Thesis Guidelines: Department of Postgraduate Studies

Hanoi University
Department of Postgraduate Studies
THESIS GUIDELINES
Hanoi, May 2006
/opt/scribd/conversion/tmp/scratch2158/26014453.doc12/04/09 1
WRITING UP YOUR THESIS
A minor thesis /study report should comprise the following, in order:

• cover page
• title page
• contents page
• acknowledgement
• abstract
• statement of authorship
• list of figures and tables (if there is one)
• list of abbreviations (if there is one)
• main body of thesis/report
• references
• appendix(es) (if there is one)
The cover page

The cover page should contain the following elements:
• Ministry of Education and Training (font: VnTimeH; font size: 12)
Hanoi University of Foreign Studies (font: VnTimeH; bold-typed;
font size: 12)
• student’s name (font: VnTimeH; font size: 12)
• title of the thesis/report (font: VnTimeH; bold-typed; font
size: 16)
• submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements of the degree of Master in TESOL
(font: VnTimeH; font size: 10)
• Hanoi (font: VnTime; font size: 12)
month/year
The usual layout of these elements is shown in Figure 1
The title page

The title page should contain the following elements:
• Ministry of Education and Training (font: VnTimeH; font size: 12)
Hanoi University of Foreign Studies (font: VnTimeH; bold-typed;
font size: 12)
• student’s name (font: VnTimeH; font size: 12)
• title of the thesis/report (font: VnTimeH; bold-typed; font
size: 16)
• submitted in partial fulfilment of requirements of the degree of Master in TESOL
(font: VnTimeH; font size: 10)
• supervisor’s name (font: VnTimeH; font size: 12)
• Hanoi (font: VnTime; font size: 12)
month/year
The usual layout of these elements is shown in Figure 2
ministry of education and training
Hanoi University of Foreign Studies
NGUYEN THI THANH HA
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS:
A CRITICAL LOOK AT CURRENT
PRACTICES AND SUGGESTIONS
FOR STANDARDISATION
submitted in partial fulfilment

of requirements of the degree
of Master in TESOL
Hanoi
January 1999
Figure 1: The lay-out of the Cover Page
ministry of education and training
Hanoi University of Foreign Studies
NGUYEN THI THANH HA
ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS:
A CRITICAL LOOK AT CURRENT
PRACTICES AND SUGGESTIONS
FOR STANDARDISATION
submitted in partial fulfilment

of requirements of the degree
of Master in TESOL
supervisor: Dr Vu thi phuong anh
Hanoi
January 1999
Figure 2: The lay-out of the Title Page
Contents page
The table of contents is the guide to your thesis/report, so it must be
accurate and logical. Your are expected to follow the format outlined in
Figure 3.
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
Acknowledgement
i
Abstract ii
List of abbreviations
iii
List of figures and tables
iv
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the study
1
1.2. Aims of the study and overview of the thesis
3
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1.Usage and use
5
2.2. Communicative language ability
7
2.3. Test quality 9
2.3.1. Validity
9
2.3.2 Reliability 10
2.4. Summary
15
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1. Research methods used
17
3.2. Procedures 19
3.3. Sample size 20
CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

4.1. Major ideas from data
21
4.2. Relationship 24
4.3. Recommendations or major findings
26
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES 30
APPENDIXES
Appendix 1: Research questionnaire
31
Appendix 2: Interview schedule
32
Figure 3: The lay-out of the Contents Page
Acknowledgements
The acknowledgement is used to thank any organisations, groups, or

individuals who have been involved with your study/research.
Abstract
The abstract, which should not exceed 300 words, is to give a brief
overview of the thesis/research report. The abstract should
• give a brief background to the study/research including its objectives
• outline the research method used
• discuss the main findings
• list recommendations (if there are any)
Statement of Authorship
List of abbreviations and/or List of figures and tables

Each table, chart, figure, map, illustration or paper clipping used in your
report/thesis should be numbered and labeled in the text. These should be
listed and numbered following the abstract.
Main body of thesis/report based on an empirical study

The thesis length should be in the range of 16,000-20,000 words (50-70
pages), not including the References and Appendixes.
The main body of the report should follow the following overall thesis
structure, subject to any variation which should be approved by the
Supervisor in consultation with the Department.
• introduction
• literature review
• methodology
• results
• analysis and discussion
• summary and conclusion
General Document Guidelines

• Margins: One inch (or 2.5 cm) on three sides (top, bottom, & right)
and 1.50 inch (or 3.5 cm) on the left side
• Font Size and Type: 12-pt font; Times New Roman, VnTime or Courier
are acceptable typefaces
• Spacing: 1.5 lines throughout the paper, including the abstract, body of
the document, and references.
• Alignment: Justify (creating even left and right margins)
• Paragraph Indentation: 5-7 spaces (one tab) or 12-18pt line-spacing
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the introduction is to frame the thesis/report for its
readers. The introduction should provide:
• a brief description of the topic including any background that might be
necessary for the general reader to understand the research area
• a statement as to why the topic is worth researching or why you found
it interesting
• a statement of your research objectives or hypothesis
• an overview of the rest of the thesis/report.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The purpose of reviewing existing information is to find what is already
known about the topic. Castetter and Heisler (1984) recommend four
questions which students should answer in a literature review:
• What is the present state of knowledge regarding the topic under
consideration?
• How are the studies related to the one being proposed?
• What is the quality of the studies reviewed?
• How will the proposed study contribute to the existing literature?
To this must be added the need to maintain a strict control over the
material which is covered in the literature review. Such a review is not a
comprehensive evaluation of all literature related to a topic. While you will
need to read widely to clarify many issues for yourself, only a careful
selection of narrowly relevant materials which pertain immediately to the
research question will be covered in the literature review itself.
For an empirical study report, the size of the literature review should not
be more than one third of the total length of the report.
METHODOLOGY
The purpose of this section is to outline the research methods used and
demonstrate that you have followed recognised procedures in your study.
You should explain why you chose particular methods and provide a
detailed explanation of how the research was conducted. For example, if
you used a questionnaire survey, you would need to say how many
questionnaires were handed out, how respondents were selected, and
perhaps what type of information you expected to get from the
questionnaire.
RESULTS1
The purpose of this section is to state what was found, not to analyse or
explain why the results came out as they did. Tables, charts and other
suitable graphic material should be mixed with the text. Do not repeat in
the text information that is included in tables or graphs. Note only the
1
The RESULTS may be part of the methodology chapter or a chapter on its own.
most relevant and important features2. If you have used a variety of
methods it is sometimes worth reporting the results from each method
separately.
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

In this section you are required to analyse the results of your research.
Why did the results come out as they did? What do they mean in terms of
the research objectives or hypothesis?3
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Before you write this section, read through the report and make notes on
any key points. These key points should then be put in a logical order and
summarized. When noting key points pay particular attention to the
‘Results’ and ‘Analysis and discussion’ sections as they should be the
focus of your report.
This section should also include any recommendations you wish to make.
References (the details will be presented below)
Appendix(es)
Documenting sources
1. Text Citation: Source material must be documented in the paper by

citing the author(s) and the year of publication of the sources (either
integrated into the text or placed at the end of the sentence).
+ When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal
structure of the sentence, the year of publication appears in parentheses
following the identification of the authors. Eg.:
Wirth and Mitchell (1994) found that although there was a reduction
in insulin dosage over a period of two weeks in the treatment
condition compared to the control condition, the difference was not
statically significant.
2
For more detailed information as to how to describe the results, refer to Swales, J.M. &
Feak, C.B. (1995). Academic writing for graduate students. USA: The University of
Michigan Press (Unit 4)
3
Refer to chapter 8 of Hayllar, B. & Veal, T. (1995). Pathways to Research. Melbourne:
Heinemann for
interpretation of questionnaire results.
(NB: “and” is used when multiple authors are identified as part of
the formal structure of the sentence. Compare this to the example in
the following section.)
+ When the authors of a source are NOT part of a formal structure of the
sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in
parentheses, separately by semicolons. Eg.:
Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at

least some types of religious behaviors are related to higher levels
of physical and mental health (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991;
Koenig, 1990; Levin & Vanderpool, 1991; Maton & Pargament, 1987;
Paloma & Pendleton, 1991; Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jerkins, 1991)
(NB: ‘&” is used when multiple authors are identified in parenthetical

material. Note also that when several sources are cited
parenthetically, they are ordered alphabetically by the first authors’
surnames.)
+ When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are included
every time the source is cited.
+ When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors
are included the first time the source is cited. When that source is cited
again, the first author's surname and "et al." are used. Consider the
following example:
Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least
some types of religious behaviors are related to higher levels of
physical and mental health (Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins, 1991).
Payne et al. (1991) showed that …

+ When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the first author's
surname and "et al." are used every time the source is cited (including the
first time).
+ Within a given paragraph, do not include the date after the initial
citation unless you are citing other publications else in your paper by the
same author(s).
+ If a source has no author, use the first two or three words of the title
(omitting a beginning article), and capitalise each word of your shortened
version. Place the short title in quotation marks if it is an article or chapter,
or underline it if it is a book or periodical. Substitute the short title for the
name of the author. Eg.: (an article) (“Learned Helplessness,” 1985). The
full title appears alphabetically in the reference list (without quotation
marks) in the author position.
+ Where reference is made to ideas, opinions or evidence which are

traceable to a specific page, this should be indicated. For example: Adams
(1990, p.37) claims …or … Adams (1990, p. 37)
+ Initials should be included only when a distinction is drawn between

authors with the same surname. Where the author’s name appears within
parentheses, the initials follow the surname (Thomas, N.E. 1992). If the
author’s name and initials are incorporated into the text, the initials should
precede the surname, eg. N.E. Thomas (1992) ....
2. Quotations: When a direct quotation is used, always include the

author, year, and page number as part of the citation.
+ A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double

quotation marks and should be incorporated into the formal structure of
the sentence. Consider the following example:
Patients receiving prayer had "less congestive heart failure, required
less diuretic and antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia,
had fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently incubated and
ventilated" (Byrd, 1988, p. 829).
+ A lengthier quotation of 40 or more words should appear (without
quotation marks) apart from the surrounding text, in "block" format, with
each line indented five spaces from the left margin. Also change Spacing
from ‘1.5 lines’ to ‘Single-space’. Consider the following example:
The aims of this program were for pupils to be competent to speak and
write in French at no cost to their English language (Lambert & Tucker,
1972). The results of the evaluation study of the program suggested
that the aims were achieved. Tucker and d’Anglejan (1972) summarised
the results as follows
the experiment pupils appear to be able to read, write,

speak, understand,
and use English as well as youngsters instructed in English
in conventional manner. In addition and at no cost they can
also read, write, speak, and understand French in a way
that English pupils who follow a traditional program of
French as a second language never do.
(p. 19)
NB:
- you may wish to omit some of the author’s words which are not relevant to your writing.
In this case, use three dots (...) to indicate where you have omitted words.
- the material quoted may already contain a quotation. Here it is
necessary to change the single quotation marks (‘...’) in the original to
double quotation marks (“...”) to indicate that these were the author’s
quotation marks, not yours.
References
You must include a list of references at the end of your research report.
Remember to list only works that you have referred to in your report.
The References section begins on a new page.
Reference entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first

authors. Most reference entries have three components:
• Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the source,
using surnames and initials. Commas separate all authors.
• Year of Publication: In parentheses following authors, with a period
following the closing parenthesis.
• Source Reference: Includes title, journal, volume, pages (for journal
article) or title, city of publication, publisher (for book).
N.B.: title of book (including edited books), title of a journal, and the
World Wide Web should be italicised.
Compiling a bibliography
+ Journal article
Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women and
judgments of vulnerability to sexual assault. Journal of Applied Social
Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.
[Note: Italicise continuously from the beginning of the journal title through
the comma following the volume number.]
+ Book
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
+ Web document
Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA Style Essentials. Retrieved May
18, 2000 from the World Wide Web:
http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/apa.html
+ Document from electronic database
Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). A closer look at the drug abuse-maternal
aggression link. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 503-522. Retrieved
May 20, 2000 from ProQuest on-line database on the World Wide Web:
http://www.umi.com/pqdauto
[Note: Italicise continuously from the beginning of the journal title through
the comma following the volume number.]
+ Article or chapter in an edited book

Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker
(Ed.), Religion and Mental Health (pp. 70-84). New York: Oxford University
Press.
+ If the author is unknown

‘A note on the reorganisation of district administration’ (1885). Quarterly
journal of political and social science, 7, 1-12.
+ Unpublished works
Ong, M.H.C. (1969). The Democratic Action Party of Malaysia: the case for
a Malaysia restated. Unpublished MA Thesis, La Trobe University.
A Sample ‘References’ Section
‘A note on the reorganisation of district administration’ (1885). Quarterly

journal of political and social science, 7, 1-12
Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA Style Essentials. Retrieved May
http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/apa.html
Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). A closer look at the drug abuse-maternal
aggression link. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 503-522.
Retrieved May 20, 2000 from ProQuest on-line database on the
World Wide Web: http://www.umi.com/pqdauto
Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women and
judgments of vulnerability to sexual assault. Journal of Applied Social
Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.
Ong, M.H.C. (1969). The Democratic Action Party of Malaysia: the case for
a Malaysia restated. Unpublished MA Thesis, La Trobe University
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.).
Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker
(Ed.), Religion and Mental Health (pp. 70-84). New York: Oxford
University Press.
Plagiarism
This means using someone else's words, ideas or information without

referencing them - in other words, presenting them as your own. Any work
that is not referenced is assumed to be yours, so ensure that this is true.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and can result in penalties. To
avoid it, use quotations and paraphrases with proper referencing. When
you are reading, keep careful notes of your sources, including all the
bibliographic information that you need to write a full reference for the
sources.
This Guidelines document is prepared by using materials from the

following sources:
'Quy ChÕ §µo T¹o Sau §¹i Häc' (2000). Hµ Néi: Bé Gi¸o dôc vµ §µo t¹o
Brooks, a. & Grunby, P. (1990). Writing for study purposes. CUP
Clanchy, J. & Ballard, B. (1981). How to write essays. Longman
Degelman, D. & Harris, M.L. (2000). APA Style Essentials. Retreives May
htth://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/apa.html
Hamp-Lyons, L. & Counter, K.B. (1984). Research matters. Newbury house
publishers
Hayllar,B & Veal, T. (1995). Pathways to Research. Melbourne: Heinemann
Hennessy, B. (1994). How to write an essay. Plimbridge house
Parson, C.J. (1973). Theses and project paper. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
Phillips, G.R.E. & Hunt, L.J. (1996). Writing essays and dissertations.
Landfall Press
Trzeciak, J. & Mackay, S.E. (1994). Study skills for academic writing.
Prentice Hall
Waters, M. & Waters, A. (1995). Study tasks in English. CUP

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Hanoi University

Department of Postgraduate Studies

Hanoi, May 2006

A minor thesis /study report should comprise the following, in order:

The cover page

The usual layout of these elements is shown in Figure 1

The title page

NGUYEN THI THANH HA

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING

submitted in partial fulfilment

Figure 1: The lay-out of the Cover Page

NGUYEN THI THANH HA

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TESTING

submitted in partial fulfilment

supervisor: Dr Vu thi phuong anh

Figure 2: The lay-out of the Title Page

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Figure 3: The lay-out of the Contents Page

The acknowledgement is used to thank any organisations, groups, or

List of abbreviations and/or List of figures and tables

Main body of thesis/report based on an empirical study

General Document Guidelines

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

References (the details will be presented below)

1. Text Citation: Source material must be documented in the paper by

Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at

(NB: ‘&” is used when multiple authors are identified in parenthetical

Payne et al. (1991) showed that …

+ Where reference is made to ideas, opinions or evidence which are

+ Initials should be included only when a distinction is drawn between

2. Quotations: When a direct quotation is used, always include the

+ A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double

the experiment pupils appear to be able to read, write,

The References section begins on a new page.

Reference entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first

+ Article or chapter in an edited book

+ If the author is unknown

A Sample ‘References’ Section

‘A note on the reorganisation of district administration’ (1885). Quarterly

This means using someone else's words, ideas or information without

This Guidelines document is prepared by using materials from the

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