Departments of Real Estate National University of Singapore GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF UNDERGRADUATE DISSERTATIONS OVERVIEW The dissertation is intended to evaluate the student's ability to carry out independent research and to demonstrate his/her analytical and communication skills by investigating in depth, a topic of interest and of relevance to the course. Although it is not intended to be an original contribution to knowledge in the strictest sense, the end product is expected to extend beyond a mere literature review. Students are therefore expected to pursue investigations relevant to the chosen topic and to communicate the findings clearly, concisely and with detachment. Reproduction of material from other sources, particularly unacknowledged, will not be accepted. In the above context "independent" is taken to mean that the supervisor should act only as a mentor (advisor) to the student in relation to all aspects of the project. Students are expected to choose their own topics to study, formulate a hypothesis and present the results. At undergraduate level much of the material in the dissertation is likely to be readily available in other sources, both published and unpublished. There must be a comprehensive literature review of relevant authoritative texts and international and local works. The exercise is essentially one of defining the problem to be resolved, proposing a hypothesis relative to the problem and collating relevant data in an attempt to extend knowledge of the subject. 2. RESEARCH It is suggested that researchers should consider the requirements stated below in making their submission. 2.1 Introduction and Definition of Research Problem The initial parts of the dissertation should include: - a statement of the problem and objectives of the dissertation; - review of literature and previous work; and - definition of research hypothesis where appropriate. 2.2 Methodology The methodology adopted in the research should be appropriate to the subject of the research. It should be clearly stated. This should include: (a) (b) research design - that is the overall logic, general strategy and basic plan of approach; and research methods - that is the process of obtaining information.
An empirical study is required to verify a hypothesis(es). It should not be merely descriptive. It should include (i) (ii) (iii) A critical analysis of the data A scholarly interpretation and discussion of the results of the data analysis to show their theoretical and practical implications. A clear statement of how the findings fit into, or departs from, the extant literature. Unproductive attempts, which the student might have made to collect data, should be indicated to make it clear that efforts have been made to collect data of that nature from particular sources. 2.3 Processing and Presentation of Material The research problem should be discussed and elaborated upon. The data gathered should be analyzed, processed, and interpreted to underpin the discussion. There should be clear evidence of original research, and of reference to relevant published works. Appropriate inferences should also be made. The researcher should show that the topic has been exhaustively covered and that some contribution to the knowledge of the subject has been made. 2.4 Discussion of Results and Conclusions The discussion and analysis of the material should ideally involve testing of a hypothesis that might have been formulated at the outset. The researcher should demonstrate analytical skills, making relevant quantitative or qualitative assessments, and developing and presenting the results and findings. Conclusions and recommendations arising from the work form an important part of the research. Recommendations for further study or investigations should be made. These should be discussions of areas not covered or not adequately covered in the research. 2.5 Physical Presentation The researcher should pay particular attention to the presentation of the whole dissertation (including abstract, bibliography, and appendices). The importance of a clear and lucid writing style, good grammar, neatness and completeness of presentation cannot be over-emphasized. Tables, diagrams and illustrations should be used to good effect to present or clarify ideas. 3. PRESENTATION The required format for the presentation of the dissertation is outlined below. 2
3.1 Language The dissertation should be written in clear and precise English in a formal style (avoiding the use of slang) and free of grammatical, syntactical and spelling errors. The dissertation should be written in the third person throughout. 3.2 Words, Phrases and Statistics All words used in the dissertation are to be in ARIAL font size 11. Repetitive use of words and phrases should, as far as possible, be avoided. Such repetition tends to debase the quality of the dissertation and indicates a weakness in the student's vocabulary and writing style. Also, the use of "mundane" statistics, which serve no useful purpose, should be avoided. 3.2.1 Abbreviations 3.3 Grammar Commonly accepted abbreviations can be used where necessary but only after they have been properly introduced e.g. Housing and Development Board (HDB). If a number of these are used in the dissertation, a list of Abbreviations should be included in the pages preliminary to the introductory chapter. Examiners in the past have been severely critical of the standard of presentation, especially the grammar. Student-researchers are advised to note that severe penalties will be imposed if the presentation is not of a high standard. 3.4 Metric Units 3.5 Typing 3.6 Length All measurements are to be in a metric format. All typing must be double spacing between lines, unless otherwise stated (e.g. in quotations). The left-hand (binding) margin should be 40 mm and the righthand margin 20 mm. The maximum length of the dissertation is 10,000 words. This does not include Tables, Charts, Graphs, Diagrams, Figures, Maps, Schedules, Illustrations, Cases, Appendices, Bibliography and Acknowledgements. The actual number of words must be clearly stated on the 'contents' page. Students are advised to ensure that their dissertations do not exceed the 10,000-word limit, as there will be severe penalties against works infringing this rule. 3
3.7 Structure of the Dissertation 3.7.1 Overview The chapters should follow a logical development process starting from the problem defined and ending with a concluding chapter which summarizes the findings of the work and its significance in the broader context, and makes recommendations for adoption of these findings and for further work. The whole dissertation should be fully integrated. 3.7.2 Preliminaries The Title Page Vide specimen layout (Attachment A) Abstract This should be limited to 250 words typed on one page (see 3.7.5) Acknowledgement Table of Contents Vide specimen (Attachment B) List of Tables ) List of Charts ) List of Graphs ) List of Diagrams ) List of Figures ) To be included List of Maps ) only where applicable List of Schedules ) List of Illustrations ) List of Court Cases ) List of Appendices ) 3.7.3 Title Titles should be kept brief whilst still preserving their meaning and ensuring that they adequately describe the work. The title of a research project does not need such expressions as "A Study of", "A Comparative Study of", "An Analysis of" etc as these are already implied. 3.7.4 Acknowledgements Acknowledgements of a religious or personal nature, and words of gratitude to, or appreciation of the assistance of, the supervisor and other staff members should not be included in the initial version of the dissertation submitted for marking. They may be included, if the student so wishes, in the final version (prior to binding). 4
3.7.5 Abstract An abstract should be included at the beginning of the dissertation. The abstract should outline the nature and objective of the dissertation and summarize the main findings and conclusions. It should generally epitomize the dissertation. 3.7.6 Structure of Chapters and Appendices 3.7.6.1 Chapter and Appendix Headings Each chapter and appendix should be given a number (e.g. Chapter One, Chapter Two; Appendix One, Appendix Two) and a short title. Chapter and Appendix headings are to be typed in capitals. Sub-headings should not be capitalized. 3.7.6.2 Dewey System of Classification Within each chapter there may be a number of distinct elements. These should be numbered (say, for Chapter Four: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 etc.). Should further sub-numbering be required then decimal sub notation should be used (e.g. 4.2.1, 4.2.2. etc.). By way of illustration, these notes are set out using the Dewey System. 3.7.6.3 Titles in Text The following should be enclosed in single quotation marks (not underlined): titles of articles and essays, of chapters and sections of books, and of unpublished works such as theses. The following should be underlined (or typed in italics): titles of published books, plays, pamphlets, periodicals, classical works (except books of the Bible), if separately published. 3.7.6.4 Court Cases The parties to a decision are underlined but the connecting v. (and) between the parties are not underlined. The year of the court case is next entered after the parties concerned. Particular emphasis must be given to the brackets that enclose the date. Square brackets [ ] and round brackets ( ) used according to the status of the law report or journal. The approach adopted by the law report or journal must be followed. 5
The source document is then referred to in the reference. Usually the volume precedes the report reference and finally the commencement page of the report. Finally, if a portion of the decision is quoted the page reference is shown in the footnote as shown in the last example below. A reference could appear as: Port of Spain Corporation v. Gordon Grant & Co Ltd. [1955] A.C. 389. In Re an Arbitration Auckland Farmers Freezing Co-operative Ltd. (A.F.F.C.O.) and The Dilworth Trust Board (1977) 23 The N.Z. Valuer 480 at 481. The Law Reports or Journals may be abbreviated as in the first instance above, but a comprehensive list of abbreviations must appear with the table of contents. 3.7.6.5 Quotations Quotations should be separated from the body of the text, and should be indented by five spaces from the left margin and typed single-spaced. Quotes of only a few words can be included within the text with the appropriate quotation marks. If materials are omitted within a quotation three spaced periods should be inserted between words. To show an omission at the conclusion of a sentence three spaced periods should be used in addition to a sentence period (i.e. a total of four periods). All quotations should correspond exactly to the originals including errors in the spelling, punctuation etc. These errors should be indicated by the notation (sic) or other explanations within square brackets. Where not indented, all quoted material should be indicated by a single quotation mark except for quotations within quotations where double quotation marks are needed. 3.7.6.6 Footnotes Footnotes and endnotes are NOT recommended. 6
3.7.6.7 Pagination The preliminary pages should be numbered in lower case. Roman numerals centred at the bottom of the page, the first page counted being the title page, although this should be left unnumbered. The body of the dissertation, starting from the first page of the first chapter should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, centred at the top of the page throughout the whole dissertation. 3.7.6.8 Tables, Charts, Diagrams (etc) Tables, charts and diagrams should be numbered in each chapter (Arabic numerals in serial order e.g. 4.1, 4.2, etc) with a heading at the top. Only the first letter of the first word and of all significant words is to be capitalized. Tables, charts and diagrams should be placed where pertinent to the discussion involved, i.e. as immediately as possible after they are introduced or referred to in the text. They should not only help to improve the presentation but more importantly, they should be relevant and assist in illustrating issues raised in the narrative. 3.7.6.9 Bibliography The bibliography should consist of a list of principal reference and source books consulted in the course of writing the dissertation. It should not be limited to works actually quoted in the text but may include general background reading for the purposes of the dissertation. Works cited in the bibliography must be arranged in alphabetical order by the first author s surname (See Attachment C). 3.7.6.10 Appendices An appendix may be considered an extended footnote i.e. a section which expounds on an area of the text, but cannot be conveniently included in it without burdening the reader and distracting him/her from the main sequence. Appendices should NOT contain information other than short explanatory notes and essential graphs, tables and computer printouts, the latter being particularly restricted to information in summary form. Appendices, if included, should not include Acts of Parliament and other published materials. Nor should they include a copious amount of information such as newspaper and magazine cuttings; suitable references to these should be sufficient. 7
No more than 20 per cent of the number of words in the main text should appear in appendices (if any). The use of coloured paper in appendices is not permitted. The letters of introduction given to the student or one written by the student to request data should not be included in the appendices. 3.7.6.11 References References in the text should be quoted in the following manner: Hague (1969) single author Strunk and White (1979) two authors Jones et al. (1999) more than 2 authors All references should be collected in the Bibliography (see section 3.7.6.9). If references to the same author have the same year, they should be differentiated by using 1969a and 1969b etc. 4. SUBMISSION Each student should submit one unbound copy of his/her dissertation (less Acknowledgement page) by the date given in the attached time-table in a suitable brown envelope. As this will be the version of the dissertation which will be assessed for the purpose of the final examination, students should pay particular attention to the standard of presentation. Your supervisor's approval must be sought before making your submission to the Department s General Office. 4.1 Schedule The key dates relating to the preparation and submission of the dissertation are indicated on the attached time-table. 4.2 Corrections After the dissertation has been marked internally, students may be required to make necessary corrections and other changes recommended by the Examiners. Please collect your dissertation from your supervisor. The procedure for dealing with such corrections subsequent to the final submission should be followed. The corrected version should have the approval of the supervisor, who is responsible for confirming that all corrections required by all examiners have been carried out. 8
4.3 Final Submission After corrections, students are to submit the Supervisor Certification Form (SCF) by the stipulated date to the general office duly endorsed by their supervisor. Your supervisor s final approval for submission must be obtained. You should then proceed to upload your dissertation to the SDE Dissertation Space (Dspace) at the link mentioned below. https://lib.sde.nus.edu.sg/dspace/index.jsp 5. NOTE These instructions are not altogether comprehensive or exhaustive. Students are advised to refer to works on dissertation writing (not merely to previous dissertations in the School) in order to supplement the above or to clarify points of detail. Supervisors are also available to assist in cases of doubt or difficulty. However, in cases of conflict or contradiction, the formats set out in sections 1 to 4 above will take precedence and should be followed. Finally, keep this document handy as it will prove useful throughout the preparation of the dissertation. 9
Attachment A (TITLE OF PROJECT) (N A M E) (Matric No.) Project dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of B.Sc. (Real Estate) DEPARTMENT OF REAL ESTATE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE B.Sc. (Real Estate) (AY----/----) 10
Attachment B C O N T E N T S Page Abstract Acknowledgement Table of Contents List of Tables/Charts/etc Chapter... Introduction... Review of Previous Work... Research Design... Methods of data collection... Results and discussion... Conclusion Bibliography Appendices (No of Words to the nearest 100) 11
Attachment C Examples of Bibliography 1. A book by a single author: Hague, D.(1969). Managerial economics. London: Longman. Note: Title may be underlined or in italics. 2. A book or technical report by more than one author: Strunk, W., and White, E. (1979). The elements of style (3rd ed.,). New York: Macmillan. Note: For handbooks, (Vols. 1-2) replaced (3rd ed.); for translated book, (D. Smith, Trans.) replaces (3rd ed.); for technical report, (Report No. 12-1234) replaces (3rd ed.). 3. Edited book: Hall, P.(Ed.). (1966). Von Thunen s Isolated State. Oxford: Pergamon. 4. Article or chapter in an edited book: Stone, P.(1965). The prices of building sites in Britain. In P. Hall (Ed.), Land values (pp. 12-27). London: Heineman. 5. Journal article: Pite, D., and Tesa, C.(1981). The crisis of our time. Journal of Environmental Housing, 23(3), 123-141. Note: Replace (1981) with (in press) for article in press. 6. Newspaper article, no author: CIDB perceives strong growth for construction sector. (1993, December 17). The Straits Times, p.47. Note: Use pp.1, 25. for discontinuous article. 7. Newspaper article, with author: Tan, T.S. (1993, December 12). URA to auction 12 sites in Jurong. The Straits Times, p.36. 8. Conference paper: Unpublished: Brent, B. (1983, May). Valuation of hotels. Paper presented at the meeting of the Society of Valuers, Melbourne, Victoria. Published: Brent, B. (1988). Valuation of hotels. In E. Dave (Ed.), Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Valuation (pp.3-9). Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Zeti Press. 12
9. Unpublished manuscript Jameson, K. (1993). Testing concrete strength. Unpublished manuscript. 10. Dissertation or thesis Lim, K.(1978). The valuation of hotels. Unpublished undergraduate dissertation, School of Building and Estate Management, National University of Singapore. Note: Replace undergraduate with master s or doctoral and dissertation with thesis where appropriate. Give the name of the country if it is not reflected in the name of the institution. 11. Websites Org name. (Date). Title in italics. City: Publisher. Retrieved date, from www://etc. Example: ABC Construction. (2000). Building for tomorrow. S'pore: Redas. Retrieved 20 Nov 2000 from www://http://abc.org.com/building/def.html. 13