FORMATTING REQUIREMENTS FOR FINAL DOCUMENTATION

OF CAPSTONE DESIGN PROJECT/ THESIS

A. LANGUAGE
1. Papers should be written in English.
2. Any word(s) not in English should have reasonable use in the paper and should be clearly
defined and explained.

B. PAGE SPECIFICATIONS
1. Standard A4-size (8.27x11.69 inches) paper should be used in all pages.
2. Tables, figures and other illustrations that need larger page can use larger paper size (B or
C) but needs to be folded to fit the size of the body of the paper.
3. Text must be in 12-point, Arial Narrow style.
4. Smaller font sizes may be used for footnotes or captions or any other text aside from the
body.
5. Font color must be black but limited amount of color may be appropriately used in some
parts of the document.
6. Margins should be 1 inch on the top, bottom and right, and 1.25 inches on the left.
7. Page numbers should be placed at the lower right corner of the page.
8. Title of the study should be indicated at the bottom part of each page as footnote, except for
the title page.

C. SPACING
1. Body should be double-spaced except for captions, lists, graphs, charts, footnotes,
bibliographic entries, and table entries.
2. Do not manually do double spacing. Set the Line Spacing to 2.0, instead.

D. ORDER AND PAGING

SECTION PAGING
Title Page Page counted, not typed on
page.
Approval Sheet ii
Abstract iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgment v
Table of Contents vi
List of Tables *
List of Figures *
List of Appendices *
Body (Chapter 1-5) Begin page number at 1
 List of References *
Appendices *
Curriculum Vitae *
* paging continues if previous section is more than one page

E. TITLE PAGE
1. Fill out the fields with “< >” following the format on how it is written in the template.
2. Month and year of completion corresponds to the month and year when you successfully
defended your project.

F. APPROVAL SHEET
1. Fill out the fields with “< >” following the format on how it is written in the template.
2. Grade should be left blank.
3. Month and year of completion corresponds to the month and year when you successfully
defended your project.

G. TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Table of Contents in the template is generated semi-automatically because it needs to be
manually triggered by an update to automatically show the content of the whole document. (See
Heading and Subheadings for further instructions)

H. LIST OF FIGURES/TABLES/APPENDICES
The List of Figures/Tables/Appendices in the template is generated semi-automatically because
it needs to be manually triggered by an update to automatically show the list of all
figures/tables/appendices in the document. (See Figures and Tables for further instructions)

I. BODY
1. The body should follow the minimum content of Chapters 1-5. Additional contents may be
added as needed.
2. Textual notes that provide supplementary information, opinions, explanations, or
suggestions that are not part of the text must appear at the bottom of the page as footnotes.
3. Lengthy footnotes may be continued on the next page or may be considered as appendix if
too lengthy.
4. Placement of footnotes at the bottom of the page ensures they will appear as close as
possible to the referenced passage.

Minimum/ Basic Content of the Body (Chapters 1-5)

CONTENT
Chapter 1. The Problem and Its Background
1.1. Introduction
1.2. Objectives of the Project
1.3. Significance of the Project
1.4. Scope and Limitation of the Project
1.5. Definition of Terms
Chapter 2. Literature Review and Framework of the Project
2.1. Introduction to Literature Review
2.2. Result of Literature Review
2.3. Conclusion and Framework of the Study
Chapter 3. Project Design and Methodology
 1.1. Project Design
1.1.1. Industry Standards Used
1.1.2. Design Constraints
1.1.3. Design Tradeoffs
1.2. Project Development and Implementation
1.3. Project Testing and Evaluation
Chapter 4. Results and Discussion
Chapter 5. Summary, Conclusion and Recommendation
1.1. Summary
1.2. Conclusion
1.3. Recommendation

J. HEADINGS AND SUBHEADINGS

1. All headings and subheadings in the template are properly formatted and has active links to
the Table of Contents. Avoid adding unformatted headings and subheadings as they will not
be included in the Table of Contents when updated.
2. The Table of Contents are formatted to show up to 3 levels of heading only. Level 4
subheadings may still be included in the body if necessary but will not be included in the
Table of Contents.

IMPORTANT TIPS:
- If you need to add more headings/ subheadings, here’s the best way to do it:
1. Identify what level is the new heading to be added and look for an existing text
in the template that is of the same heading.
2. Copy the existing text and paste where you intend it to be placed.
3. Remember to follow the same font style, size and indention as that of the one
you copied.

4. Update your entire Table of Contents.

K. FIGURES AND TABLES:
a. Figure caption should be placed below each figure. Table caption should be placed
above each table.
b. Figures/tables should be placed as close as possible to their first mention in the text.
c. No text may wrap around the figure/table.
d. If a figure/table appears on a page without other text, it should be centered vertically
within the page margins.
e. Figures/tables should not be placed at the end of the chapter or at the end of the thesis
unless included in the appendix.
f. Figure/table numbering should be continuous throughout the paper (Figure 1, Figure 2,
etc.).
g. The word “Figure,” or “Table” must be spelled out (not abbreviated), and the first letter
must be capitalized (e.g. Figure 5.1 NOT Fig. 5.1).
h. If figures/tables are too large, they may be reduced slightly so as to render a satisfactory
product or they must either be split into several pages or be redone. If a figure/table is
reduced, all lettering must be clear, readable, and large enough to be legible. All
page margin requirements must be maintained. Page numbers and headings must not
be reduced.

IMPORTANT TIPS:
- Since captions were made active fields in the template, there is an easier way to
make sure your numbering is correct:
1. The template has sample figure/table with active field. Make sure that the
figure/table does not lose its active field because it is linked with your List of
Figures/Tables. You will know if it’s active when you bring your cursor to the
table/figure number and it’s background turns to GRAY:

2. For easier formatting of captions, copy the whole caption of the sample
figure/table and paste it to where your Figure/Table 2 is located. Right-click on
the Figure/Table caption and click “Update Field”.
 3. Update your entire List of Figures/Tables.

L. CITATION
1. When using original information or evidence from sources, follow the 3-Step Rule:
STEP 1. Summarize, paraphrase, or mark it (with quotes or block indentations).
Note: Quotations, or marked excerpts, are common in the arts,
humanities, and social sciences, but very rare in the lab sciences,
technology, math, or engineering fields.
STEP 2. Cite the source(s) in the same paragraph.
STEP 3. Cite the source(s)again in your list of References or Bibliography.
(Greer & Austin, 2020)
2. For detailed instruction on proper citation, see
(https://www.uab.edu/ethicsforauthors/images/Documents/3_Step_Rule.pdf)

M. LIST OF REFERENCES:
1. All citations in the body should be listed in the List of References.
2. References are arranged alphabetically, by the last name of the first author or, if author is
not available - by title.
3. References should be single-spaced between each entry.
4. References should follow the applicable APA Style Reference Formats (see Generator at
https://www.citationmachine.net/apa)

L. APPENDICES
1. Place in an appendix any material that is peripheral, but relevant, to the main text of the
project.
2. Examples could include survey instruments, table of materials, cost analysis, additional
data, details of a procedure or analysis, etc.

IMPORTANT TIPS: Similar to Important Tips for Figures and Tables

M. CURRICULUM VITAE
1. It should focus on person’s education, qualifications and other relevant experience and
skills.
2. It should include the author’s recent photo.
N. BOOK COVER
1. The book copy should be book bound with Dark Blue cover and Gold font on all
inscriptions.
2. The program (abbreviated), title of the paper, and month-year of completion, should also
be inscribed on the side portion of the cover.