BUSINESS RESEARCH

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE STUDENT

Ultimately, the thesis or dissertation is the work of students. This means that the primary responsibility of
completing the work belongs to them. The researcher-student will need to consider the following
responsibilities of the research:
 The student has primary responsibility for the progress and direction of his or her research and for the
delivery of a thesis/dissertation of an appropriate standard.
 The student should make all submissions on a timely manner.
 The student should develop an appropriate research plan that will enable submission of the
thesis/dissertation for examination within the relevant maximum registration period.
 The student will take the initiative to meet with his or her advisor or mentors in each stage of the
thesis/dissertation.
 The student will be diligent to maintain continual enrollment in the appropriate Thesis/Dissertation
Writing independent study.
 The student should follow carefully all the guidelines of the Thesis and Dissertation Handbook.
 The student should comply with all relevant requirements with respect to intellectual property.
 The student should maintain ethical standards in the tasks of collecting, analyzing, and presenting
research data.
 The student should consider the research costs, such as travel to and from libraries and research sites,
duplication of materials, electronic equipment and software required for recording interviews or
creating videos, hiring statisticians or providing software for statistical or quantitative analysis, and
employing language editors. Students are encouraged to find sponsors for their research. The adviser is
not responsible for funding or finding financial resources for the students’ research.
 The student should back-up his or her computer work in multiple locations and use removable media,
such as a personal USB drive. Multiple backups will help prevent total loss of the research writing,
notes, data or project. Students should learn how to use Cloud Storage facilities like Dropbox, Google
Drive, OneDrive, etc.
ADVISERS AND THEIR ROLES

Advisers are very important throughout the writing process. As experts in their fields and in the topic, they
provide informed guidance to students both concerning methodology and content. They work closely with the
student during the research and writing stages, receiving drafts and revisions of chapters for their comments
and suggestions to the advisee. They must be willing to give a significant amount of time to advising the student.
As required by CHED, advisers must be full-time members of the faculty, possess an appropriate degree in
their advisee’s field of study, and have published at least one article in a peer-reviewed journal or a chapter in
an academic book. Once the adviser is appointed, the thesis or dissertation student is responsible only and
directly to the adviser (except for the panel during the defenses).
The adviser’s primary responsibility is to guide the research and writing process by evaluating and
providing feedback for the student’s ideas and proposals. The following are important roles of the
adviser:
 reviews the rationality and consistency of the presentation of the contents in the manuscript from
preliminaries to appendices;
 recommends the thesis proposal and the final thesis for submission to the College Dean for
defenses.
 must be available to students and willing to give them attention at regular intervals. The student
will interact with the adviser at least three times during the Thesis/Dissertation Seminar course:
for discussion of the topic and literature review, Chapter 1 of the proposal, and the proposed
methodology and instruments (Chapter 2). It is expected that weekly supervision is extended by
the adviser to the student;
 works with the student as independent study mentor for the Thesis/Dissertation Writing course
giving a minimum of fifteen (15) hours for the semester. The student should expect the return of
chapters submitted for review to the adviser after two weeks but not more than three weeks;
 guides the advisee to successfully complete the study within the expected time frame;
 reminds the advisee about the process, procedures, and guidelines in the defense;
 guarantees that the recommendations and suggestions of the panelists are included in the
manuscript; and
 collaborates with the language expert and statistician to assure that the final manuscript of the
advisee is well-written, well-presented, and conforms with the format of the particular College
or Department.
Interactions with the adviser are intended to clarify and give direction to the student’s work, not to
substitute the adviser’s expertise for that of the student. The adviser is not a co-author of the thesis and
should not be expected to do the student's work of analyzing, synthesizing, and reflecting on the research
topic. Although the adviser may make recommendations for improving the student's writing, it is not the
adviser’s primary task to proof-read the thesis.

It is the student’s responsibility to prepare a manuscript that is clearly and correctly composed according
to the standards of scholarly written English. The student will find it valuable to engage the services of a
competent editor and proof-reader in order to ensure that the thesis is free from errors of grammar and
spelling as well as typographical mistakes. In short, the adviser must not be expected to serve as the
grammar or syntax editor.
CONTENT AND OUTLINE

QSU thesis follow a writing format called IMRaD, which has increasingly become a very
popular organizational structure used in scientific journals. It has four major
components:

 Introduction: What is the problem?

 Materials and Methods: How can the problem be solved?
 Results: What was found?
 Discussion: What does it mean?
The Introduction reveals the purpose and importance of the research. It provides a summary of the research
that already exists in the field, an identified “gap” in the field, and how the proposed topic addresses that
particular knowledge gap. After this, a proposed solution is identified. Basically, the Introduction establishes
the known and the unknown in a particular field of knowledge. In the thesis, this constitutes Chapter 1.
The Materials and Method element shows how the research will be conducted. In short, this is all
about the research methodology appropriate to the research topic. It details how data is gathered and
sorted. Specificity is important here. Readers will look for detailed descriptions of chosen samples,
how the samples were chosen, how the data was gathered—whether by survey, questionnaire,
interviews, etc.—and how the data was sorted and analyzed. This constitutes Chapter 2 of the thesis.
Although the Results and Discussion sections are different from each other, in the thesis or dissertation, they
must not be treated in isolation from each other.

The Results section contains research findings while the Discussion section contains analysis of the results.
While it is important that students state their findings through graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams, it is
important that educated analysis and interpretation of the presented data must immediately follow each of the
findings.

Researches may correlate data from other researches and publications to either validate, supplement, or
question their findings. Implications of the results and their consequences may also be included in the
discussion. It is important that writers must stay away from biased conclusions or conclusions that are not
grounded on their gathered data. Recommendations for further research must also be presented. The Results
and Discussion aspects constitute Chapter 3 of the thesis.
final theses will contain the following:

Preliminaries (Front Matter)

Title Page
Signature Page
Certification of Proof-reading
Copyright Statement
Acknowledgements and Dedications
Abstract and Keywords
Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1. Introduction
Rationale
Literature Review
Theoretical Framework
Conceptual Framework (if necessary)
Statement of the Problem
Hypotheses (If necessary)
Definition of Keywords
Chapter 2. Methodology
Research Design
Research Locale and Sampling Procedures
Scope and Delimitation
Research Instrument
Data Gathering Procedures
Data Management and Analysis
Ethical Considerations (if necessary)
Chapter 3. Results and Discussion
Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data
Conclusions
Recommendations

Reference Materials
Appendices
Reference List
Author’s CV
A. Preliminaries (Front Matter)
This section contains parts of the thesis that are not included in the word count. They are not part of the research, but
they provide the institution, administrators, and readers quick insights about the student researcher and the work. The
components of this section are paginated using lowercase Roman numerals (e.g. i, ii, iii, iv, etc.). Page numbers for the
components of the Front Matter must be centered below.

Title Page. Sample A provided at the end of this document illustrates the acceptable thesis title page format. It is
important that your degree and field is indicated and the month and year of graduation is specified. Do not use the date
of your submission. The Title Page is not paginated.

Signature Page. Writers must obtain original signatures of the members of the evaluation panel members, including the
Adviser, Readers, and the College Dean. Signatures must be in permanent black ink. Pagination begins in this page,
centered below the page, and it must be (ii). Sample B provides a template for the Signature Page. This is only submitted
after the Final Defense.
Certification of Proof-reading. This page certifies that the submitted document has gone through proof-
reading and editing. Original signature of the editor in permanent black ink must be obtained. Students must
make sure that their editor is someone recognized and accredited by the University. They must consult with
their Program Coordinator or College Deans about this. Students will pay their own editor(s). Advisers are not
responsible for editing grammar, syntax, and style of the thesis or dissertation. See Sample C for the template.

Copyright Statement. This contains Copyright Statements and provisions about reproduction of the
thesis/dissertation in part or whole. WU-P provides the wordings for the entire page. It will just be copied and
signed by the student. See Sample D for the template.

Acknowledgements and Dedications. It is the students’ discretion in making acknowledgments. It is

customary to acknowledge special assistance in the course of writing the research. There is no obligation that
assistance received from members of the thesis/dissertation committee be acknowledged. Acknowledgments
must be couched in terms consistent with the scholarly nature of the work. This must not exceed one full page.
Abstract and Keywords. The Abstract is a succinct description of the entire thesis. It typically contains the
statement of the problem, research methodology employed, results, and conclusions. It is a short summary of the
work that gives insight to readers about the nature, objective, and findings of the study. The Abstract must be 250
to 500 words.

A list of Keywords will be provided at the end of the Abstract. These few selected terms, concepts, or phrases
function like a hashtag, which enable readers to identify what the thesis/dissertation is all about.

Table of Contents. This details the contents of the submitted work. It typically includes the following pages:
Acknowledgments, Abstract, List of Tables, List of Figures, List of Abbreviations, Chapters, Appendices, and
Reference List. Other Front Matters such as the Title Page, Signature Page, Certification of Proof-reading,
Copyright Statement, and Table of Contents are not listed in the Table of Contents. See Sample E as a guide.
List of Tables. These are sets of data presented in vertical or horizontal alignment. Tables, if they are available in
the thesis or dissertation, must be listed in a page. The List of Tables is arranged and organized in the same format
as the Table of Contents. Table Numbers must be in Arabic numerals, and the titles in uppercase and lowercase
letters (e.g. Table 2.3. The Cost of Coffee in 2021). Use the decimal number system to underscore which chapter the
table appears consecutively. Thus, if Chapter 2 has three tables, the numbering would be: 2.1, 2.2, and 2.3.

List of Figures. These are graphs, maps, photographs, icons, all other types of illustrations. They follow the same
format like Tables (e.g. Figure 1.7. The First Brewed Coffee).
List of Abbreviations. All abbreviated words or phrases must be listed here. The list must have the abbreviation on
the left side of the page, with the definition to the right. For thesis or dissertations in biblical and theological
studies, where Bible books must be abbreviated in parentheses, Bible book abbreviations do not need to be included
in the List of Abbreviations, but most follow the The Society of Biblical Literature Handbook of Style for Ancient
Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies (2nd ed.).
Chapters. The organization of the chapters varies with the discipline and the subject matter. If the thesis/dissertation is
divided into chapters, each chapter must be titled and must begin on a new page. Consistent font size and style should
be used throughout the document.

B. Chapter 1 - Introduction
Background of the Study. This explains the origin of the problem. It gives an account describing the circumstances
that suggested the research, whether these are based on personal experience of a need or lack in specific areas,
reflections arising from readings, or suggestions from others.

Rationale. This provides justification regarding the validity of the problem and explains the importance of the research
in addressing the problem. Reasons for importance of the research may be primarily practical (i.e. constructive
proposal to provide solution) and/or primarily academic or scholarly (i.e. how the research fills a knowledge gap in a
particular debate or discussion). Of course, writers must realize that theses and dissertations must contribute new
knowledge to their field, so the academic/scholarship rationale must be clear.
Literature Review. This is not a summary of what other researchers or scholars have written or done. Its primary
purpose is to show readers that the student has surveyed available literature related to the topic, and how each resource is
helpful for the research. This section reveals the student’s awareness of the broader field, as well as the student’s
knowledge of the specific topic being addressed. The section also demonstrates how the research fits within the larger
body of knowledge. The Literature Review must read like a Bibliographic Essay, and not just an enumeration of sources
one after the other. Correlating the presented sources is important.

Theoretical Framework. Through previous reading, the researcher forms a theoretical scheme for his or her research.
The writer may borrow an existing theory or paradigm to apply in the research. Alternatively, the researcher may present
an alternative theory that may be proven or disproven by the findings of the research. The theoretical framework
identifies key terms and concepts and the relation among them.

Conceptual Framework. This can be reduced to a schematic diagram showing the various variables of the framework
and their interrelationships. It is important that the conceptual framework provides a comprehensive understanding of
the subject under investigation and how the research endeavors to arrive to a conclusion.

Statement of the Problem. This section may be considered as the heart of the research proposal. It presents the problem
to be studied. It may be a single sentence that summarizes the entire research problem. More commonly, this is presented
in question form. The main question is then followed by a series of sub-questions designed to help answer the main
question. The questions must not be answerable by mere Yes or No. The statement of the problem must be answered
through obtainable data.
Hypotheses. These statements must be proven or disproven by the research. Hypotheses in quantitative research are
conjectural statements of relationships between two or several variables. Hypotheses in experimental research or statistical
testing are stated in the negative form (also called null hypotheses), which are based on existing information and are able
to be tested. Hypotheses for non-statistical research are stated in declarative positive statements. Research in historical and
descriptive designs using qualitative analysis often does not use hypotheses. Not all theses and dissertations require this
section.

Definition of Keywords. Because terms are subject to a variety of interpretation and usage, it is important that researchers
define key words in the research according to the precise meaning they are intended to be used and understood in the
study. Clear definitions should be stated for all important variables, especially those to be measured in the research. The
terms should be listed in alphabetical order and presented in paragraph form (not bullet form). Writers should include only
the most important terms, especially those found in the thesis/dissertation title, Theoretical Framework, and Statement of
the Problem.

Significance of the Study. This section states the importance of the obtaining results or answers to the problem being
investigated. Although practical significance are important—whether for the self, society, the church, or any other
institutions—theses and dissertations must show how they contribute to the available pool of knowledge.
C. Chapter 2 - Methodology
Research Design. Different research problems can be investigated by different research methods. Four common
research designs are historical, descriptive, experimental, and exploratory methodologies, including comparative,
ethnographic, content analysis, evaluative, or normative. The researcher, with the guidance of the adviser, must
choose a research design appropriate for the thesis or dissertation. The following are few examples of research
designs (the list is not exhaustive):
Historical or explanatory research scrutinizes past events generally through document analysis and, sometime,
interviews. The researcher often wants to see how the historic events have influenced life today. History
examines “what was.”
Descriptive research can take several forms but in general, the researcher gathers information that is recorded,
described, compared, interpreted, and analyzed. It examines “what is.”
Experimental research examines the cause and effect relationship of a treatment that manipulates independent
variable(s) upon measured variable(s) (dependent variable). This involves a pre-test and a post-test using highly
structured instruments. Often field testing of the instruments is required to measure the validity and reliability of
the testing instruments. It examines “what will be” if certain variables are introduced by the researcher.

Exploratory research examines current phenomenon about which little is known in order to help define issues
and suggest hypotheses or more defined research questions. While many research methods can be used in
exploratory research, qualitative methods tend to be the most useful given the lack of knowledge to generate
pre-determined hypotheses for testing.
Catherine Marshall and Gretchen B. Rossman, Designing Qualitative Research, 3rd ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 1999), 33.
Research Locale and Sampling Procedures. In any research involving population or samples, the research must
show the scope of the research subjects. This can be geographical, denominational, people groups, age-based, etc. It is
important that a particular “locale” is stated and the sampling procedures are well-defined and established. The
researcher must also be able to explain and defend why a particular sampling procedure is chosen for the study, given
the plethora of other alternatives. The feasibility of access and cooperation of the samples must also be verified.

Scope and Delimitation. The scope is expected to indicate a reasonable area of study that is large enough to be
significant but narrow enough to permit careful treatment. The scope of the problem should be stated specifically. The
nature of the research subjects, their number, the research methods used with them, timeframe of the study,
geographical location, and the characteristics of the population, and any limitations that exist in reference to the
population/subjects are good factors to consider in delimiting. In short, the boundaries of the study should be properly
defined.

Research Instrument. This is tied to the research methodology. The Research Instrument refers to the tool chosen by
the researcher to collect or obtain, measure, and analyze data. Examples are interviews, tests, surveys, questionnaires,
checklists, and others. Some data-gathering instruments require testing to help ensure the clarity of the statements for
the samples. Thus, for some researches, pilot tests may be advised.
Data Gathering Procedures. This section explains in detail the procedures to be followed in conducting the study.
Techniques, instruments, and procedures should be described. This section tells the reader what a researcher will do.
Any errors or weaknesses in the procedures that are foreseen should be pointed out, and any consequent limitations
upon the research results should be fully noted, as well as any adjustments that will be made to diminish these
weaknesses. (After the proposal defense, the language will need to be adjusted and any weaknesses that were
encountered while conducting the research will be mentioned along with their consequent adjustment.)

Data Management and Analysis. This section describes how the data collected are to be processed. Researches that
require statistical analysis must indicate how the data will be treated and what formula will be used. Consultation with
a WU-P-recognized statistician will be required. Qualitative researches must present how their data will be encoded,
tabulated, and analyzed (e.g. use of MAXQDA or similar programs).

Ethical Considerations. Not all researches must contain this section in their thesis/dissertation. If the thesis or
dissertation uses human subjects (especially involving the minority and indigenous people groups) and is related to the
medical sciences, researches must show that the sampling and the research methodologies do not violate human rights.
Consent forms must be obtained from samples in some researches. Overall, the researcher must show that principles of
research ethics are followed through the research.
D. Chapter 3 - Results and Discussion

Presentation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Data. This chapter presents the findings of the collected data,
including summary, analysis, and interpretation. Depending on the topic and research methodology, statistical
analysis, and the use of tables, figures, and other visual illustrations may be included. It is crucial that the chapter is
not mere presentation of data; it must incorporate informed assessment and interpretation of gathered data from
samples (or text) and correlate the findings with published materials on the topic. Tables and graphs do not speak for
themselves; they must be followed by textual elaboration.
It is here that claims and inferences may be made based on the data. The analyses must be objective, logical, and built
on solid premises. While opinions are honored, these must be based on facts. Overall, observations must be supported
by data. Discussion or interpretation of the findings should consist of the following:

 The meaning of what has been found.

 The inferences drawn from the findings.
 The conditions that limit the generalizations of the findings so that the reader can judge the validity of the
conclusions and inferences.
 The implications and applications of the findings.
 Suggestions for improvement of procedures.
 The differences or similarities between the findings and conclusions of other studies (from the Literature Review)
and the reasons thereof.

It is important that relevant findings must be presented in the chapter, including data that counter hypothesis or
prevailing scholarly thought. Because of word limit, writers are advised to write succinct but clear statements.
Repetitions must be avoided, whether of statements, summaries, or tables.
Summary and Conclusions. The Summary section must exude consistency with the entire presentation in the
chapter. Summaries must not contain new information. Instead, they briefly contain an overview of the research, a
brief statement of the problem, and the relevant findings. Summary statements must be concise. Conclusions
represent the “therefore” of the research. Generalizations not adequately supported by data must be avoided.
Implications of the search—practical, academic, scholarly, missional, economic, etc.—must be carefully
elaborated. Conclusions may include discovered weaknesses in the research design, techniques, or sampling that
came to light in the course of the research, and must be corrected should the study be conducted again. Should
weaknesses be discovered, writers must explain how these factors may have affected the outcomes of the research.

Recommendations. These are practical suggestions for the implementation of the findings, or conclusions about
how the results affect existing knowledge, or what further research may be suggested for others to pursue. Writers
must make sure that recommendations emerge from gathered data and conclusions of the research.
E. Reference Materials
Appendices. These refer to materials not vital to the text, but helps to supplement the text. These may include lists,
schedules, questionnaires, tests, interview questions, forms, letters, and other items used by the researcher in the course
of the research. Cover pages are not required for these; the Title of Appendix at the top of the page, centered, capitalized
and on bold font will be sufficient. Use Arabic numerals. (e.g. APPENDIX 7. FOCUS GROUP INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS). Each Appendix must begin on a new page. The Appendices must follow the same specifications
required for the text with respect to margins, appropriate pagination, font size, etc. Appendices are typically single-
spaced.
.
Reference List. Writers may use a bibliographic style that is professionally accepted in their field (e.g. APA for social
sciences and Chicago Manual of Style for humanities). If there are no Appendices, the Reference List will immediately
follow the last page of the chapter text. The Reference List must contain all references cited in the chapters, figures,
tables, and other illustrations. Uncited or unused materials should not be included; this would be an academic
malpractice. The Reference List must be arranged alphabetically by authors’ last name. Writers may also choose to
create sections within the Reference List for the sake of clarity, but still, within the sections, the materials should be
arranged alphabetically.
Author’s Curriculum Vitae. The last page of the thesis or dissertation is the updated CV of the researcher
or writer. Important contents are personal information, educational history, publications, seminar and
conference presentations, membership in professional societies, and work experience.