HOLY GRACE ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES

AFFILIATED TO UNIVERSITY OF CALICUT & APPROVED BY AICTE

MALA, THRISSUR DISTRICT 680732, KERALA STATE
www.holygracebschool.org

PROJECT REPORT HANDBOOK

 CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT REPORT

2. THE PROJECT REPORT PROCESS THE

PROJECT REPORT PROPOSAL
Completing the Proposal Form
Proposal Review and Presentation
The Research Process
THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT REPORT
Sequence of Chapters
a) Chapter One: Introduction
b) Chapter Two: Literature Review
c) Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology
d) Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findings
e) Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations
Some Common Errors in Project reports
The Arrangement of the Contents of the Project report
Submission of Temporary-Bound Copy to the department

3. GENERAL FORMAT OF WRITING THE MBA PROJECT PAPER

General Presentation Guidelines

Language
Paper
Type of printing machine
Font size and type
Font style
Headings
Paragraphs

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 Photocopying
Line spacing
Margins and justification
Pagination
Use of footnotes
Abstract
Body
Text Citations
Quotations
A Note on copying
Bibliography
Tables and Figures
Appendices
Cover and Spine
Cover
Binding
4. A NOTE ON WRITING STYLE
Abbreviation
Capitals
Currencies
Dates
Figures
Measurements
Full Stops
British and American English

5. EDITING YOUR FINAL DRAFT: CHECKLIST FOR THE PROJECT REPORT

6. PROJECT REPORT EVALUATION CRITERIA
7. SUBMISSION OF THE MBA PROJECT REPORT
8. SAMPLE OF COMMENTS FROM EXAMINERS
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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT REPORT

The Project report is a requirement for the award of the MBA degree. MBA students
are expected to write a well-articulated paper in chapter format, with a length of
10,000 to 15,000 words.
A good Project report should have the following characteristics:
● It should demonstrate that a student is capable of conducting research, writing a
critical review of the literature, applying statistical tools to analyze data and
interpreting the results.
● It makes a contribution to the academic literature, business policy and business practice.
● It makes evident the link between research objectives, literature review, conceptual
framework and findings.
● Its writing quality reflects that considerable effort one has been invested in producing
the final draft.
● It is well edited and has been thoroughly checked for spelling, grammatical, punctuation
and typographical errors. The language is kept simple and concise and there is a
minimum of unnecessary words.

The Project report will have to show an overall reliability. The examiners will look for a
link between one chapter to the next, so that the logic of the connections between
chapters and of the points made within the chapters is clear.

This guideline is prepared specifically for students with the intention of providing
specific and detailed particulars of procedures to prepare and submit the Project
report. Please read and follow these procedures carefully to avoid unnecessary,
costly, and time-consuming revisions.

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 2. THE PROJECT REPORT PROCESS

The Project report process begins with identification of the proposed research area.
Students are encouraged to do some reading to get a better idea of the possible areas of
research that are of interest to them. They should then approach a potential supervisor.
Selection of potential supervisors should be based on their respective areas of
expertise/research interest. Students should then approach the potential supervisor to
seek his/her approval to supervise their research. If the supervisor is agreeable, the
student will then need to discuss the proposed research in more detail, and with the
guidance of the respective supervisors, complete the synopsis. Students will then be
required to submit the synopsis to their respective supervisor. Following this, students
may have to provide a brief presentation of the project report proposal to their faculties.

THE PROJECT REPORT PROPOSAL

1. Completing the Proposal Form
To ensure that the proposal is submitted in good form, please note the following
instructions:
a) All proposal forms are to be typed.
b) The name and registration number of the student should be typed in bold.
c) Title of Project report
This is to be typed in accordance with normal rules for title, i.e. all words will begin
with a capital letter except for articles, conjunctions, etc. For example:

Correct : Corporate Social Responsibility in India

Incorrect : CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN INDIA
Incorrect : Corporate social responsibility in India
d) Research Objectives
In this part, students are required to list the objectives of their proposed research.

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 e) Proposed Research Method
Students are required to indicate the research methods to be used, by ticking the
appropriate method listed in the revised proposal form. Please note that the category
“Secondary Data’ refers to research studies which will utilize (i.e. use, analyze and
interpret) data from secondary sources e.g., company annual reports, government
statistics, financial data from BSE, NSE, or other websites.
2. Proposal Review and Presentation
The concerned faculty or the department will then review the proposal forms.
Students are then required to make a brief presentation of the proposed area of
research to the department faculty members in the presence of concerned supervisor.
The proposal presentation to the concerned department faculty members and
supervisor requires students to make a brief outline of the proposed area of research.
Department faculty members and supervisor may then question the student further
on certain aspects of the research. The purpose of the proposal presentation is to
enable the concerned supervisor to assess the following matters, which are crucial in
determining the potential successful completion of a Project report:
● Suitability of the topic
● Focus of the research
● Manageability of the research in relation to time
● Availability of the literature
● Sample selection and sample size
● Potential supervisor’s area of expertise and/or research interest and the proposed
research
The proposals will then be evaluated and the decision will fall under three categories:
● Proposal is approved as it is. Students whose proposals are under this category may
then proceed with the research study under the guidance of the respective
supervisors.
● Proposal is approved with minor corrections. Students will then have to re-submit
their revised proposal forms, endorsed by the proposed supervisors, to the
department for approval.
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 ● Research area and/or proposed supervisor not approved. Students will be required to
either change the focus of research and/or select an alternative supervisor, as
determined by the department. The revised proposal, endorsed by the supervisor
concerned, will have to be re-submitted to the department for approval. The student
will then have to make another brief presentation of the new proposal.

3. The Research Process

Upon approval of the proposed area of research and the supervisor, the student may
proceed with the research in consultation with his/her supervisor. Students are required
to attend regular meetings with the supervisor.

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT REPORT

1. Sequence of Chapters
A typical format of the Project report will usually have the following sequence of
chapters. However, students may decide on the specific title of each chapter of the paper
depending upon their individual style, area of research etc. It is always useful for the
student to discuss with his/her supervisor on the structure or organization of the Project
report before writing commences.
a. Chapter One: Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to state the research problems/issues/ hypotheses that will
be examined in the Project report. This should provide the background of the study and
indicate to the reader in general terms what the research intends to study. Generally, the
following sub-sections are included in writing the introduction chapter of Project report:
i. Background of the Study – This section should inform the reader with the problem to be
dealt with, by establishing a frame of reference for the problem.
ii. Company Profile – A detailed information about the company should be presented in
this section.
iii. Industry Profile – This session should cover the information about the industry in which
the company is classified.

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 iv. Objective(s) of the Study, Research Questions and/or Hypotheses – This section should
describe in detail, the research objectives, research questions, and/or hypotheses of the
research.
v. Significance of the Study - This section should state the contribution of the research to
theory, practice and policy.
vi. Limitations of the Study - This section should discuss the limitations/constraints of the
study.
vii. Definition of Terms. This section provides operational definitions of all principal
variables in the study.
viii. Organization of the Project report. This section is always placed last in chapter one and
informs readers on the summary of contents to be presented in each of the remaining
chapters.
Note:
a. It is a common practice to write the first chapter of most research writings last, although
there is no hard and fast rule about this.
b. Some authors prefer to discuss limitations of the study in the last chapter. Either
approach is acceptable, as long as the limitations of the study are presented and
discussed.
b. Chapter Two: Literature Review
The main purpose of the literature review chapter is to expand upon the context and
background of the study, to further define the problem, and to provide empirical and
theoretical bases for the research. In other words, this chapter needs to clarify the
relationship between the proposed study and previous work conducted on the topic.
Sub-headings should reflect the major variables of the literature review. It is
recommended that the sub-section under each sub-heading begin with a sentence
introducing the purpose, content or relevance of the literature to be reviewed in the sub-
section and end with a sentence summarizing the conclusions or trends evident from the
literature reviewed in that sub-section.
c. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology
The methodology chapter describes the exact steps that will be undertaken to address
the hypotheses and/or research questions. The aim of this chapter is to provide a

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 complete description of the specific steps to be followed, in sufficient detail, to allow a
reader to replicate the study. The usual sub-sections in this chapter will vary, depending
on whether the research is quantitative or qualitative-based.
The following sub-sections may be relevant in the methodology chapter in a quantitative
study:
▪ Subjects or respondents
▪ Instrumentation
▪ Procedures
▪ Data analysis
▪ Summary
Qualitative studies must meet the same criteria for completeness that quantitative
studies do, that is, they must be able to describe in sufficient detail the methods and
procedures to permit replication of the study. However, it should be noted that the sub-
headings for different Project reports using a qualitative approach might vary,
depending on the actual research method used. In discussing the methodology, whether
for quantitative or qualitative research, it must always be linked to what has been said in
the problem/ hypothesis statement in the introduction and the literature review chapters.
This is important to justify the choice of method used in the study.
d. Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findings
Tables and graphs are usually essential to a data analysis and findings chapter, with the
text describing in words what are shown in the tables and graphs. Most data analysis
and findings chapters begin with a description of the sample. Simple demographics can
be presented in written or tabular format. After describing the sample, the next step is
probably to address the research objectives or the hypotheses of the study. The first
research objective or hypothesis may be the first sub-heading. The second research
objective or hypothesis may be the next sub-heading, and so on.
The data analysis and findings chapter of a qualitative research will be slightly
different; however, the main concern should still be “making sense” of the data. The
methods of analyses may differ, the standards upon which reliability and validity are
judged may not be the same, and the raw data upon which analyses is based assumes
very different forms. Nevertheless, clearly written and documented analysis, the use of

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 tables and graphs, and a careful consideration of the order and logic of the presentation
serve as the foundation of quality research, regardless of the type of research.
e. Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations
This chapter is often the most difficult to write because it is the least structured. In the
introduction, literature review, methodology, and data analysis and findings chapters,
the details of the research dictate the content, but not in the conclusions chapter. This
chapter, however, does have a frame of reference – the introduction chapter. The points
raised in the introduction chapter must be responded to in the conclusions chapter.
The conclusions chapter ties the results of the study to theory, practice and policy by
pulling together the theoretical background, literature review, potential significance for
application and results of the study. It does help however, if we understand the function
of this chapter. The last chapter has the following functions:
i. To conclude or summarize the findings of the study in the form of conclusions. It is
useful to begin the last chapter with a summary of the main findings. This helps to
orient readers to the discussion that follows.
ii. To interpret – Here, this section is designed to answer the following questions:
▪ What do the findings mean?
▪ Why did the results, if any, not turn out as expected?
▪ What circumstances accounted for the unexpected outcomes, if any?
▪ What were some of the limitations of the study?
iii. To integrate – This section attempts to tie the results together to achieve meaningful
conclusions and generalizations.
iv. To theorize – Wherever possible, the conclusions chapter should also attempt to
integrate the findings into an existing theory or generate original theory. (In the former
case, you should state in either the introduction chapter or the literature review chapter,
the existing theory that is to serve as a frame of reference).
v. To recommend or apply – Since management and business administration are applied
fields, research in these areas should provide recommendations that can be applied in
practice.
vi. To suggest extensions – This chapter should be concluded with suggestions for further
research, replications, or refinements, thus indicating directions that future research
should take. The suggested extensions can be offered in general or more specific form.
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2. Some Common Errors in Project reports
a. The problem statement:
● The problem statement is too long or too trivial or not important.
● Problem statement is ambiguous, wordy and too long.
● Important definitions are omitted.
b. Literature review:
● Not related to the objectives of the study.
● Merely a list of summaries – lack of connection or flow of ideas.
c. Methodology:
● Research method is inappropriate.
● Sources of data are not identified.
● Tests of validity and reliability not undertaken.
● Inappropriate statistical procedures.
d. Findings:
● Incomplete findings.
● Discussion of major findings are not linked to the research objectives, research
questions and/or hypotheses presented in the introduction chapter.
● Bias in reporting.
● Not sufficiently supported by empirical evidences and facts.
● Results and analysis poorly summarized.
● Over generalization – concluding beyond the data collected and the scope of study.

3. The Arrangement of the Contents of the Project report

All Project reports should be divided into appropriate chapters. Please bear in mind that
the concerned supervisors may criticise overlong or confusing papers and the
responsibility is on the students to provide a well-organized and well-written work. The
following ordered list of Project report contents is supposed to serve as a guide. Not all
Project reports will include all items listed below, so students are advised to discuss this
with their respective supervisors well in advance before they start writing to avoid
unnecessary changes in the final version of the Project report.
List of Sections
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 a. Preliminary pages (Roman Numbering)
i. Title Page – (counted as page i, but not numbered).
ii. Certificate from the company mentioning the duration of project
iii. Certificate from Institution head
iv. Certificate from faculty guide
v. Declaration.
vi. Acknowledgement
vii. Table of Contents
viii. List of Tables
ix. List of Charts
x. List of Abbreviations (if any - optional)
b. Text (Page 1 begins with Chapter 1)
i. Chapter One: Introduction
ii. Chapter Two: Literature Review
iii. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology
iv. Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findings
v. Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations
vi. Bibliography
c. Supplementary Pages (No Pagination)
i. Appendices
ii. Glossary (if any – optional)
iii. Index (if any - optional)

4. Submission of Temporary-bound Copy to the concerned supervisor

Upon completion of the project report, and with the supervisor’s approval (The student
is required to attach the supervisor’s endorsement form when he/she submits the Project
report), the student may submit the project report to the concerned supervisor for
evaluation. Please note that first submission of the Project report must be made in
spiral binding.

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 3. GENERAL FORMAT OF WRITING THE PROJECT REPORT

1. General Presentation Guidelines:

a. Language
The language of the Project report is English.
b. Paper
Size - A4 (21.0cm X 29.7cm)
Quality- Acid-free paper of at least 80gm weight
Color - White
c. Type of printing machine
Students are encouraged to use a personal computer (PC) to write their Project report.
Near-letter quality impact printers or laser-jet printers may be used, however, dot-
matrix printers are not acceptable. Any word processor software such as Microsoft
Word or
WordPerfect would be suitable to write the Project report. Students may also use
Microsoft Excel, Lotus 123 etc. for tables, calculations or any other applications.
d. Font size and type
Candidates must use Times New Roman font. No other fonts are acceptable.
Font Size:
● For text use 12-point font.

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● For tables and figures, use 10-point.
● For footnotes, 10-point.
● For title page, please refer to Appendix VI.
● For Table of Contents, please refer to Appendix IX.
Please type in bold for headings and subheadings. Headings should be typed in all
upper case letters while sub-headings are to be typed in upper and lower case
letters.
e. Font style
Only one font style (Times New Roman) may be used through the entire thesis,
including the title page, approval page, acknowledgment, bibliography and
appendices. Exceptions to this can only be made for tables/figures/illustrations
imported from other sources. Italic variants of the same font style may be used for
labels, foreign words, book titles or occasional emphasis. The usage of bold variants of
the same font style and underlining in the text of headings and titles is at the student’s
discretion.
f. Headings
Chapter headings are to be centered and written in bold, upper case letters. The font
size for chapter headings is 16 point. Other sub-headings are to be aligned to the left
margin and should be 14 point in font-size. Sub-headings should be in upper and
lower-case. Underlining and boldface in the sub-headings is at the student’s discretion.
g. Paragraphs
Spacing between two paragraphs in the basic text should be set at 4.0 spaces. The first
sentence of a paragraph should be indented to 6 spaces. A heading that appears, as a
last line on a page will not be accepted. There should be a minimum of two lines of a
paragraph at the bottom of the page under the heading.
h. Photocopying
All photocopied material must be clear, clean and sharp. Photocopied material on any
page should be numbered as part of the Project report and should be within the
margins required by these guidelines. Any doubts about the quality of any

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 photocopied material should be resolved with the consultation of the concerned
supervisor.
i. Line spacing
The Project report should be typed on one side of the page. The text should be double-
spaced throughout, with single-spacing for exceptional circumstances only:
i. Abstract
ii. Explanatory footnotes
iii. Appendices
iv. Long headings or subheadings
v. Long captions to tables, figures, or plates
vi. Bibliography
vii. Tables
viii. Quotations
j. Margins and justification
Set the justification to “full” and the margins to the following measurements:
TOP : 1”
BOTTOM : 1.5”
LEFT : 1.5”
RIGHT : 1”
k. Pagination
The following plan of page numbering has been standardized and must be observed.
All page numbers should be cantered at the bottom of the page. When you insert the
page numbers, set your position to “bottom of page (footer)” and alignment to
“Center”.
a. Title page. This page should not be numbered though it is counted as page number (i).
b. Preliminary pages. Preliminary pages include all the sections that precede the text.
They are arranged and numbered using small Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.).
c. Text pages. Use Arabic numerals. Page one should be the first page of Chapter One.
d. Supplementary pages. No pagination.
No hyphens, periods, underlining or other marks should appear before, after or under
the page number.

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 l. Use of Footnotes
Footnotes must not be used for citing references. They should be used only for useful
extensions and excursions of information in the body of the text. Footnotes should be
numbered consecutively with superscript numerals. Footnotes should be in single
spacing, using font size 10-point.
2. Abstract
An abstract is required in English only. The abstract is a one-paragraph, self-
contained summary of the most important elements of the Project report. It should
NOT be more than 200 words in length.
● Heading - The word “ABSTRACT” in all capital letters, centered at the top of the page.
● Format -It should be written in block form (i.e. without indentations) and in complete
sentences.
● Content - The abstract should contain statements of the (1) research problem (2)
method (3) results and (4) conclusions and implications. Write in the past tense to report
specific manipulations and procedures you employed in the study and the present tense
to describe conclusions based on the findings.
3. Body
In the preparation of the body of the text, rules pertaining to margins, font type, font
size, line spacing, justification, pagination, etc. must be observed at all times without
exception.
4. Text Citations

Source material must be documented in the body of the paper by citing the author(s)
and date(s) of the sources. The underlying principle here is that ideas and words of
others must be formally acknowledged. The reader can obtain the full source citation
from the list of references that follows the body of the paper.

a. When the names of the authors of a source are part of the formal structure of
the sentence, the year of publication appears in parentheses following the
identification of the authors. Consider the following example: Wirth and
Mitchell (1994) found that although there was a reduction in insulin dosage
over a period of two weeks in the treatment condition compared to the control

16
 condition, the difference was not statistically significant.     [Note: and is used
when multiple authors are identified as part of the formal structure of the
sentence. Compare this to the example in the following section.] 

b. When the authors of a source are not part of the formal structure of the
sentence, both the authors and years of publication appear in parentheses,
separated by semicolons. Consider the following example:

c. Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least some
types of religious behaviors are related to higher levels of physical and mental
health (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991; Koenig, 1990; Levin & Vander pool,
1991; Maton & Pargament, 1987; Paloma & Pendleton, 1991; Payne, Bergin,
Bielema, & Jenkins, 1991).      [Note: & is used when multiple authors are
identified in parenthetical material. Note also that when several sources are
cited parenthetically, they are ordered alphabetically by first authors'
surnames.] 

d. When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are included every
time the source is cited.         

e. When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, all authors are
included the first time the source is cited. When that source is cited again, the
first author's surname and "et al." are used. Consider the following example:

f. Reviews of research on religion and health have concluded that at least some
types of religious behaviors are related to higher levels of physical and mental
health (Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins,1991). Payne et al. (1991) showed
that ... 

g. When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the first author's surname
and "et al." are used every time the source is cited (including the first time).  

h. Every effort should be made to cite only sources that you have actually read.
When it is necessary to cite a source that you have not read ("Grayson" in the
following example) that is cited in a source that you have read ("Murzynski &

17
 Degelman" in the following example), use the following format for the text
citation and list only the source you have read in the References list:

i. Grayson (as cited in Murzynski & Degelman, 1996) identified four components
of body language that were related to judgments of vulnerability.

j. To cite a personal communication (including letters, emails, and telephone

interviews), include initials, surname, and as exact a date as possible. Because a
personal communication is not "recoverable" information, it is not included in
the References section. For the text citation, use the following format:

B. F. Skinner (personal communication, February 12, 1978) claimed...

5. Quotations
i. Short quotations. of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated into the text and
enclosed by double quotation marks (“……”).
ii. Long quotations. Display quotations of 40 or more words in a double-spaced block
typewritten lines with no quotation marks. Do not use single-spacing. Indent five (5) to
seven (7) spaces from the left margin without the usual opening paragraph indent. If the
quotation is more than one paragraph, indent the first line of second and additional
paragraphs five (5) to seven (7) spaces from the left margin. Exact page reference
MUST be given for all quotations.
A Note on copying
Making proper text citations and providing accurate referencing for quotations are
crucial to help ensure that students do not intentionally, or otherwise, copy the work of
others. Copying occurs when people “steal the words, the ideas, and/or the work that
rightfully belong to others and then present these words, ideas, and/or work as if this
material were their own words, ideas, or work”7. Students are advised to pay serious
attention to this matter, as it is a very serious offence to copy the work of others.
The best way to avoid copying is to make proper documentation of the sources to which
referred to in the Project report. Students are strongly cautioned that if there is evidence
that a part or parts of a Project report has/have been copied, the concerned supervisor
reserves the right to fail the student concerned.

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 6. Bibliography
Any research work, which makes use of other works, either in direct quotation or by
reference, must contain a bibliography, listing all of these sources. Only works directly
cited or quoted in the text should be included in the bibliography.
The bibliography should be single-spaced, with a font size of 12-points. All the
references cited are listed in alphabetical order. Do not number the references.

i. Pagination: The bibliography begins on a new page.

ii. Heading: BIBLIOGRAPHY (centered, in upper-case letters, on the first line).

iii. Format: The references (with hanging indent) begin on the line following
the Bibliography heading. Entries are organized alphabetically by surnames
of first authors. Most reference entries have three components:

iv. Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the source,
using surnames and initials. Commas separate all authors. When there are
seven or more authors, list the first six and then use "et al." for remaining
authors. If no author is identified, the title of the document begins the
reference.

v. Year of Publication: In parentheses following authors, with a period

following the closing parenthesis. If no publication date is identified, use
"n.d."  in parentheses following the authors.

vi. Source Reference: Includes or title, city of publication, publisher (for book).
Italicize titles of books, titles of periodicals, and periodical volume numbers.

Examples of sources

i. Journal article

Edward Yardeni E.(1978). A portfolio balance model of corporate working

capital. Journal of Finance, XX, 3,423-443.         

ii. Book
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 Lasher W.R. (2000). Practical financial management (2nd ed.). Cincinnati: South
Western College Publication.         

iii. Web document on university program or department Web site

Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA style essentials. Retrieved May 18,

2000, from Vanguard University, Department of Psychology
Website: http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/index.cfm? doc_id=796          

Stand-alone Web document (no date)

Nielsen, M. E. (n.d.). Notable people in psychology of religion. Retrieved August

3, 2001, from http://www.psywww. com/psyrelig/psyrelpr.htm

Stand-alone Web document (no author, no date)

Gender and society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2001, from

http://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html

iv. Journal article from database

Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). A closer look at the drug abuse-maternal
aggression link. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, 503-522. Retrieved May 20,
2000, from ProQuest database.  

v. Abstract from secondary database

Garrity, K., & Degelman, D. (1990). Effect of server introduction on restaurant

tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20, 168-172. Abstract retrieved July
23, 2001, from PsycINFO database.

vi. Article or chapter in an edited book

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 Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker
(Ed.), Religion and Mental Health (pp. 70-84). New York: Oxford University
Press. 

7. Tables and Figures

Use font size 10-point and single spacing. Number all tables and figures with Arabic
numerals in the order in which the tables are first mentioned in the text. Title of the
tables and figures must be placed on the top. Charts and graphs must be centered.
Source(s) of data must be placed at the bottom left of the tables and figures, printed in
font size 10-point. Please refer to the example given below.
Example: Table

Table 1.1 Car Sales, Selected World Markets, 1991-97

000’ Units Growth (%)

1991 1994 1997 1991-97

SEA-4 621 261 585 14.0

Japan 4868 4210 4492 -1.3
NAFTA 9445 10154 9333 2.0

Western Europe 13500 11934 13408 -0.1

World 33432 33359 36161 1.3

Source: IMF (1999).

8. Appendices
All appendices should be placed after the bibliography. This section is optional and will
depend on the content of the individual Project report. It contains supplementary
illustrative material, original data, and quotations too long for inclusion and not
immediately essential to an understanding of the subject. This section may be divided
into sections as Appendix I, Appendix II, Appendix III, etc., with appropriate titles. Any
figures or tables included in the appendix should be numbered and captioned as for all
text tables and figures.

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9. Cover and Binding
a. Cover
The information printed on the cover must be letters of 16 point font size and must be in
the following order:
The TITLE of the Project report appears at the top of the cover. It should include
meaningful keywords descriptive of the subject and content. Formulae, symbols,
superscripts, Greek letters, acronyms and abbreviated forms in general are to be spelled
out.
The NAME of the student used on the cover must match the name that appears on the
Approval Page and Declaration and Copyright Page.
INSTITUTE followed by appear in full upper-case letters at the bottom of the page.
The top and bottom margins for the cover must be 2.5”. All information printed on the
cover must be centred
b. Binding
The first submission of the two (2) copies of the Project report manuscript for
evaluation and examination purposes should be in temporary spiral binding.

Final submission of the Project report (upon approval) must be in permanent

hardcover binding. The colour of the cover must be in uniform as per the decision of
the concerned departments.
Any queries about the shade of colour or the kind of cover or binding should be
referred to the Institute.

4. A NOTE ON WRITING STYLE

1. Abbreviations
Unless an abbreviation or acronym is so familiar that it is used more often than the full
form (like GATT, IMF, NATO ), write the words in full on first appearance: thus Indian
National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). After the first mention, try not to repeat the
abbreviation too often; for example, write the organization rather than NATO, the

22
institute rather than IISc, and the authority rather than MDA. There is no need to give
the initials of an organization if it is not referred to again.
An abbreviation that can be pronounced (like NASA, ASEAN, UNESCO, UNICEF) does
not generally require the definite article (use of the before the abbreviation). Other
organizations, except companies, should usually be preceded by the; for example, the
BBC, the KGB, the UNCHR, the EPU.
Abbreviations that can be pronounced and are composed of bits of words rather than
just initials should be spelled out in upper and lower case: Comecon, Unimas,
Maybank, Petronas.
In the text, abbreviations, whether they can be pronounced as words or not (GNP,
GDP, FOB, CIF, LIFO, IOU, R&D) should be set in capitals, with no points.

Use lower case for measures (like kg, km, lb, mph). Abbreviations like i.e., e.g., should
be followed by commas. When used with figures, these lower-case abbreviations
should follow immediately, with no space (9am, 25kg, 35mm, 45kw, 100kph, 89rpm,
19th), as should AD and BC (200BC, 1850AD), though they are set in capitals.
2. Capitals
The general rule is to use capital letters for organizations and institutions, but not for
people.
People: Use upper case for ranks and titles when written in conjunction with a name,
but lower case when on their own. Thus, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice-
President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Queen Elizabeth, Professor Khan, Chairman
M.Dhamodaran. On their own, we write, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of
India; the vice-chancellor, Professor Yusof; Mr.M.Dhamodaran, the chairman of SEBI.
Organizations, Departments, Ministries, Acts, Political Parties, etc.: Generally take
upper case when their full name is used. Thus, Ministry of Trade and Industry,
Amnesty International, High Court, University of Calicut, Bank of India, Dravida
Munnetta Khazhakam.
Places: Use initial capitals for definite geographical places, regions, areas or countries
(The Hague, Britain, Middle East, East Asia, the West, the Gulf, South-East Asia, South
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India), but use lower case to indicate direction (northern India, south-east of
Tamilnadu). The third world (an unsatisfactory term now that the communist second
world has all but disappeared) is lower case. So is Coimbatore city, Dindugal district.
Historical Periods: These are in upper case: the Great Depression, Renaissance,
Middle Ages, Industrial Revolution, New Economic Policy.

3. Currencies
For Indian currency:
` 150 (no space between ` and 150)
`6 (not `6.00 or 6`)
`3,000 - 5,000 (not `5,000 -`5,000)
`3Lakh – 5Lakh (not `3Lakh -`5Lakh)
`3 Cr – 5 Cr (not `3 - 5 Crores)
Normally, we use $ to refer to the United States Dollar (USD).
Other dollars are differentiated by the initials: A$ (Australian dollar), C$ (Canadian
dollar), NZ$ (New Zealand dollar), S$ (Singapore dollar), etc.
To avoid confusion, it is advisable to use the United States Dollar (USD) as US$.
4. Dates
Stick to the conventional: day, month, year, in that order, with no commas:
6th July 1990s
6th July 1999
Monday 7th June
August 1976
1980-85
10th – 12th May 1995
mid-1990s
1st May – 2nd June 2001
20th century
21st century ideas

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5. Figures
Never start a sentence with a figure; write the number in words instead. Use figures
for numerals from 11 upwards, and for all numerals include a decimal point or a
fraction (e.g., 7.35, 8 ¼). Use words for simple numerals from one to ten, except: in
references to pages; in percentages (e.g., 3.5%); and in sets of numerals some of which
are higher than ten (e.g., There were 12, 8 and 6 cases respectively).
Fractions should be hyphenated (one-third, three-quarters, two-fifths) and, unless they
are attached to whole numbers (4 ¾, 25 ½), spelled out in words, even when the
figures are higher than ten (a tenth of them, a thirtieth anniversary).
Do not compare a fraction with a decimal. Avoid statements like The rate increased
from 5 ½ to 7.15. Compare decimals with decimals, and fractions with fractions. Use
fractions for rough figures (e.g., 20 ½ million population, about 1 ½ hectares) and
decimals for more exact ones (e.g., The index fell by 2.3 per cent).
Use 2,000 – 3,000, 2 – 3%, 2Cr – 3Cr (not 2 – 3Cr) and 2 Lakh – 3 Lakh. But in a
sentence, Sales rose from `5Lakh to `5.8Lakh (not `5Lakh – 5.8Lakh); …estimated to
be between 7Cr and 8Cr (not 7Cr – 8Cr); They decided by nine votes to six… (not 9:6).
Where a ratio is being used adjectively, figures and hyphens may be used, but only if
one of the figures is greater than ten: thus a 25-20 vote, a 12-8 vote. Otherwise, spell
out the figures and use to: a three-to-two vote, a ratio of one-to-ten.

Avoid using from 1950-60 or between 1950 – 60. Instead, use in 1950-60 or from
1950 to 1960.
In a full sentence, use per cent (e.g., About 15 per cent of the population were ….), but
% can be used in tables and charts or in parentheses. Thus, 38%, 21.4%, or in a
sentence: Of about 1,200 students who sat for the examinations, nearly 300 (or 25%)
failed. Always write percentage, not %age, though in most contexts proportion or
share is preferable.

25
6. Measurements

In most contexts, go metric: prefer hectares to acres, kilometers (or km) to miles,
metres to yards, litres to gallons, kilos to lb, Celsius to Fahrenheit, etc.
7. Full stops
Use plenty. They keep sentences short and simple.
But do not use full stops in abbreviations or at the end of headings.
8. British and American English
For conventional reason, preferably use British English rather than American English or
any other kind. But American English, especially American spelling has been widely
accepted now. The final choice is up to the writer, but the key rule is: be consistent.
Decide early which English to use, then stick to it. For names of companies, places,
and titles, keep to the original spelling.

26
 5 EDITING YOUR FINAL DRAFT: CHECKLIST FOR THE PROJECT REPORT.
Review the entire Project report, checking for the following:
▪ Is the content properly located in the appropriate chapter (Introduction/Literature
Review, Methodology, Data Analysis and Findings, Conclusions and
Recommendations)?
▪ Is your Introduction/Literature Review a coherent presentation of the theory and
research from which you have drawn your hypothesis/es?
▪ Is/are your hypothesis/es clearly stated?
▪ Have you divided long or complex chapters with helpful subheadings? Are the
subheadings grammatically parallel?
▪ Does each chapter begin with a clear overview?
▪ Is the essential information/data in the body of your paper? Have you placed tables
and charts where they will be the most helpful to your readers? Have you assigned less
essential or more detailed data or information to appendices?
▪ Is your language clear and precise throughout the Project report?
▪ Is the base tense of your Project report consistent?
▪ Are all sources properly documented? Did you double-check the evidence in your
report against your note cards to be sure material from the sources you have used is
accurate?
▪ Is your bibliography complete and in the correct form?
▪ Is the main idea in each paragraph clear? Are the relationships clear among ideas in
each paragraph?
▪ Have you proofread and edited the Project report carefully, eliminating all grammatical
and mechanical errors (pronoun reference, subject/verb agreement, spelling,
punctuation)?

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 6. PROJECT REPORT EVALUATION CRITERIA

Upon submission of the Project report (in temporary ring-binding), endorsed by the
supervisor, to the concerned authorities, the Project report is first reviewed by the
concerned internal examiner of the department to ensure that it complies with the MBA
Project report Guidelines. Project reports that deviate in form and presentation style
from the Guidelines will be rejected and NOT sent for evaluation. The student will be
informed and required to re-submit the Project report, which conforms to the
Guidelines. The Project report is then sent to the examiners, appointed by the University
/ Department for evaluation and grading. The evaluation criteria used for evaluation and
grading is as follows:
a. Significance of Study (20marks)
Does the study contribute to a better understanding of the area of research? Does it have
policy implications? Does the study lead to recommendations?
b. Thoroughness of Analysis (20 marks)
Can the student demonstrate the application of the relevant analytical tools and
techniques to focus on the critical issues? Are observations and conclusions based on
sound arguments?
c. Cohesiveness of the Study (20 marks)
Is there focus? Is there a ‘flow’ from one chapter to another? Do the conclusions relate
to the introduction and research objectives or hypotheses?
d. Conciseness of the Project report (10 marks)
Is the style of writing concise and to the point?
e. Clarity of Concepts and Presentation (15 marks)
Is there clarity in concepts, evidence and data in the pursuit of the purpose of the study?
Are presentation tools (i.e. statistical analysis) well utilized? Is there logic and rationale
in the study?
f. Language, Grammar and Style (15 marks)

28
 Are there numerous errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentence construction and
general use of English as a language that distract the reader? Is the use of footnotes
necessary and appropriate? Are the references consistent with the referencing style?
7. SUBMISSION OF THE PROJECT REPORT
The following procedure shall be observed in sequence for the submission and
approval of the project report.
● Once the project report is deemed to be ready for submission by the supervisor,
he/she shall certify that it is of acceptable standard in content quality and presentation
style by signing the supervisor endorsement form.
● The student shall submit to the institute three (3) copies of the project report in
permanent hardcover binding. The project report will NOT be sent for evaluation until
and unless the student re-submits three (3) copies of the project report which is in
accordance with the stipulated guidelines mentioned by the institute. The one copy of
the Project report will then be sent to the university evaluation and grading. One copy
to the library and another one for the candidate. If the company requires a copy of the
project then the student have to take additional one copy of the project. The examiner
will be appointed by the university.
● The examiners are required to assign specific numerical marks to the project report in
the evaluation report. The report shall also place the project report into one of the
following categories:
i. Pass.
ii. Pass with minor corrections.
iii. Resubmission.
● If the Project report falls under (ii & iii) above, the institute shall hold the supervisor
responsible to determine and confirm that all necessary corrections. Upon
resubmission of the revised Project report, the student will be required to attach the
supervisor’s endorsement that he/she has made all required corrections.
● After the announcement of results, if the project report falls under (iii) above, the
student will be given a maximum time period of six (6) months to make the required

29
 corrections, under the guidance of his/her supervisor. The student is then required to
resubmit the revised project report to the institution for evaluation.
● Upon final approval from the Department, the student shall submit to the Institute
three (3) copies of the Project report in permanent hardcover binding.
● The Institute shall table the grade awarded for the Project report to the University for
final endorsement

8. SAMPLE OF COMMENTS FROM EXAMINERS

Below are some sample comments on project reports. Students are strongly advised to review
these comments and try as much as possible, to minimize the possibility of getting similar
comments on their project reports.

1. The paper needs to be edited for overall coherence. There are numerous grammatical
errors found throughout the entire paper. In some instances, there are problems with
sentence structure.
2. The references listed in the bibliography appear to comprise largely, textbooks, rather
than periodicals. This is not acceptable for research papers. The examiner also
observed that you had not cited all items listed in the bibliography, in the main text.
You MUST ensure that any work not cited within the text, is NOT listed in the
bibliography.
3. Your literature review does NOT lead to a theoretical and empirical justification of the
research objectives, i.e. your literature review fails to reveal the relation between what
has previously been done by others in your area of research and what you did in your
research. Consequently, your literature review chapter needs to be re-written.
4. The methodology chapter does not make any mention of a pilot test for the self-
developed questionnaire instrument. It is however, unclear if the pilot test was carried
out but you did not make any mention to it or, alternatively, you did not conduct a
pilot test. If it is the latter case, this is a major flaw of the research process and may

30
 lead to unreliable and/or invalid findings. In the case of the latter, you should at least
have referred to it in your discussion of the limitations of the study.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Hassan. O.S. & Alavi, R. (2001). Guidelines for CMBA research paper. Sarawak: UNIMAS.
2. Hubbuch, S.M. (1992). Writing research papers across the curriculum (3rd ed.). Florida:
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
3. Mauch, J.E & Birch, J.W. (1983). Guide to the successful thesis and dissertation. New York:
Marcel Dekker.
4. Rudestam, K.E. & Newton, R.R. (1992). Surviving your dissertation. California: SAGE
Publications.
5. Tuckman, B.W. (1998). Conducting educational research (3rd ed.). Florida: Harcourt
Brace Jovanovich.

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