A PRACTICAL GUIDE

for the BSU GRADUATE SCHOOL

FORM AND STYLE for THESES
& DISSERTATIONS
(an instructional material for Graduate
Seminar and Methods of Research)

Joel V. Lubrica, PhD

February 2010
 FOREWORD

The BSU Graduate School prescribes a standard form and style for
theses and dissertations. These are described in the 2000 edition of the
Form and Style for Graduate Students, formulated by a BSU Committee
when the Graduate School (GS) was then headed by Dean Dr. Dominador
S. Garin.

This instructional material was developed for the subject ‘Graduate

Seminar’ where the ‘mechanics’ of BSU theses and dissertations are con-
sidered. It can also be used for the subject ‘Methods of Research’ when
proposal writing is included. Moreover, it can be utilized by GS students
in adhering to the prescribed form and style, which had changed slightly
due to various actions of the BSU University Academic Council, the GS
Academic Council, and the GS Executive Committee.

This Guide was based primarily on:

BSU (Benguet State University) Committee, 2000. Form and

Style for Graduate Students of the Benguet State Uni-
versity, BSU, La Trinidad, Benguet.

Other references are:

Gray, D. 2004. Doing research in the real world. London:
Sage Publications;

Graziano, A. and M. Raulin, 2007. Research methods: A

process of inquiry. 6th edition, Boston: Pearson Educa-
tion, Inc.;

A Practical Guide for the BSU Form and Style for Theses and Dissertations 2
JVL: February 2010
 Jackson, S. 2006. Research methods and statistics: A critical
thinking approach, 2nd edition. USA: Thomson Higher
Education; and,

UB R&D (University of Baguio Research and Development

Center) n.d. Thesis Format for Graduate and Undergra-
duate Programs, 3rd edition, UB, Baguio City.

The author wishes to thank all the people who assisted in this en-
deavor, especially the students who provided comments and suggestions
after trying out parts of the Guide.

Joel V. Lubrica

The author obtained his PhD Science Education degree (by re-
search) from the University of New England (Australia), his MA Physics
degree from UP Diliman, and his BS Physics for Teachers degree (cum
laude) from the Philippine Normal College (Manila). He teaches Physics,
Earth Science, Environmental Education, Computer Education, Strategies
and Methods of Teaching, Graduate Seminar and Methods of Research.
His research is focused on physics and science education.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
Table of Contents . . . . . . . . . . . iii
Title Page. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Approval Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Table of Contents (non-technical) . . . . . . . . . 5
Table of Contents (technical) . . . . . . . . . 7
List of Tables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
List of Figures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Results and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Figure. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Continued Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Appendix A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Biographical Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapters of a BSU Thesis or Dissertation . . . . . . . 22
General Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Paper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Margins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Font and Font Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Spelling and Grammar . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Tense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

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 Spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Other Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Background of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Conceptual Framework . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Review of Literature . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Hypotheses of the Study . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Methodology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Results and Discussion . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Appendices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Literature Cited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Biographical Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
The Proposal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Roles of the Student, Adviser, Advisory Committee, and
Graduate School . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Annual Best Dissertation/ Thesis Award . . . . . . . 28
Some Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Hierarchy of Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
How to Insert Two Blank Single Space Lines Above
and/or Below a Center Heading. . . . . . . . . 30
How to Insert Two Blank Single Space Lines Above a
Side Heading. . . . . . . . . . 31
How to Format the Table of Contents, List of Tables and
Other Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Be Consistent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

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 CHAPTERS OF A BSU THESIS OR DISSERTATION

NOTE: 1. The preliminary (e.g., Title Page,…) and finale (e.g., Literature
Cited,…) portions are the same for both non-technical and
technical works.
2. The subdivisions listed per chapter are the required subdivisions.

NON-TECHNICAL:

INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Conceptual Framework
Statement of the Problem
Hypotheses of the Study [if any]

METHODOLOGY
Research Design
Population and Locale of the Study
Data Collection Procedure
Data Collection Instruments
Treatment of Data

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

[Presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data per stated prob-
lem]
Summary [only of findings, not of the entire research]

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Conclusions
Recommendations

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TECHNICAL:

INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
Objectives of the Study
Importance of the Study
Place and Time of the Study

REVIEW OF LITERATURE
[The related literature are arranged according to the sequence of
the objectives]

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Materials
Methods
Treatment of Data

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

[Presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data per stated prob-
lem]

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary
Conclusions
Recommendations

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 GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS

Paper

Paper size should be Letter: 8 ½ by 11 inches. Do not use A4 or long

bond paper. Paper should be substance 20 or equivalent. Reproduction of ma-
nuscripts through photocopying is allowed with the use of ‘powder’, not ink.

Margins

For all pages, from the Title Page to the Biographical Sketch, use 1.7
inches for the left margin, 1.5 inches top, 1.3 inches right, and 1.3 inches bot-
tom. The text in the body of the manuscript is justified (or aligned both left
and right).

Font and Font Size

For all text including chapter titles, you can use 12 pt. Times New Ro-
man, Times or Arial. Tables and figures can have different font/ font sizes
(usually smaller).

Spelling and Grammar

Use American English. If a word can be spelled correctly in more than

one way, select one and be consistent in its use. Rules of grammar shall be
followed. Avoid paragraphs that are composed of only one sentence.

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 Tense

Use the past tense in the Abstract, in describing methods, and in pre-
senting the summary (of findings or of the study). Use either the past or
present tense in the ‘Results and Discussion’. For the introductory part, the
conclusions and recommendations use the appropriate tenses.

Spacing

Use double spacing between lines, if not otherwise specified. Two lines
that are double spaced have a blank single space line between them.

After a period, comma, question mark or exclamation point, leave one

or two character spaces (be consistent in using either). However, do not put a
space after an open parenthesis or before a close parenthesis. For example,
write “(Author, 2010)” instead of “(Author, 2010)”. Also, do not put a space/s
before a comma or a period, as done in this sentence you are now reading.

For lengthy direct quotations that are in the form of a paragraph, use
single spacing. Indent the whole paragraph around ½ inches on both sides; do
not set of the paragraph using quotation marks.

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 OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

Abstract
The abstract is a summary of the study, containing a brief introduction,
methods, results and conclusions. It should be written simply and in para-
graph form. It should not be more than three pages. It may contain the rec-
ommendations of the study.

Acknowledgments
Use the third person in writing the Acknowledgments. Example: “The
author would like to thank the following: …” not “I would like…” Put dedi-
cations, if any, in this section, because there is no separate section for DEDI-
CATION.

Background of the Study

This is a short overview of the study, perhaps covering only three to

five pages. It should give the reader a sense of: a) why the research is being
conducted, and b) possible contributions of the research to existing know-
ledge. In short, it provides the justification for conducting the study. When
writing the ‘Background’, you can, first, provide the context or situation of
the problem (preferably as an ‘inverted pyramid’, from the international down
to the local level). At this portion, sources can be cited to support important
ideas. Next, discuss the justification, motivation, or reasons of selecting the
topic for research.
For non-technical researches, discuss the importance or significance
(theoretical or practical) of the study at the last portion.

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 Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework presents the basic arrangement of the study

by showing the inter-relationships among the variables. If there are theories or
models that underpin the study, they are presented in this section.
The first part can start with the theories or models. This is then fol-
lowed by a simple enumeration of the a) independent variables, b) the depen-
dent variable, c) intervening or moderating variables, if any, and d) other
components of the research. You can also use the input-process-output model
when enumerating the variables or main concepts.
Then present a figure or diagram (“paradigm of the study”) showing the
inter-relationships.
Next, discuss each of the concepts or variables in the ‘paradigm’ in re-
lation to existing literature (very much like a ‘review of literature’), with an
emphasis on findings and methods.
If there is no separate section for ‘Definition of Terms’, define here the
terms that are used in the study, as they occur in the discussion. It is advisable
to show a clear hierarchy, or organization, of topics in the Conceptual
Framework by using headings and sub-headings.
Note that the paradigm is shown after the variables or concepts are
enumerated, but before the discussion of the concepts or variables.
However, you can show the paradigm at the last portion of the Frame-
work, if your discussion is not long. It is just that, sometimes, the reader can
‘get lost’ in a long discussion and can get confused on how the concepts being
discussed are related to the research topic. Thus, we recommend that the fig-
ure will be shown before the discussion, to serve as a guide.

Review of Literature
The literature review establishes a link between the present study and
existing literature (studies, reports, books, and other sources). This review can
be embedded in the topic ‘Conceptual Framework’ for non-technical re-

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searches or it can stand as a separate chapter entitled “Review of Literature”
for technical researches.
In terms of presentation, the review should be based on the variables or
main concepts of the study. That is, the review can be broken down into top-
ics that relate directly to the variables. Literature that is common can be put
together so that they need not be cited individually, although, the researcher
can write the review in a preferred way. Nevertheless, the underlying idea for
the review is to show how the present study is similar with past studies (exist-
ing literature), how it will be different, and what research gaps (or lack of re-
search) are being addressed.
If you want to use some review of literature from another research
(such as a thesis or dissertation), do not simply copy and ‘paste’ it on your re-
view. Recognize that the review is the intellectual product (and property) of
the person who put it together. Thus, you need to cite your source.
For example, you wish to include the idea of the following sentence
(perhaps found in the 2009 work of Gaccam) in your thesis or dissertation, to
support one of your ideas:
Gifford and Halpole (2006), Hart and Cottle (2003), and Al-
ters (2005) all report that students who had high grades in
high school English and had taken environmental education
in college performed well in Earth Science in college.
Do NOT simply ‘copy and paste’ this sentence (yes, even if it is only
one sentence!). Instead, you can write it in your work as:
This is supported by the assertion of Gaccam (2009), citing
the works of Gifford and Halpole (2006), Hart and Cottle
(2003), and Alters (2005), that students who had high grades
in high school English and had taken environmental educa-
tion in college performed well in Earth Science in college.
Then, you will not be committing plagiarism (the act of claiming the
work of another as one’s own work) because you are giving credit to your
sources. Taken the other way, you would not want somebody to copy what
you have painstakingly put together as your own review of literature, and not
giving you credit for doing it by NOT citing your work as the source.

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 Do not use wrong grammar, such as, “According to Author (2010), he
said that a paragraph should contain more than one sentence.” Perhaps you
can modify this to become: “According to Author (2010), a paragraph should
contain…”
Indicate literature cited as follows: Aczel (2010) or (Aczel, 2010); for
two authors, Ballantyne and Packer (2008) or (Ballantyne & Packer, 2008);
for more than three authors, Reyes et al. (2007) or (Reyes et al., 2007).
For citations involving two or more sources, arrange chronologically,
most recent first., e.g., (Bautista & Pinos-an 2009; Cruz, 2008; Reyes, et al.,
2007). Note that et al. is in italics.

Statement of the Problem

State the specific problems in interrogative form. Try to make them pa-
rallel to objectives that are SMART (or Specific, Measurable, Achievable,
Result-oriented, and Time-bound).

Hypotheses of the Study

The plural of ‘hypothesis’ is ‘hypotheses’. The trend now, at least for

non-technical researches, is to write a hypothesis as an alternative, instead of
a null hypothesis. For example, use “There is a significant difference be-
tween…”, instead of “There is no significant difference between…”. The
reason is in the question: “Why study something when, in fact, you have al-
ready assumed that you will see no difference at all?”

Methodology

It is advisable to provide justification of your choice of research design,

instrument, analysis or treatment of data, among other things. If using an in-

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strument that you have developed, include a description of how you devel-
oped it and what sources you have built upon. Make it clear that you have in-
troduced enhancements and that you are not simply repeating what has been
used or done before.
Before undertaking research involving people, it is necessary to take
ethics into account. Specifically, you have to explain to the respondents or
participants the following (Gray 2004):
aims of the study, who will undertake it, who will participate, what
kind of information is being sought, how much of the participant’s time is re-
quired, the participation is voluntary, who will have access to the data once
they are collected, and how anonymity of respondents will be preserved.
If the participants give their consent after you have provided this in-
formation (verbally or in the form of a cover letter for your questionnaire),
then you have obtained their informed consent.
There are also ethical issues in researches involving animals and plants.
Consider all these.

Results and Discussion

Do the presentation according to the sequence of your specific prob-

lems.
For each, present first the results or findings. Then relate (is there af-
firmation or contradiction?) these to previous studies, if any. State whether
they tend to confirm or reject your hypotheses. Provide possible explanations.
Cite implications. Give your own insights, based on your experience and ex-
pertise.
In discussing results that are shown by tables or figures, do not repeat
what are already shown. Perhaps consider first the general trend shown by
your results. Then provide possible explanations for the results, cite implica-
tions, give insights, and so on.
For non-technical researches, end this chapter with a summary of the
results. This is in contrast with the summary (in the chapter Summary, Con-

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clusions and Recommendations) for technical researches which also includes
a summary of the problems, materials, and methods.

Conclusions
Your conclusions are generalizations that you can glean from your re-
sults. Write them as inferences; do not repeat your findings.

Recommendations
Make your recommendations specific. They should arise from your re-
sults. You can offer the conduct of specific actions or of further research.

Appendices
The appendices (plural of ‘appendix’) contain materials that could en-
hance the veracity and quality of your thesis or dissertation. Examples of
these materials are letters of transmittal, copies of survey questionnaires or
interview schedules, numerical computations, or raw data.

Literature Cited
Arrange alphabetically, by author. Do not categorize into books, ar-
ticles, internet sources, etc. List only literature that is cited in the text. Make
the citations complete, consistent and accurate.
Include all literature that you have cited, even the ‘secondary’ sources,
such as those that appear, for example, in “According to Caccam (2009), cit-
ing the works of Author1 (2007) and Author2 (2008), …” Therefore, you
need to put an entry for Caccam as well as for Author1 and for Author2.
For other sources that do not fit the ‘pattern’, include all the data neces-
sary to locate easily these sources. If no publication date is available for a
document, state n.d. in its place.

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 Biographical Sketch
Use the third person in writing the Biographical Sketch. For example,
write “The author underwent…”, not “I underwent…”. Include schools and
dates attended and degrees and honors conferred.

The Proposal
The thesis or dissertation proposal includes everything from the Title
Page to the Methodology, except Abstract and Acknowledgments. It should
also include the Literature Cited and part of the appendices (e.g., copies of
your proposed data collection instruments). It is written in future tense.

Roles of the Student, Adviser, Advisory Committee

and the Graduate School

The 2000 BSU Form and Style for Graduate Students of the Benguet
State University states the following roles:
The student pays the appropriate fees to the Graduate School; schedules
proposal and final defenses; masters and adopts the GS style and form; checks
accuracy of measurements, citations, and other parts of the manuscript; ac-
knowledges the sources of materials used in the research; and, selects the sta-
tistician and editor of the manuscript.
The Adviser facilitates the completion of the research and manuscript,
guides the researcher in all aspects related to the research, helps in the presen-
tation of the research to the panel, follows up progress of the research in all
phases, checks and reviews the accurateness and interpretation of measure-
ment and the reliability and validity of instruments and interpretation of the
data, recommends presentation and publication of manuscript, acts as chair of
the advisory and defense committee, implements the mechanics spelled out in
the GS style and form, ensures that no part of the manuscript is plagiarized,
recommends a statistician who will help in the statistical data analysis and in-
terpretation and an editor who will help in editing the manuscript, and con-

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firms and affixes signatures on approved manuscripts. The Adviser is equally
responsible as the student on the submission of books within the prescribed
period. The Adviser serves as the moderator during the public presentation of
your work.
The Advisory Committee endorses the Plan of Coursework of the stu-
dent and any deviations from this plan. It acts also as the examining commit-
tee during the qualifying examination (for doctorate only), comprehensive ex-
amination, thesis/ dissertation proposal defense and final (oral) defense. Aside
from assisting in your Plan of Course work, they countercheck the accuracy
and interpretation of data in your thesis/dissertation, assist the adviser in all
phases of the research process, ask critical questions in response to the man-
ner and system of conducting the research, make suggestions for the im-
provement of the research and manuscript, assist the adviser in ensuring that
no part of the manuscript is plagiarized, confirm and affix signatures on the
manuscript.
The Graduate School (GS) approves, facilitates, and coordinates sche-
duling of defense; reviews the mechanics of the manuscript; implements pro-
visions on the selection of advisory and defense chair and members; monitors
remuneration of adviser and members; and, confirms selected adviser and
members. The GS Dean confirms and affixes signatures on the manuscript.

Annual Best Dissertation/ Thesis Awards

Every year,the Graduate School gives awards for best dissertation or

thesis in four categories: Best Dissertation, Social; Best Dissertation, Tech-
nical; Best Thesis, Social; and, Best Thesis, Technical. The criteria are:
60% Quality of research (novelty of idea and/or framework; compre-
hensiveness; appropriateness of statistical treatment; soundness
and depth of interpretation of findings; relevance of conclusions
and recommendations; and, evidence of personal work)
30% Organization of the research (coherence and consistency; unity
of structure and logic of presentation; and, clarity of expression
and propriety of emphasis)

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 10% Mechanics of the text (use of acceptable format; general ap-
pearance, including typing, spelling, grammar and syntax; and,
presentation of bibliography, appendices, etc.)
The awards are conferred during the Achievement and Recognition Pro-
gram on the year following the search. Thus, the 2010 Best The-
sis/Dissertation Awards (selected from dissertations and theses completed
during the period January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010) were given during
the 2011 BSU Achievement and Recognition Program.
Nominations are called around the last week of November, through the
Deans and Directors. In addition to a certificate of recognition, there are fi-
nancial incentives of Three Thousand Pesos (Php 3000.00) for Best Disserta-
tion and Two Thousand Pesos (Php 2000.00) for Best Thesis.

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 SOME TIPS

Hierarchy of Topics

A topic can be divided into sub-topics, which can be sub-divided fur-

ther. For example, the topic ‘Graduate Seminar’, possibly under the chapter
“RESULTS AND DISCUSSION” has divisions that are also shown by the
hypothetical Table of Contents entries following:
Page
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Graduate Seminar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Written presentations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Introductory portion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Final portion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
BSU GS style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Oral presentations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Pointers for oral presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Critique of some presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

When you present these topics in your thesis or dissertation, show the
divisions (thus, the hierarchy, organization or levels of your topics) by us-
ing the headings and subheadings. For example, the hierarchy shown in the
preceding table can appear in your thesis or dissertation, as follows:

Graduate Seminar

A major division of a chapter is delineated by a CENTER

HEADING. The center heading is in title case, underlined, not bold-
face, not italicized. It has no end punctuation. If it is has two or more
lines, it is single spaced, and formed as an inverted pyramid.

Written Presentations
Delineate the sub-divisions within a ‘center heading’ by SIDE
HEADINGS. The side heading is flush to the left margin. It is in

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 title case, underlined/ underscored, not boldface, not italicized. It has
no end punctuation. If it is has two or more lines, it is single spaced,
with the second line still flush to the left.

Sections. Delineate further divisions within a ‘side heading’ by

PARAGRAPH HEADINGS. Only the first letter of the first word is
capitalized (except proper nouns). The heading ends with a period.A
sentence immediately follows.

i. Introductory portion. If there are smaller divisions within the

‘paragraph heading’, then you can do this type of heading, which is
in italics, not underlined and only the first letter of the first word is
capitalized.

ii. Final portion. If there are smaller divisions within the ‘pa-
ragraph heading’, then you can do this type of heading.

BSU-GS style. Delineate further divisions within a ‘side head-

ing’ by PARAGRAPH HEADINGS. This heading is indented.

i. Tense. If there are smaller divisions within the ‘paragraph

heading’, then you can do this type of heading.

ii. Style. If there are smaller divisions within the ‘paragraph

heading’, then you can do this type of heading.

Oral Presentations
Delineate the sub-divisions within a ‘center heading’ by SIDE
HEADINGS.

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 Pointers for oral presentations. Delineate further divisions
within a ‘side heading’ by PARAGRAPH HEADINGS. A sentence
immediately follows.

Critiques of some presentations. Delineate further divisions

within a ‘side heading’ by PARAGRAPH HEADINGS. A sentence
immediately follows.

How to Insert Two Blank Space Lines Above

and/or Below a Center Heading

I. For the TITLES of chapters and major sections (e.g., ABSTRACT, TABLE
OF CONTENTS, …, BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH)  these are flush to
the top margin and has two blank single space linesbelow them:

A. One way:
1. Type the title. Remember to use full capitals. Center the title on the
page.
2. Put your cursor at the END of the title.
3. Do “Format  Paragraph  Indents and Spacing  Line spacing
(make sure that you have 0 pt for the spacing Before and After) 
Multiple at 3  OK” .
4. Press “Enter” once.
5. Start typing. However, since this line is now also triple spaced, either
double space (shortcut: press Ctrl and 2 at the same time, or Ctrl-2) or
single space (shortcut: Ctrl-1), depending on what you need.

B. Another way:
1. Type the title. Remember to use full capitals. Center the title on the
page.
2. Put your cursor at the END of the title.

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 3. Do “Format  Paragraph  Indents and Spacing  Line spacing
(make sure that you have 0 pt for the spacing Before and After) 
Single  OK” . (Shortcut: Ctrl-1)
4. Press “Enter” three times.
5. Start typing. However, this line is now also single spaced. If you need
to double space, press Ctrl-2.

II. For the CENTER HEADINGS (these have two blank single space line-
sabove, and two blank single spaces below)

Recommended way, assuming that you are starting from the normal double-
spacing of the text:
1. At the end of the preceding paragraph, press “Enter” once.
2. Type the title of the center heading. Remember to underline (Ctrl-u)
and to center this heading.
3. Put your cursor at the START of the heading.
4. Do “Format  Paragraph  Indents and Spacing  Line spacing
(make sure that you have 0 pt for the spacing Before and After) 
Single  OK” . (Shortcut: Ctrl-1)
5. Press “Enter”. (This will ‘carry’ your heading one single space line
downward.)
6. Put your cursor at the END of the heading.
7. Press “Enter” three times.
8. Start typing. However, this line is now also single spaced. Press Ctrl-2
to regain double spacing.

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 How to Insert Two Blank Space Lines Above
a Side Heading

1. At the end of the preceding (double spaced) paragraph, press “Enter”

once.
2. Type the title of the side heading. Remember to put it flush to the left
margin.
3. Put your cursor at the START of the title.
4. Do “Format  Paragraph  Indents and Spacing  Line spacing
(make sure that you have 0 pt for the spacing Before and After) 
Single  OK” . (Shortcut: Ctrl-1)
5. Press “Enter” once.
6. Put your cursor at the END of the title.
7. Press Ctrl-2.
8. Press “Enter” once.
9. Start typing. Remember to indent this line.

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 How to Format the TABLE OF CONTENTS, LIST OF TABLES,
and other LISTS

When making your TABLE OF CONTENTS, LIST OF TABLES, and

the other LISTS, you can use three-column tables as shown below. Then, it
will be easy to align-left, align-center, or align-right.

For example, the word ‘Page’ and the page numbers can be aligned-
right easily. Moreover, to double space, you can first single space all the lines,
and just press ‘Enter’ at the end of the page number.

When you PRINT, remember to HIDE the table gridlines.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Graduate Seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Written presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Introductory portion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Final portion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
BSU GS style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Tense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Style . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Oral presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Pointers for oral presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Critique of some presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

LIST OF TABLES

Table No. Page

1 Put here the caption for Table No. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
2 Put here the caption for Table No. 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
3 Put here the caption for Table No. 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

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 Be Consistent

If you are not sure about what form and/ or style to use, just be consis-
tent in using one form. For example, use consistently either “j” or “J” to
represent Joule, or “kcal” or “C” to represent kilocalorie. Anyway, it will be
easy to replace one with the other later, if you need to. For instance, if you are
using Word, you can use ‘Ctrl-h’ to “find and replace” j with J, or kcal with
C.

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