The preliminary pages of research are the first page of your dissertation or thesis or any research project. Their content or order may differ from research house to another, but their key standard remain unchanged. In this article, we shall look at the main pages in Social sciences and Education
The title page
Thetitle pageis the first page of research report, which contains the title of the research. Thetitleshould be typed in capital letters, single-spaced, and centred between the right and left margins of the page.
Also, on the title page are usually included:
- the name of the topic or the title of the study,
- full name of the candidate and his/her previous academic background,
- name of the faculty and institution to which the report is submitted,
- the qualification or purpose for which the report is presented,
- the date of presentation.
These items are centred between the margins of the page and no terminal punctuation is used. The title is presented in capital letters, but only the initial letters of principal words are capitalised in other items. If the title extends beyond one line, it is double-spaced and placed in an inverted pyramid style. The qualification or purpose the report is presented for is described using the statement similar to the following:
“A dissertation submitted to the (your institution) in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the (your pursued qualification/certificate)”.
This statement is usually followed by the name of the institution where it is presented and the year of presentation, on separate lines, both centred.
Name of institution
Year presented
Certification/ declaration page:
This contains the attestation of originality of the research project. You have to attest that the research you have just conducted is your own work, that nobody else has presented the same title before you at any level. It may also include the name and signature of the external examiner.
Example:
I (your name) solemnly declare that this dissertation is my own work and that it has never been previously submitted for a degree, Diploma or other qualifications at this or any other University.
Signed………………………………………………………..
Date……………………………………………………….
Approval/Acceptance page:
In case your institution requires an approval page, the dissertation allots space for the necessary certificate and the signatures of the supervisor or the members of the dissertation committee. This page contains information indicating that your research has been approved for the award of the qualification you are pursuing.
The specifications vary from institution to institution. It contains some of the following information: the names, signatures of the head of department, the dean, the supervisor(s) and dates, the names(s) of the examiners, depending on the institution’s requirement.
Example of approval statement:
This dissertation of………… (Your name) has been approved as fulfilling part of the requirements of the award of the……….. (Pursued qualification) by the………… (Your learning institution).
Signed: …………………………………………………………………………………………
Copyright in Preliminary Pages of Research
This is the page where you confirm that the absolute copyright for the research work is reserved just for you, as the work is your own property. In this you also indicate that whatever right of reproduction or use of any part of your work should be granted by you or your learning institution.
Example copyright declaration:
All copyright reserved. No part of this dissertation may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, transmitted in any form or any means, electronic recording, mechanical photocopying or otherwise, without prior permission in writing, from the author or the…. (your learning institution).
Abstract:
This is a succinctly summarised form of the report with 600 words or less. The abstract serves as a synopsis, enabling a scholar to judge whether he/she should read the complete work. A brief restatement of problem, the procedures used, the design of the study,methods of researchemployed, the techniques and tools used for data collection, treatment of data, the methods of analysis and interpretation of data and all other steps are briefly highlighted in order to enlighten any reader in this respect. It also presents the principal findings and conclusions as well as the recommendations of the study.
Dedication
This is one of Preliminary Pages of Research in Social sciences. Here, emotionally-laden words may be permitted in order to pay tribute to persons who are dear to the author or those who contributed in one way or the other to the success of the project and those who would particularly be interested in the research findings. Anyone can be included as there is no restriction at all, but this should be done as briefly as possible.
Acknowledgement page
The acknowledgement page is largely a matter of courtesy. This is used to convey indebtedness to those who helped in the process of conducting the research and preparing the report. These people may include your supervisor(s), research assistants and sponsor(s), etc.
It should be simple and restraining; unlike in dedication part, some examiners require avoiding to include the name of God, for God’s contribution in everything goes without saying. The same applies to the recognition for routine participation by members of the writer’s family, faculty advisors, librarians and clerical helpers.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents occupies a separate page or pages among the Preliminary Pages of Research and serves an important purpose of providing the outline of the contents of the report and enables the readers of the report to locate quickly each section of it. It lays out in a tabular form, the chapters, headings and sub-headings of the report.
The chapter titles are usually typed in capital letters and the subdivision headings in small letters with the initial letter of the principal words capitalised. All titles and headings appear in the exact words and order as they do in the report, and each is followed by the correct page citation. It is sequentially arranged and numbered from the preliminary to the supplementary pages. The table can be typed manually, but the easiest way is to run it automatically with your software application using the formal format.
Figures and appendices:
In research reports, all figures and appendices must be captioned and given a numerical index. Captions should appear below the figure or appendix, and should be sufficiently descriptive without being too long. Simply state what the illustration is showing and do any explaining in the main text. Captions for figures and diagrams have the format: Chapter number. Figure number.
The word “Figure” is used generically to cover all illustrations, such as drawings, flow charts, sketches, and so on. Spell out the word in full. Note too, the positions of the full-stops. The numerical index is composed of the chapter number, a full stop, and followed by the figure number, terminated with another full stop. Thus, the third illustration appearing in Chapter 4 would have the caption:
Figure 4.3. Pupils’ responses on whether secondary schools had guidance and counselling section.
You may use the abbreviated form, “Fig.”, when referring to illustrations if the reference appears in the middle of a sentence. For example:
“The response frequencies, shown in Fig. 4.3, is quite common.”
Otherwise, write the word “Figure” in full, for instance, “Figure 4.3 shows pupils’ responses on whether secondary schools had guidance and counselling section.” This should appear the same way in the Preliminary Pages of Research
List of tables
If tables are used in the report, a separate page is included for their list. In Preliminary Pages of Research, all tables must be captioned and given a numerical index, and the numbering style is identical to that used for figures and diagrams. The captions should be placed below each table and list. So, for example, the second table in Chapter 3 would have the caption:
“Table 3.2. Performance measures obtained using the proposed procedure.” Abbreviations should not be used when referring to tables and lists – write out the word “Table” in full, with a capital “T.”
To end this unit, important to note is that all the Preliminary Pages of Research are numbered with lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, v, etc).
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