How To Write Each Chapter
How To Write Each Chapter
How To Write Each Chapter
Preliminary Pages
• Preliminary Pages, include: 1. An ABSTRACT is a short summary of your completed research. If done
well, it makes the reader want to learn more about your research. You should write it before submitting,
and include it at the start of the article. 2. Table of Contents (indicating major chapters & pages) 3.
Acknowledgment (optional)
Basic components of an abstract
1) Motivation/problem statement: Why do we care about the problem? What practical, scientific,
theoretical or artistic gap is your research filling? 2) Methods/procedure/approach: What did
you actually do to get your results? (e.g. analyzed 3 cases, completed a series of legislation,
interviewed 17 practitioners) 3) Results/findings/product: As a result of completing the above
procedure, what did you learn/invent/create? 4) Conclusion/implications: What are the larger
implications of your findings, especially for the problem/gap identified in step 1?
Chapter I -The Problem and its Scope
•Introduction (includes Background and Rationale of the Study) •Statement of the Problem/Objectives
of the Study •Thesis Statement •Scope and Limitation (Can include Assumptions) •Research
Methodology •Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks (Objective analyses of the problem or topic)
•Definition of Terms
Introduction
•Present the problem – what the problem is all about, i.e., an unsatisfactory condition, a felt problem
that needs a solution •Cite the reason(s) why it is necessary to conduct the study •Provide the historical
background of the research problem •Provide your perspectives as a writer – e.g., your desire to
understand a particular situation, to find an improvement of a current situation, to discover something
•For anthropological and economic studies, provide geographical conditions of the locality of the study
•Provide a link between the introduction and why the researcher conducted the study
Introduction
•Explain the rationale, timeliness and/or relevance of the study to existing conditions/problems
•Provide possible solutions to the problems •Show who will be the ones to benefit and how they will
benefit •Explain how it contributes to the body of knowledge •Provide possible implications (i.e.,
discovering causes of the problem, effects and remedial measures)
Statement of the Problem
•General Statement of the problem •Specific questions or subproblems (Objectives of the Study)
Thesis Statement
•Expressly write down your hypothesis and assumptions here, if any.
Scope and Limitations of the Study
•Briefly state general purpose of the study, subject matter and topics studied and/or discussed •Explain
locale of the study (where the data were gathered or institution which the data belong to) •Provide
population or universe from which the respondents were selected •Provide the period of the study
(time when data were gathered) •Limitations include factors beyond the control of the researcher
Research Methodology
•Explain briefly the method of research used, the procedure, its appropriateness and advantages
•Descriptive method – a fact-finding study with adequate interpretation of findings. It describes what
actually exists •Explains the method of collecting data and development of the questionnaire or other
instrument •Sampling design – how researcher selected the sample •Statistical treatment of the data, if
needed
Theoretical Framework
•This is the central theme, the focus and main thrust of the study. •Serves as a guide in conducting the
investigation •The theoretical scheme for the research problem, that is, a tentative explanation of the
problem that serves as the basis for the formulation of the hypothesis. •Consists of researcher’s
hypothesis (own position) after exposure to various theories that have bearing on the problem. •Its
roots must be based on previous models which the researcher had studied.
Conceptual Framework
•From the review of related literature and studies, the researcher shall formulate a theoretical scheme
for the research problem. •Briefly stated, the conceptual framework for a research problem on for e.g.,
assessment of the juvenile justice program can be based on the following variables: qualifications of the
social workers, effectiveness of methods and strategies to rehabilitate minor offenders, adequacy of
facilities, and adequacy of the government policies. •Paradigm is the diagrammatic representation of a
conceptual framework
Definition of Terms
Provide all terms that need to be defined Define operational terms only
Chapter II -Review of Related Literature
•Cite materials that are recent, objective or unbiased, and relevant to the study. •It must not be too few
but not too many •Discuss related literature: •By author •By topic (provide a summary of opinions) •By
chronological order •Only major findings, ideas, generalizations, principles or conclusions in related
materials relevant to the problem must be cited. •These are summarized, paraphrased or synthesized.
•Provide justification of the study – apply to this locality, affirm or negate existing findings, show how it
contributes to the body of knowledge
Chapter III -Results & Discussion
•Breaking the general problem to specific questions and analyzing each one. •Classifying data according
to kind, quantity, geographical location, and chronological order of occurrence. •Group-derived
generalizations – when analyzing research data, you form inferences, interpretations, conclusions
and/or generalizations from the collected data. •Present or organize data into logical, sequential and
meaningful categories and classifications thru 3 ways of presenting data: textual, tabular, and graphical
presentations. •Discuss the summary of the implications of the findings: existence of a condition,
probable cause of the condition, probable effect, measure to remedy the condition, or entity involved or
affected.
Chapter IV -Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations •Summarize findings and whole thesis, make
generalizations in the form of conclusions and recommendations for solutions of problems. •For
Summary of Findings: •Make a brief statement about the main purpose of the study, method of
research, etc. •Provide findings for each specific question •No deduction, nor inference nor
interpretation should be made •Only important findings, highlights of data should be included •No new
data should be introduced
•For Conclusions •Make inferences, deductions, implications, interpretations, generalizations based
upon the findings •Answer the specific questions raised •Point out what were factually learned from the
study •Should be brief and short yet they convey all necessary information •Should not be repetitions of
any statement anywhere in the thesis but they may be recapitulations if necessary but worded
differently but convey the same information
•For Recommendations •These aim to solve or help solve problems discovered in the study (i.e., action
oriented) •Can be recommendation for continuance of good practice or its improvement •Aim for the
ideal but should be feasible, practical and attainable •Should be logical and valid •Should be addressed
to entities that will implement them •Should recommend for further research to verify, amplify or
negate the findings of the study
References cited
•Use of APA format •An alphabetical list of all books, magazine articles, and other publications that have
been used in writing the paper. •Shows the quality of the research as well as guide for the work of other
researchers. •This should appear at the end of the paper •Put the entries in alphabetical order
according to authors, last name first (if no author is given, alphabetize the entry by its title; if the author
is used in another entry use a long dash for his name). It is not necessary to number the entries •Do not
mention page number of books; but for magazine articles, give the pages covered by the article.
Citations
•Cite your sources throughout and provide your references or bibliography at the end. •The two
manuals used as a guide to cite Philippine legal information are: –The University of the Philippines'
Philippine Manual of Legal Citations by Myrna S. Feliciano (5th ed. 1999) and –The Supreme Court's
Manual of Judicial Writing (2005) (http://elibrary.supremecourt.gov.ph).