals during the Northern Song
Dynasty.” PhD diss., University of Chicago.

(Choi 2008)

Paper presented at a meeting or conference

Adelman, Rachel. 2009. “ ‘Such Stuff as Dreams Are Made On’: God’s Footstool in the
Aramaic Targumim and Midrashic Tradition.” Paper presented at the annual meeting for the
Society of Biblical Literature, New Orleans, Louisiana, November 21–24.

(Adelman 2009)

Website
A citation to website content can often be limited to a mention in the text (“As of July 19,
2008, the McDonald’s Corporation listed on its website . . .”). If a more formal citation is
desired, it may be styled as in the examples below. Because such content is subject to change,
include an access date or, if available, a date that the site was last modified. In the absence of
a date of publication, use the access date or last-modified date as the basis of the citation.

Google. 2009. “Google Privacy Policy.” Last modified March 11.

http://www.google.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html.

McDonald’s Corporation. 2008. “McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy Safety Facts.” Accessed July
19. http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/factsheets.html.

(Google 2009)

(McDonald’s 2008)

Blog entry or comment

Blog entries or comments may be cited in running text (“In a comment posted to The Becker-
Posner Blog on February 23, 2010, . . .”), and they are commonly omitted from a reference
list. If a reference list entry is needed, cite the blog post there but mention comments in the
text only. (If an access date is required, add it before the URL; see examples elsewhere in this
guide.)

Posner, Richard. 2010. “Double Exports in Five Years?” The Becker-Posner Blog, February 21.
http://uchicagolaw.typepad.com/beckerposner/2010/02/double-exports-in-five-years-
posner.html.

(Posner 2010)

E-mail or text message

E-mail and text messages may be cited in running text (“In a text message to the author on
March 1, 2010, John Doe revealed . . .”), and they are rarely listed in a reference list. In
parenthetical citations, the term personal communication (or pers. comm.) can be used.

11
 University of management and technology, Lahore

(John Doe, e-mail message to author, February 28, 2010)or(John Doe, pers. comm.)

Item in a commercial database

For items retrieved from a commercial database, add the name of the database and an
accession number following the facts of publication. In this example, the dissertation cited
above is shown as it would be cited if it were retrieved from ProQuest’s database for
dissertations and theses.

Choi, Mihwa. 2008. “Contesting Imaginaires in Death Rituals during the Northern Song
Dynasty.” PhD diss., University of Chicago.ProQuest (AAT 3300426).

Part –IV
Typographic specifications
M.Sc / M.PhilThesis Pattern

All theses presented in typescript for the degree of MSc/M.Phil should comply with the
following specifications unless permission to do otherwise is obtained from the relevant
authority / body.

Size of Paper

A4 size be used.

Paper Specification

Four copies on good quality paper (minimum 80 gsm) be submitted.

Layout of Script

Typescript should appear on one side only, lines; at least one-and-a-half spaced.
Footnotes, quotations, references and photographic captions may be single spaced. Where
appropriate, these should contain lists giving the locations of figures and illustrations.

Font Size

 Title Page 18-22

 Headings / subheadings 14-16
 Text 12
Type Style

Times New Roman

Margins

At least 1¼ -1½ inches (3.17-3.81cm) on the left-hand side, 3/4 - 1 inch (2 - 2.54cm) at
the top and bottom of the page, and about ½ - 0.75 inches (1.27 - 1.90cm) at the outer edge.

12
University of management and technology, Lahore

The best position for the page number is at top-centre or top right ½ inch (1.27 cm) below the
edge. Pages containing figures and illustration should be suitable paginated.

Length of Thesis

The acceptable length for an Mphil thesis is 50,000 words including references, footnotes,
notes, attachments etc.MSc thesis should be upto 20,000 words.Candidates wishing to greatly
exceed these sizes should discuss the matter with their supervisors

Published Work

Published work already from multiple sources be included as appendix.

Binding

All final theses presented for higher degrees must be bound (4 copies) in a permanent /
hard binding after defense of the thesis) form approved by the Defence Panel. Front cover
should give title of the thesis, name of the candidate and the name of the Institute/
Department/ Centre/ College through which submitted, in the same order from top to bottom.
The lettering may be in boldface and properly spaced. The colour of binding for MPhil &
MSc degrees is black and white respectively.

Part V- HEC Plagiarism Policy

Available at
http://www.hec.gov.pk/InsideHEC/Divisions/QALI/QADivision/Documents/Plagiarism%20Policy.pdf

HEC Plagiarism Policy 1. Preamble In the wake of fundamental improvements being

introduced in the system of Higher Education in Pakistan, the credit, respect, recognition of
research and scholarly publications, career development and financial gains are now linked
with such original works accomplished without replicating the efforts of other researchers. It
has therefore become necessary that the menace of plagiarism is highlighted and curbed
through exemplary punitive actions. On the other hand, we must also guard against bogus or
false complaints in order to prevent victimization which may make researchers and scholars
shy away from research simply because of the fear of prosecution. A Plagiarism Policy has
therefore become necessary to create awareness, define various forms in which Plagiarism
exhibits itself, present a methodology of investigation, cater for punitive action proportional
to the extent of the offence and even address the issue of false or spurious complaints. 2.
Definition According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, Plagiarism is defined as "taking and
using the thoughts, writings, and inventions of another person as one's own". This, or various
similar definitions found in recognized publications / documents, are very broad and can be
used to create awareness about Plagiarism but are not practical enough to apply in order to
ascertain guilt or innocence in specific cases. In order to establish the violation of ethical
norms, or academic or intellectual dishonesty resulting from Plagiarism and to take punitive

13
University of management and technology, Lahore

actions in this regard, it is necessary that the variety of forms in which Plagiarism manifests
itself are known. These include but are not limited to the following: “Verbatim copying, near-
verbatim copying, or purposely paraphrasing portions of another author's paper or
unpublished report without citing the exact reference. Copying elements of another author's
paper, such as equations or illustrations that are not common knowledge, or copying or
purposely paraphrasing sentences without citing the source. Verbatim copying portions of
another author's paper or from reports by citing but not clearly differentiating what text has
been copied (e.g. not applying quotation marks correctly) and /or not citing the source
correctly” [1] . "The unacknowledged use of computer programs, mathematical / computer
models / algorithms, computer software in all forms, macros, spreadsheets, web pages,
databases, mathematical deviations and calculations, designs / models / displays of any sort,
diagrams, graphs, tables, drawings, works of art of any sort, fine art pieces or artifacts, digital
images, computer-aided design drawings, GIS files, photographs, maps, music / composition
of any sort, posters, presentations and tracing." [2] "Self-plagiarism, that is, the verbatim or
near-verbatim re-use of significant portions of one's own copyrighted work without citing the
original source." [1] 3. Explanation from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wikipedia, the
free encyclopedia on the web describes and explains Plagiarism as "the unauthorized use or
close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them
as one's own original work. Unlike cases of forgery, in which the authenticity of the writing,
document, or some other kind of object itself is in question, plagiarism is concerned with the
issue of false attribution. Within academia, plagiarism by students, professors, or researchers
is considered academic dishonesty or academic fraud and offenders are subject to academic
censure. In journalism, plagiarism is considered a breach of journalistic ethics, and reporters
caught plagiarizing typically face disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to
termination. While plagiarism in scholarship and journalism has a centuries-old history, the
development of the Internet, where articles appear as electronic text, has made the physical
act of copying the work of others much easier. Plagiarism is different from copyright
infringement. While both terms may apply to a particular act, they emphasize different
aspects of the transgression. Copyright infringement is a violation of the rights of the
copyright holder, which involves the loss of income and artistic control of the material when
it is used without the copyright holder's consent. On the other hand, plagiarism is concerned
with the unearned increment to the plagiarizing author's reputation. In the academic world,
plagiarism by students is a very serious academic offense which can result in punishments
such as a failing grade on the particular assignment (typically at the high school level), or a
failing grade for the course (typically at the college or university level). For cases of repeated
plagiarism, or for cases where a student has committed a severe type of plagiarism (e.g.
copying an entire article and submitting it as his / her own work), a student may be suspended
or expelled, and any academic degrees or awards may be revoked. For professors and
researchers, who are required to act as role models for their students, plagiarism is a very
serious offence, and is punishable by sanctions ranging from suspension to termination, along
with the loss of credibility and integrity. Charges of plagiarism against students, faculty
members and staff are typically heard by internal disciplinary committees, which students
and faculty members have agreed to be bound by." [3] Wikipedia also describes Self-
plagiarism as "the re-use of significant, identical, or nearly identical portions of one’s own

14
University of management and technology, Lahore

work without acknowledging that one is doing so or without citing the original work.
Typically, high public-interest texts are not a subject of self-plagiarism; however, the authors
should not violate copyright where applicable. "Public-interest texts" include such material as
social, professional, and cultural opinions usually published in newspapers and magazines."
[3] 4. Aim: The aim of this policy is to apprise students, teachers, researchers and staff about
Plagiarism and how it can be avoided. It is also aimed at discouraging Plagiarism by
regulating and authorising punitive actions against those found guilty of the act of Plagiarism.
5. Applicability: The policy is applicable to students, teachers, researchers and staff of all
institutions and organizations in Pakistan who are involved in writing or publishing their
work. In this context a "Student" is a person who, on the date of submission of his / her paper
/ work is a registered student of any University or Degree Awarding Institution recognized by
Higher Education Commission (HEC). "Teachers and Researchers" include faculty members
or equivalent of the University / Organization or/of a constituent or affiliated college or
researchers of an organization and such other persons as may be declared to be so by
regulations. “Staff” is any employee of an organization involved in writing and publishing his
/ her work. Any person listing his CV on the website or any current publication or applying
for any benefit on the basis of published or presented work that is plagiarized will be liable to
be punished as per prescribed rules. 6. Responsibility of the Institutions & Organizations: All
institutions and organizations are responsible to apprise their students, teachers, researchers
and staff of the definition, implications and resulting punishments in case, after due
investigation, they are found guilty of plagiarism. The institutions / organizations must
acquaint their students, teachers, researchers and staff with this policy and ensure that they
are fully aware that all authors are deemed to be individually and collectively responsible for
the contents of papers published by Journals / Publishers etc. Hence, it is the responsibility of
each author, including the coauthors, to ensure that papers submitted for publication should
attain the highest ethical standards with respect to plagiarism. To facilitate the institutions /
organizations in creating awareness about Plagiarism, a modified version of "Little Book of
Plagiarism", a publication of Leeds Metropolitan University is appended as "Annexure" to
this policy. Any University or Degree Awarding Institution which does not adopt and
implement this policy will have its degree derecognized by HEC. 7. Reporting: To inform
HEC or respective Universities / Organizations of alleged plagiarism, a complaint is to be
made by email, post, fax or other means to HEC Quality Assurance Division or respective
Universities / Organizations. In case of lodging a complaint in the form of a letter, copy may
be sent to HEC. The following information is to be provided: a) “Citation of the original
paper or document or idea which was plagiarized, (paper title, author(s), publication title,
month and year of publication if available and the journal, in which published, with details).
If the original paper is unpublished (e.g. an institutional technical report, an on-line paper),
the complainant is to provide as much information as possible to ensure authenticity of the
claim. b) The citation of the alleged plagiarizing paper (paper title, author(s), publication title,
month and year of publication if available and the journal with details in which published). If
the paper is unpublished (e.g. an institutional technical report, an on-line paper), the
complainant is to provide as much information as possible to ensure proper investigation. c)
Copies of both papers if possible. d) Any other information that would help HEC or
respective Universities / Organizations to efficiently resolve the claim.” [1] e) Name,

15
University of management and technology, Lahore

designation, organization, address, e-mail address and telephone number of the complainant.
Investigation: 8. Upon receipt of an allegation of Plagiarism, the HEC Quality Assurance
Division will request the respective Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization to
carry out investigation. The complaints received through HEC or directly by a University /
Organization will be dealt with by the Universities / Organizations according to the
procedures given below. The Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization will have
the discretion of not taking any action on anonymous complaints. For investigation of
Plagiarism cases, the Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of Organization will have an obligation
to: a) Constitute a “Plagiarism Standing Committee” consisting of 3 senior faculty members,
a subject specialist in that particular field is to be coopted, a senior student (only if a student
is being investigated upon) and a nominee of the HEC.The seniority of the members of
“Plagiarism Standing Committee” should be of a level keeping in view the seniority of the
individual being investigated upon and the nature and gravity of the offence. b) Provide a
guideline, prepared by HEC for the functioning of the "Plagiarism Standing Committee", to
all members of the Committee. c) Provide clear terms of reference to the “Plagiarism
Standing Committee” for their investigation. d) The members of the “Plagiarism Standing
Committee” are to sign a confidentiality statement that during the investigation they will,
under no circumstances, disclose any individual author's name, paper titles, referees, or any
other personal or specific information concerning the plagiarism complaint under
investigation, nor shall they reveal the names of the committee members. e) Provide
opportunity to the author / authors under investigation to justify the originality of their
concepts and research work. Similar opportunity will also be provided to the author whose
paper is deemed to have been Plagiarized and / or the complainant, to justify the complaint. f)
Provide every opportunity to the “Plagiarism Standing Committee” to use all foreseeable
means to investigate the plagiarism claim. 9. The Plagiarism Standing Committee shall then
conduct the investigation. Depending on the details of the claim, the investigation may
include, but may not be limited to, any or all of the following steps: a) Manual and / or
automated tests for content similarity [1] . b) Determination of the extent and quantum of
significant material plagiarized. c) Soliciting comments to the claim, from the Editor-in-Chief
(of a journal) or Program Chair (of conference proceedings) and referees of either or both
papers. d) Consultation with legal counsel. [1] e) Consult / contact witnesses and record
statements there-of if so required. f) Consult / contact present and / or past employers of the
authors. 10. The “Plagiarism Standing Committee” will submit its report with clear cut
findings and recommendations to the Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization
within a specified period not exceeding sixty days. The Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of
the Organization will have the discretion to implement the recommendations after approval
through the statutory process and take punitive action against the offender as per penalties
prescribed under this policy or to forward the report to HEC or his / her parent organization
for further action if outside their purview / jurisdiction. Penalties for Plagiarism 11.
Plagiarism is an intellectual crime. As such the penalties for plagiarism should not only take
into account the severity and recurrence of the offence, but also the intellectual standing of
the offender. This entails a gradual increase in punitive action with minimum punishment for
a first time offence by a student who copies a home work assignment to a maximum
punishment for a teacher/researcher/staff who attempts to present / publish, or actually

16
University of management and technology, Lahore

presents / publishes plagiarized material; as his own, in a conference / journal. Therefore, the
punishments for Plagiarism have been divided into two separate categories, i.e those for
"Teachers, Researchers and Staff" and those for the "Students". The groups have already been
defined in para 5 above. (a) Penalties for Teachers, Researchers and Staff: When an act of
plagiarism, as described earlier in paras 2 and 3, is found to have occurred, the "Plagiarism
Standing Committee" in its recommendations, DEPENDING UPON THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE PROVEN OFFENCE, will advise the Competent Authority of the Organization, to
take any one or a combination of the following disciplinary action(s) against the teacher,
researcher and / or staff found guilty of the offence: (i) Major Penalty: In cases where most of
the paper (or key results) have been exactly copied from any published work of other people
without giving the reference to the original work, then (a) a major penalty of dismissal from
service needs to be prescribed, along with (b) the offender may be “Black Listed” and may
NOT be eligible for employment in any academic / research organization, and (c) the
notification of “Black Listing” of the author(s) may be published in the print media or may be
publicized on different websites at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor / Rector / Head of
the organization. (ii) Moderate Penalty: In case where some paragraphs including some key
results have been copied without citation, then a moderate penalty involving any one or both
of the following needs to be imposed (a) demotion to the next lower grade, (b) the
notification of “Black Listing” of the author(s) which may be published in the print media or
may be publicized on different websites at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor / Rector /
Head of the organization. (iii) Minor Penalty: In case a few paragraphs have been copied
from an external source without giving reference of that work, then minor penalties need to
be prescribed for a specified period involving any one or more of the following: (a) warning,
(b) freezing of all research grants, (c) the promotions/annual increments of the offender may
be stopped, for a specified period and (d) HEC or the University / Organization may debar
the offender from sponsorship of research funding, travel grant, supervision of Ph.D.
students, scholarship, fellowship or any other funded program for a period as deemed
appropriate by the “Plagiarism Standing Committee”. (b) Students: When an act of
plagiarism, as described earlier in paras 2 and 3, is found to have occurred, the "Plagiarism
Standing Committee" in its recommendations, DEPENDING UPON THE SERIOUSNESS
OF THE PROVEN OFFENCE, will advise the Vice Chancellor / Head of the Organization,
to take any one or a combination of the following disciplinary action(s) against the student(s)
found guilty of the offence: (i) In the case of thesis the responsibility of plagiarism will be of
the student and not of the supervisor or members of the Supervisory Committee. (ii) The
offender may be expelled/ rusticated from the University and from joining any institution of
Higher Education in Pakistan for a period as deemed appropriate by the "Plagiarism Standing
Committee”. A notice may be circulated among all academic institutions and research
organization to this effect. (iii) The offender may be relegated to a lower class. (iv) The
offender may be given a failure grade in the subject. (v) The offender may be fined an
amount as deemed appropriate. (vi) The offender may be given a written warning if the
offence is minor and is committed for the first time. (vii) The degree of a student may be
withdrawn if AT ANY TIME it is proven that he or she has presented Plagiarized work in his
/ her MS, MPhil or PhD dissertation if the extent of plagiarism comes under the category of
major penalty as conveyed in Para 11(a-1). (viii) The notification of the plagiarism by the

17
University of management and technology, Lahore

author(s) may be published in the print media or may be publicized on different websites at
the discretion of the Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization. (ix) HEC or the
University / Organization may debar the offender from sponsorship of research funding,
travel grant, scholarship, fellowship or any other funded program for a period as deemed
appropriate by the "Plagiarism Standing Committee". (x) Any other penalty deemed fit by the
“Plagiarism Standing Committee”. (c) Co-Authors/Declarations 1. Provided that a co-author
has listed a paper in his/her resume and applied for a benefit forthwith, any co-author is
deemed to be equally responsible for any plagiarism committed in a published paper
presented to or published in a journal or presented at a conference. 2. All Journals in Pakistan
must require ALL authors to sign a declaration that the material presented in the creative
work is not plagiarized (Sample Attached) 12. Additional Actions Required: In addition to
the above punishments, the following additional common actions must be taken if the offence
of Plagiarism is established: a) If the plagiarized paper is accessible on the web page its
access will be removed. The paper itself will be kept in the database for future research or
legal purposes. b) The author(s) will be asked to write a formal letter of apology to the
authors of the Original paper that was plagiarized, including an admission of plagiarism.
Should the author(s) refuse to comply then additional punishments as deemed fit may be
recommended by the "Plagiarism Standing Committee. c) If the paper is submitted but not
published yet, the paper will be rejected by the Editor-in-Chief or the Program Chair without
further revisions and without any further plagiarism investigation conducted.[1] However,
Warning may be issued to the author/ co-author. 13. Appeal: As the penalties are severe, the
affected person(s) will have the right to appeal to the Chairman HEC / Vice Chancellor /
Rector / Head of the Organization for a review of the findings or may submit a mercy petition
within 30 days from the date of notification. Such appeals / petitions will be disposed off
within 60 days of receipt, by following the laid down procedures regarding such appeals. 14.
Penalty for Wrong Reporting / False Allegation: If the case of Plagiarism is not proved and it
is confirmed that a false allegation was lodged, the Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the
Organization will inform the complainant’s Organization and will recommend disciplinary
action against the complainant, to be taken by his / her parent organization. References [1]
“ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) Policy on Plagiarism”
(http://www.acm.org/pubs/plagiarism%20policy.html) [2] “Academic Integrity Statement:
Appendix1” (University of Southampton Calendar 2006/7)
(http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/part8a.html) [3] “Plagiarism From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/plagiarism). (Sample) HIGHER
EDUCATION COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN (Monograph & Textbook Writing Scheme)
Monograph / Textbook Proposal Submission Undertaking*

Corresponding Author(s) name: ___________________________________

Corresponding Author(s) Address: ____________________________________

Title of Work: ___________________________________

The Higher Education Commission (Publisher) and the Monograph/Textbook Proposal

Author (Authors if a multiauthored Work) agree as the following: 1. The Monograph/Book

18
University of management and technology, Lahore

will contain the original Work of author(s). 2. It will not violate copyright or intellectual
property right of any person or entity. 3. It will not contain previously published material in
whole or in part for which permission from the concerned parties has not been secured. 4.
The author(s) recognize that if any material submitted for consideration to the HEC is found
to be plagiarized, then the HEC may bar the author(s) from participating in all HEC Programs
and public notice to the fact maybe issued in print as well as electronic media. The HEC
reserves the right to recover all amounts spent on evaluation/publication etc., and also may
take any other action deemed necessary to serve as deterrence against plagiarism. 5. The
author(s) shall indemnify and hold the Publisher harmless against loss or expenses arising
from breach of any such warranties. 6. In consideration of the HEC’s agreement to publish
the Work, the author(s) hereby grants HEC a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to print,
publish, reproduce or distribute the Work throughout the world by all means of expression,
including electronic format. The author(s) further grants HEC the right to use the author’s
name in association with the Work in published form and in promotional materials. 7. The
copyrights are duly reserved by Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. All authors are
requested to sign this form. If not signed by all authors, the corresponding author
acknowledges that s/he is signing on behalf of all the authors and with their authorization.
Faxed signatures and multiple forms are acceptable provided the corresponding author
collates all the material and submits in one batch. Author Signature:
______________________ Name: ______________ Date: ______________ Author
Signature: _______________________ Name: _____________________ Date:
______________ Author Signature: _______________________ Name:
_____________________ Date: ______________ Publisher Signature:
_____________________ Name: __________________ Date: ______________ * Similar
Schemes could be developed for authors or thesis etc

19