Thesis and Dissertation Writing Guide: Imrad Format
Thesis and Dissertation Writing Guide: Imrad Format
Thesis and Dissertation Writing Guide: Imrad Format
Prepared by:
Research Design Research Design utilized in the paper such as experimental, correlational, phenomenological, etc.,
should be conceptually defined and described how it was used in the study (Subia, 2012).
Discussed in this section are the respondents and where they come from. Also explained are the factors
considered in selecting them (e.g. objectives of your study, availability of data, and variables to be
Research Locale and Sampling measured). Moreover, you need to identify the inclusion and exclusion criteria that stipulate the exact
Procedures characteristics that must be met for a participant to be included in your study as well as the exact
characteristics that would exclude a member of the population (Agustin, 2012).
Scope and Delimitation This defines the boundaries of the research by identifying what will and will not be covered by your
investigation. You should identify the main objective of the study and cite the main variables included.
The period of the conduct of the study and the respondents included should also be cited.
Research Instrument In this part, the researcher will enumerate and explain the different tools employed in gathering data
(e.g. questionnaire, interview guide, and/or checklist). There are instances that standardized
instruments are used. In this case, the researcher just needs to describe such an instrument, its contents,
and its applicability to the study. In most cases, the researcher needs to develop his/her instrument
that will suit the research objectives/statement of the problem (Agustin, 2012).
Data Gathering Procedures In this subsection, the researcher has to discuss the step-by-step procedure adopted in gathering the
data. From securing a permit from proper authorities to distribution and retrieval of a questionnaire,
interview schedule, and other procedures employed (Agustin, 2012).
Data Analysis Written in this part are the data analysis tools used in treating the gathered data per research
objective/SOP (e.g. frequency, percentage, mean, Pearson's r, Spearman's rho, t-test, etc for
quantitative research designs and content analysis, thematic analysis, discourse analysis, etc for
qualitative research designs) (Subia, 2018).
Ethical Considerations (for The ethical considerations the researcher must include in the study are the following: 1. informed
qualitative research involving consent, 2. privacy and confidentiality, 3. protection from harm, 4. risks and benefits, 5. data
participants) protection, and 6. Deception (Subia, 2018).
Chapter 3. Results and
Discussion
Presentation, Analysis and Present the data. Avoid table reading when presenting data. First-time writers often commit the
Interpretation of Data mistake of presenting textually all the data in their tables. It should only highlight the three important
figures in your table: top-ranked, least ranked, and the overall average.
Analyze the data. Analyze the data because of the results of statistical measures. Quantitative data
are analyzed in mathematical terms while qualitative data (e.g. responses from open-ended items or
interview transcript) are analyzed by (a) identifying patterns or commonalities in responses (b)
categorizing them and (3) drawing out common themes. The implication or meaning of these values
is discussed. Hypotheses are either accepted or rejected in this section.
Interpret the data. The data should be translated into meaningful information. This can be done by
drawing the interconnections among data. This is like putting data together to form a meaningful
whole. The researcher should also be able to provide explanations of findings (e.g. you provide a
possible explanation why the relationship between two variables amounted to significant results).
Discuss the data. Link the present findings with the findings of previous studies. It is in this section
that the researcher may compare how his/her findings affirm or contradict findings of other studies
mentioned in the literature review (Agustin, 2012).
Conclusions and The conclusion does not simply present the summary of findings it does not answer the question of
Recommendations what did you find, rather you should be able to answer the question so what if you found that. In
answering the so what question, you have to extract the insights, the wisdom, and the significance or
implications of your findings. Play the so what game. If you feel your conclusion is not saying
anything new or interesting, try answering the so what questions. If you find that variable Y is not
correlated with variable X, ask the question so what and then try to answer it (Writing Center of
University of Carolina, 2012).
In the light of the findings and conclusions of your study, recommendations are offered. This section
is where you can advance the practical application or utilization of your findings. Your
recommendations should be feasible, workable, and adaptable. They should be written in a suggestive
tone. Suggestions for further research end this section (Agustin, 2012).
Reference Materials
Bibliography 40 to 50 sources for Master’s Thesis and 50 to 60 sources for Dissertation. 80% of the sources from
journal research publications (10 to 15% research from the Philippines and 65% to 70% -from other
countries) (10 years back) and 20% from other sources (i.e. Books, thesis magazines, online sources,
etc.)
Appendices Included here are the questionnaire, permission letters, pictures, and other necessary documents used
in data gathering.
Subia, G. (2012). Statistics Manual: A Guide for Researchers and Thesis Writers. Graduate School, WUP, Cabanatuan City.
USC Libraries. (2016, Sept. 20). Organizing your social sciences research paper: 4. The introduction.
http://libguides.usc.edu/writingguide/introduction
Writing Conclusions. Writing Center of University of Carolina. Retrieved May 2012 from http://www.unc.edu