undergraduate final year project general guidelinesiium.edu.my/media/54075/fyp guideline 2020 final...

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UNDERGRADUATE

FINAL YEAR PROJECT

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

International Islamic University Malaysia

2020

KULLIYYAH OF ISLAMIC REVEALED KNOWLEDGE AND HUMAN SCIENCES

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 2

FINAL YEAR PROJECT REGISTRATION 3

TOPIC SELECTION 4

THESIS SUPERVISION 4

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 5

ETHICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH CONDUCT 6

EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA 6

THESIS STYLE GUIDELINES 9

REFERENCES 10

APPENDIX A 11

APPENDIX B 13

APPENDIX C 16

APPENDIX D 22

INTRODUCTION

Final Year Project (FYP), a SIX credit course, is a graduation requirement for all students

of all Departments in the Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences.

For the Departments of Communication, English and Literature, Political Science, History,

Psychology, and Sociology and Anthropology, the FYP held the status of “Kulliyyah Required Course.” The status of FYP is set as “Department Major Course” for the

Departments of Arabic Language and Literature, Fiqh and Usul-al-Fiqh, Qur’an and Sunnah,

and Usul al-Din and Comparative Religion. Though of different status, the nature of the process and product is standardized.

According to the Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA), in the overall undergraduate curriculum, there is a component delineated to research-based work, assuming a minimum of 6 credit hours. Taking into consideration the common structure introduced by international higher learning institutions, thus, the Kulliyyah decided to label the component as FYP and treat it as an equivalent nomenclature to the undergraduate thesis. The nature of research in social sciences (e.g., sociology and anthropology, history, political science, communication, and psychology) and humanities (e.g., language and literature) are practically indicative of the scientific and empirical quest of each respective discipline that in turn will contribute to the build-up of new and/or refinement of existing body of knowledge. FYP is the mean for achieving this novel aim. FYP is a form of capstone learning experience where students are expected to be able to synthesize the knowledge acquired in various subjects of their respective discipline, together with the technical skills acquired from research methodology (quantitative and qualitative) and/or statistics courses to INDEPENDENTLY run a research project in its entirety. The learning outcome for FYP is the level six of the Bloom’s learning

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taxonomy which is CREATE, i.e., producing a new or novel piece of work. The choice of research work or project applicable for this course is thus, decided to be of empirical or analytical (i.e., not merely conceptual) in nature.

Working under the supervision of an academic, students will independently design and

execute a study within the chosen area of the discipline. The Kulliyyah would like to

cultivate the academic culture via this FYP exercise. Students are advised not to approach

the FYP with a forced feeling (although structurally it is forced unto you). It is encouraged

for students to embrace FYP as a form of an ultimate assessment of their overall four years

academic learning credibility. Executing an independent research project should be seen as

a rare opportunity to acquire an extra point in one’s academic as well as personal

credibility. This experience would indeed be significantly valuable for those considering

pursuing their postgraduate study. Nevertheless, the experience of holding one’s own

thesis after all the hard work, indeed, is a real satisfying one.

FINAL YEAR PROJECT REGISTRATION

There are three criteria that students have to fulfil to allow them to register for the undergraduate thesis or FYP: 1) Students who are assigned with the study plan of 171 and onwards. Generally students with matric number 171 onwards (eg 171, 172, 181). However there are few students with matric number 161 and below may have been using 171 study plan (e.g. those who exit from CELPAD). 2) Have reached level 3 or level 4 of their study and completed pre-requisite courses indicated in the course outline. The Department will make necessary announcements to alert students to register for FYP.

The Kulliyyah has structured the FYP to convene in TWO semesters in the form of FYP I

and FYP II, each bearing 3 credit hours. Please refer to FYP course outlines for division of

tasks and activities across two semesters of study consecutively. Although structurally it is

designed as such, the needed preparation has to come much earlier than the semester that

you are registering for it.

Please refer to Appendix A for the FYP course registration form. All students are

required to fill in and submit the form to their respective department.

TOPIC SELECTION

Choice of FYP topic commonly should be made within the boundary of research interests of the academics at the Department. Students should have the autonomy of choosing the areas/topics that interest them, aligned with the academics’ research interests. However,

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the Department shall consider different modes of choosing FYP topics depending upon arising necessities. Topic should be realistic enough to allow students to complete the research within the time frame given.

THESIS SUPERVISION

Each student will be assigned one supervisor, with whom he/she will work till the

completion of the thesis. FYP supervision is a compulsory process. Thesis supervisor is

responsible for giving directions and insights to students allowing for successful

completion of the thesis. However, similar to other taught courses, students hold the

biggest responsibility to manage the successful completion of the academic tasks.

As a general rule of supervision, supervisors should allocate a minimum of eight (8) supervisory sessions per semester. Students on the other hand, should allocate approximately 15 – 16 hours per week to the FYP-related tasks. The supervisory process structure and nature, however, is dependent upon the agreement between supervisor and students. It is acceptable to have a variety of means and ways of supervision. For instance, fortnightly supervision mode is acceptable and so as supervision made through the social network media or e-mail, rather than just face-to-face mode. The supervisory hours also can fluctuate based on the individual student’s needs, thesis topic, and the phase of the thesis.

Supervisory relationship is a formal work- or academic-based relationship. Students have to actively participate in the supervisory process to ensure that their FYP activities can take place and move forward. Students are encouraged to be at all-time prepared for their supervisory meetings. Cultivation of enough curiosity is highly encouraged to all students to self-direct their FYP activities. To aid the supervisory process, please consider using the Record of Supervision form (Appendix B). For every supervisory session, students are required to fill up the form and send a copy to the supervisors, while keeping one copy for their own reference.

Any problems arising between supervisor and student, any one from both parties can consult the FYP coordinator appointed by the Department/Kulliyyah.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Student’s Responsibilities

Students shall be responsible to:

● consult supervisor and discuss all aspects of the research according to the agreed schedule

● monitor own progress according to the time schedule ● document feedback from supervisor during meeting ● proofread their work before submission ● fund own research cost ● adhere to ethical guidelines (eg plagiarism, responsibilities towards participants)

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● prepare and submit research proposal and final research report following the deadlines and according to the stipulated guidelines

Supervisor’s Responsibilities

Supervisors shall be responsible to:

● conduct regular meetings with the students and adhere to student absenteeism rules and regulation as stipulated in the University Rules and Regulations

● guide students in the planning and implementation of the research project, ensuring that the final thesis product uphold high academic quality and integrity

● monitor students’ progress according to the research schedule and provide constructive feedback upon written drafts within reasonable time

● examine and grade both research proposal and final report ● key in students’ results in the system

FYP coordinator’s Responsibilities

FYP Coordinator shall be responsible to:

● assist registration of FYP students as well as assign supervisors ● monitor and ensure the planning and implementation of FYP run smoothly ● schedule FYP briefings ● collect all evaluation forms and compile database of students, supervisors and thesis

titles

ETHICAL REVIEW OF THE RESEARCH CONDUCT

When conducting a research, researchers should be guided by the respective discipline’s

research ethical conduct. Research ethics in general refer to the correct rules of conduct

necessary when carrying out research. In specific, ethics in a specific discipline of

knowledge may also be defined as “… a method, procedure, or perspective for deciding how

to act and for analyzing complex problems and issues” (Resnik, 2015). Commonly, each

academic- or research-based institution will have a committee that will review the ethical

standards applied in a particular research project. This committee, which generically

known as Institutional Review Board (IRB), will review the research protocols and

materials to ascertain the right and fair treatment of the research respondents/participants

as well as research data.

A similar committee, known as Ethics Committee, was established in 2004 by the

International Islamic University Malaysia to oversee research related conducts for all

research under the auspices of the University. In 2012, the former Ethics Committee was

known as IIUM Research Ethics Committee (IREC), based in the Kuantan campus. Its main

duty is to “… provide guidance to researchers and to ensure that research involving

persons is carried out safely with considered consent and respect to autonomy and privacy

of the subjects, with principles of distributive justice and in accordance with the ethical

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principles” (IIUM Research Ethics Committee, n.d). As such, both FYP students and

supervisors are required to follow the ethical standard when conducting the research

project. Please visit IREC’s websites http://www.iium.edu.my/centre/irec.

EVALUATION PROCESS AND CRITERIA

The thesis supervisor is responsible for evaluating the: 1) FYP I/Research proposal (100

%) and 2) Final thesis/FYP II (100%)

1) Research Proposal (100%)

Students are required to write a simple research proposal (a length of 5,000 – 6000 words, approximately 17-20 pages, excluding title page and reference as well as appendices), outlining their research plan. The proposal should briefly covers:

1. Introduction - Background of the study, research problem, inclusive of the research questions/hypotheses and objectives, research significance, scope of research.

2. Literature Review- An evaluation of the existing scholarly literature on the proposed research problem and research questions/hypotheses, theoretical framework

3. Methodology - techniques employed to answer the research questions/hypotheses and ethical concerns in conducting the research.

4. Conclusion, covering limitations of the study and expected outcome. 5. An initial reference list or bibliography of scholarly sources referred and cited in

designing the research.

Research proposal should be submitted in Week 14 of the semester. Supervisors will

evaluate and grade the proposal accordingly. No In Progress (IP) grade can be awarded

to FYP I. Failure of FYP I will require repetition of the course before enrolment in FYP II.

Structure of the proposal:

● Use 1.5 spacing.

● Title page written according to the KIRKHS FYP I proposal template (for disciplines

that utilize the APA/ASR in-text and referencing styles).

● Bold and write in upper-case, the major headings of the proposal:

o INTRODUCTION – Should consist of background of study, problem statement, and

research questions/hypotheses, research objectives and research significance. .

o LITERATURE REVIEW – Select theoretical and empirically based relevant articles

to the study. Summarize and review the articles, linking relevant points and issues

to the research problem and questions/hypotheses.

o METHODS – Present details of research design, research setting, participants and

sampling procedures, data collection procedures as well as data analysis method.

o EXPECTED OUTCOME– Discuss expected outcome of the study.

o REFERENCE – Referencing and citation should strictly adhere to the departments’

choice of citation style.

o APPENDICES – Research Timeline (Gantt chart), questionnaire/interview

schedule (Optional)

http://www.iium.edu.my/centre/irec

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Please refer to Appendix C for Research Proposal scoring rubric.

2) Final Thesis (100%)

Thesis should be submitted within Week 14 of the current semester till Week 2 of the

subsequent semester. Thesis will be graded by each students’ supervisor, based on the

Thesis rubric (please refer to Appendix D). Failure to submit the final version of the

thesis for examination within the stipulated time will jeopardize the final marks for this

course. Submission of the final version of the thesis with substantial evidence that

plagiarism elements were found in it shall also jeopardize the final mark of this course.

Failure status can be assigned if a thesis was proven to be plagiarized work.

In Progress (IP) grade should be awarded to FYP II taking into consideration of its

research based component (please refer to SAPER 2015, Matters 24.1-5, pg 11-12). Should

students fail the FYP II, they will have to repeat the course.

Structure of the thesis write-ups:

● Bold and write in upper-case, the major headings and use bold, sentence case for sub-

headings of the proposal. Each major heading will be the chapter in the thesis:

o INTRODUCTION – Should consist of the following:

▪ Problem Statement

▪ Research Questions/Hypotheses

▪ Research Objectives

▪ Significance of Study

▪ Definition of Terms

▪ Summary of the introduction chapter

o LITERATURE REVIEW – Select theoretically and empirically based relevant articles

to the study. Summarize and review the articles, linking relevant points and issues

to the research questions/objectives.

▪ Theoretical framework – shows the relationship between the literature

and the problem statement

▪ Current empirical literature

▪ Summary of the literature review chapter

o METHODS – Should consist of the following:

▪ Research design

▪ Participants (including a description and selection/sampling procedures)

▪ Instruments/ Measures used

▪ Data collection procedures

▪ Data analysis

▪ Ethical considerations

▪ Summary of the method chapter

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o RESULTS – Present results of the data both descriptively and inferentially (for

quantitative research). Present results of the data thematically (for qualitative

research).

▪ Sub-sections the results are typically organized following research

hypotheses/questions.

▪ Summary of the result section

o DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION – Should consist of the following:

▪ Synthesis and justification of findings

▪ Limitations of study

▪ Suggestions for future research

▪ Summary of the discussion and conclusion chapter

o REFERENCE – Referencing and citation could adhere to the KIRKHS FYP II thesis

template

o APPENDICES

Please refer to Appendix D for Final Thesis scoring rubric.

Note: Variation of the chapterization and chapter headings are acceptable when as

necessary, depending on the nature of the research work or areas. The in-text citation

and referencing style are dependent upon the common choice of respective

departments.

THESIS STYLE GUIDELINES

The full thesis should be written within a length of 30 – 40 pages, an approximation of 10,000 to 12,000 words. Please use Times New Roman or Gentium Alt typeface with font size of 12, and 1.5 spacing. Arial typeface can be used for tables and figures. Final thesis may be prepared in mirror-image document style in preparation for double-sided thesis printing. Pages with illustration in the thesis document may be prepared single-sided but the blank page attached to it should still be numbered in continuation with the numbering of the illustrated page. In preparation for printing a double-sided thesis, students are advised to choose a sufficiently opaque paper so that text and illustration on one side does not impair readability on the other side.

Tape-binding copy of the final thesis should be submitted to the supervisor for examination

together with a soft copy of the final thesis for plagiarism check.

Upon examination and correction, ONE copy of hard-bound thesis (students may refer to

their respective department for this requirement) with the following specification should

be submitted to the supervisor:

● be covered in grey cloth (e.g. water resistant material)

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● be lettered in gold up the spine with name, title of the thesis, degree, and year (in

such order respectively) and written in 16 point font size, either Cambria or

Times New Roman font

Final version of the thesis document should have the following listed items:

● Title page

● Abstract page (150 – 250 words)

● Approval page

● Declaration page

● Declaration of copyright page

● Acknowledgment page

● Table of contents page(s)

● List of tables page

● List of figures page

● List of abbreviation and acronyms page and/or translation note.

● List of appendices

● Content pages

o CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION

o CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW

o CHAPTER 3 – METHODS

o CHAPTER 4 – RESULTS/FINDINGS

o CHAPTER 5 – DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSION

o REFERENCE

o APPENDICES

REFERENCES

IIUM Research Ethics Committee (IREC). (n.d). Retrieved from

http://www.iium.edu.my/irec

IIUM Student Academic Performance Evaluation (Undergraduate Regulations) (2015)

Resnik, D. B. (2015, December 1). What is Ethics in Research & Why is it Important?

Retrieved from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/whatis/

index.cfm

http://www.iium.edu.my/irec

https://www.niehs.nih.gov/research/resources/bioethics/

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APPENDIX A

REGISTRATION FORM: FINAL YEAR PROJECT I

SEMESTER ___ ACADEMIC YEAR _____________

Name: Click here to enter text.

Matric Number: Click here to enter text.

Department: Click here to enter text.

TITLE OF PROPOSAL

(maximum 50 words) Click here to enter text.

RESEARCH AREA

Click here to enter text.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSAL

Please provide a summary of the proposal. Please describe clearly: i) Background of research ii) Statement of Research Problem iii) Data Collection Technique/s. Add words below, 200-250 words, single space.

Click here to enter text.

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:

Supervisor: ___________________________________________________________ Section:___________

Date: ________________


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APPENDIX B

Thesis Supervision Form

Final Year Project _________

This form is designed to be used in recording formal supervisory meetings between

research students and their supervisor.

Name:

Matric#:

Matric No. Date of meeting:

Supervisory meeting no:

Tasks/Objectives set in the last meeting:


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General comments in the current meeting:

Specific comments in the current meeting:

Objectives agreed (with timescales) for action before next meeting:

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Other relevant information:

Date of next meeting:

Student Signature Supervisor Signature

…………………………………………………… ………………………………………………….

Date: Date:

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APPENDIX C

FYP I: Research Proposal Scoring Rubric

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

INTRODUCTION (30%)

Background of Study

and Problem

Statement

(10%)

No link is made to existing

research on the topic. No

research context is

described.

The context of the topic at

hand is described in broad

terms but there is no link

between what is known and

what will be researched

Context of the research is

defined well, with input from

the student. There is a link

between the context and

research problem


defined sharply and to-the-

point. Research problem

emerges directly from the

described context

Research is positioned sharply

in the relevant scientific field.

Student is able to indicate the

novelty and innovation of the

research

Problem statement is hardly

articulated and not

supported/justified by

theory and/or past research

Problem statement is

articulated fairly clearly but

only minimally supported/

justified by theory and/or

past research

Problem statement is much

better articulated and

supported/justified by theory

and/or past research


articulated clearly and


and/or past research


articulated very clearly & well

supported /justified by theory

and/or past research and

sociologically significance

Research

Questions

AND/OR

Research

Hypotheses

(10%)

Research questions/

hypotheses are

independent of one another.

Questions/hypotheses are

hardly focused and clear.

Questions/Hypotheses

seems not

testable/answerable.

No alignment between

research problem and

questions and/or

Research questions/

hypotheses are independent

of one another. Questions/

hypotheses are fairly focused

and clear

Questions/ Hypotheses

appear to be marginally

testable/ answerable

Marginal alignment between

research problem, questions

Research questions/

hypotheses are inter-related

with one another and fairly

focused and clear

Questions/Hypotheses appear

to be fairly testable/

answerable

Fair alignment between


and/or hypotheses

Research questions/hypotheses

are inter-related with one

another are focused and clear

Questions/Hypotheses appear

testable/ answerable

Some degree of alignment

between research problem,

questions and/or research

hypotheses

Research questions/hypotheses

are inter-related with one

another are highly focused and

clear

Questions/Hypotheses indeed

are testable/ answerable.

Total alignment between


and/or hypotheses and

sociologically significance

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hypotheses and/or hypotheses

Research

Objectives

Research

Significance

(10%)

Research objectives are


and hardly focused and

clear.

Research hardly offers any

relevant contributions

towards theory/knowledge

development or practices

Research objectives are


Questions/ hypotheses are

fairly focused and clear

Research offers marginally

relevant contributions

towards theory/ knowledge

development or practices

Research objectives are inter-

related with one another and

fairly focused and clear

Research offers fairly relevant

contributions towards theory/

knowledge development or

practices

Research

objectives/hypotheses are

inter-related with one another

and are focused and clear

Research offers relevant


knowledge development

and/or practices

Research objectives are inter-

related with one another and

are highly focused and clear

Research offers very relevant


knowledge development as well

as practices

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

Literature Review (30%)

Definition of

terms /main

concepts/

Operational

definition of

variables

(10%)

No/ very little operational

definitions/main concepts

are provided.

Vague operational

definitions/main concepts are

provided.

Fairly clear operational

definition/main concepts are

explained.

Clear and good operational


explained

Comprehensive operational


well-developed and explained.

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Theoretical

Literature

Review/

Framework

(10%)

No discussion of

underlying theories.

Student has found the

relevant theories, but the

description has not been

tailored to the project at hand

or shows occasional errors.

Student has found the relevant

theories, and has been partially

successful in tailoring the

description to the project at

hand. Few errors occur.

Student has found the relevant

theories, makes a synthesis of

those, and has been successful

in tailoring the description to

the project at hand.

Clear, complete and coherent

overview of relevant theories.

Exactly tailored to the project at

hand.

Empirical

Literature

Review

(10%)

Literature reviewed are

not relevant to the whole

research context. The

reviewed literature do not

justify the research

objectives, hypotheses,

and/or questions.

Few relevant literature are

reviewed but they appear to

be a mere summarization of

procedures and findings. No

connection however, is made

to the research objectives,

hypotheses, and/or

questions.

Literature reviewed are very

relevant to the research

context. Reviews are not mere

summaries but include few

insights and arguments

depicting a marginal critical

analysis. The link between the

literature and the objectives,

hypotheses, and/or questions

are only marginally connected.

Very relevant literature are

reviewed and better insights

and critical discussions of the

literature are portrayed.

Stronger links are depicted

between literature and the

objectives, hypotheses, and/or

questions.

Demonstrates significant

amount of critical thinking,

creativity and insight in

reviewing earlier literature.

Impressive justifications and

connections are made between

the literature with relevant

objectives, hypotheses, and/or

questions.

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Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

METHODOLOGY (30%)

Research

Design,

Population

and Sampling

(10%)

Somewhat appropriate

research design that is

capable of addressing only

some of the research

questions

Rather vague description

of the population, research

sample, sampling

techniques

Justifications for the use of

the methodology are

vaguely presented and not

discussed

Marginally Appropriate


capable of addressing some of

the research questions

Marginally clear description

of the of the population,

research sample, sampling

techniques

Justifications for the use of

the methodology are

presented but not discussed

Fairly Appropriate research

design that is capable of

addressing some of the

research questions

Fairly clear description of the of

the population, research

sample, sampling techniques

Justifications for the use of the

methodology are presented but

not adequately discussed

Appropriate research design

that is capable of addressing

most of the research questions

Clear description of the of the

population, research sample,

sampling techniques


methodology are presented and

somewhat adequately

discussed

Very appropriate research


addressing all the research

questions

Very clear description of the of

the population, research

sample, sampling techniques


methodology are clearly

presented and adequately

discussed.

Data

Collection

Procedure

No data collection

procedure is described.

Description of data collection

procedure is sparsely

provided. Explicate only the

major process but no

explanation on the details

procedure.

The step-by-step process by

which data will be generated is

provided. Major processes are

sparsely explained.


which data will be gathered is

provided. A fair amount of

information of major processes

is provided.


which data will be gathered is

provided. Major processes are

clearly described.

Measures /

Instruments

eg Q.aire,

Scale,

Interview

Guide (10%)

Measures /Instruments

used are incorrect or are

not stated

Measures/Instruments are

correct and stated but not

described.


stated but only marginally

described.


stated and fairly described.


clearly described.

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Data analysis

&

Data analyses are

appropriate but hardly

adequate to address the

research questions.

Data analyses are fairly

appropriate and only

adequate to address some of

the research questions.

Data analyses are appropriate

but only adequate to address

some of the research questions.

Data analyses are appropriate,

and are adequate to address

most of the research questions

Data analyses are appropriate,

extensive and sophisticated,

and are adequate to address all

the research questions

Ethical

consideration

(10%)

Fails to conduct research

according to academic and

ethical norms.

Shows awareness of ethical

issues; may sparsely report

on them.

Demonstrate marginal

knowledge on ethical issues;

only fairly report them.

Demonstrates fair amount of

knowledge of ethical issues;

Displays competence in

addressing potential ethical

issues.

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

FORMAT AND LANGUAGE (10%)

Format

References are missing or

do not follow standard

format. In-text citations

mostly are incorrect.

References are not scientific;

some are missing and some

are not correctly reported. In-

text citations are marginally

correct.

Some references are scientific;

some are missing and some are

not correctly reported. In-text

citations are fairly correct.

Most references are scientific

and correctly reported, based

on the standard format. In-text

citations are mostly correct.

All references are scientific and

correctly reported based on the

standard format. All In-text

citations are correct.

English,

Spelling and

grammar

(10%)

English incorrect and

unreadable. Spelling and

grammar errors too many

to count.

English somehow correct but

not pleasant to read. Spelling

and grammar errors

numerous.

English basically correct and

readable. Spelling and grammar

errors present but at acceptable

quantities.

English correct and pleasant to

read. Some spelling and

grammar errors.

English fluent and pleasant to

read. Few spelling and

grammar errors.

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APPENDIX D

FYP II: Thesis/Final Report Scoring Rubric

INTRODUCTION (10%)

Introductio

n (10%)

No link is made to existing

research on the topic. No

research context is

described.

The context of the topic at

hand is described in broad

terms but there is no link

between what is known and

what will be researched.


defined well, with input from

the student. There is a link

between the context and

research problem.


defined sharply and to-the-

point. Research problem

emerges directly from the

described context.

Research is positioned sharply

in the relevant scientific field.

Student is able to indicate the

novelty and innovation of the

research.

Problem statement,

Research questions/

hypotheses is hardly

articulated and not

supported/justified by

theory and/or past

research.


articulated fairly clearly but

only minimally supported/

justified by theory and/or

past research.

Problem statement is much

better articulated and


and/or past research.


articulated clearly and


and/or past research.


articulated very clearly & well

supported /justified by theory

and/or past research and

sociologically significance.

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

LITERATURE REVIEW (10%)

Literature

Review

(10%)

Literature reviewed are not

relevant to the whole

research context. The

reviewed literature do not

justify the research

objectives, hypotheses/

questions.

Few relevant literature are

reviewed but they appear to

be a mere summarization of

procedures and findings. No

connection however, is made

to the research objectives,

hypotheses, and/or

questions.

Literature reviewed are very

relevant to the research

context. Reviews are not mere

summaries but include few

insights and arguments

depicting a marginal critical

analysis. The link between the

literature and the objectives,

hypotheses questions are only

Very relevant literature are

reviewed and better insights

and critical discussions of the

literature are portrayed.

Stronger links are depicted

between literature and the


questions.

Demonstrates significant

amount of critical thinking,

creativity and insight in

reviewing earlier literature.

Impressive justifications and

connections are made between

the literature with relevant


questions.

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marginally connected.

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

METHODOLOGY (10%)

Methodology

(10%)

Somewhat appropriate


capable of addressing only

some of the research

questions.

Rather vague description

of the research sample,

sampling techniques and

data collection

procedures.

Marginally appropriate


capable of addressing some of

the research questions.

Marginally clear description

of the research sample,

sampling techniques, data

collection procedures and

methods of data analysis.

Fairly appropriate research


addressing some of the

research questions.

Fairly clear description of the


techniques, data collection

procedures and methods of

data analysis.

Appropriate research design

that is capable of addressing

most of the research questions.

Clear description of the




data analysis.

Very appropriate research


addressing all the research

questions.

Very clear description of the




data analysis.

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

FINDINGS/RESULTS (30%)

Findings

(30%)

The findings presented are

not discussed in relation

to theory and findings of

past studies cited in

literature review and

research problem.

Results are not explained,

level of detail is severely

insufficient, and there are

serious organizational

The findings are superficially

discussed in relation to

theory and findings of past

studies cited in literature

review and research problem.

Results are not clearly

explained, level of detail is

severely insufficient, and

there are serious

organizational issues.

The findings are fairly

discussed in relation to theory

and findings of past studies

cited in literature review and

research problem.

Results are not very clearly

explained, level of detail is

insufficient, and there are more


The findings are clearly

discussed in relation to theory

and findings of past studies

cited in literature review and

research problem.

Results are explained but not as

clearly, level of detail is not as

sufficient, and there are some


The findings are clearly and

judiciously discussed in relation

to theory and findings of past

studies cited in literature

review and research problem.

Results are clearly explained in

a comprehensive level of detail

and are well organized.

21

issues.

Items 1-6 7-12 13-18 19-24 25-30 TOTAL

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION (20%)

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

Discussion

(10%)

Conclusion

(10%)

Discussion of how the

study relates to and/or

enhances the present

scholarship in this area is

absent

No link between research

questions, results and

conclusions.

Discussion of how the study

relates to and/or enhances

the present scholarship in

this area is severely limited

Conclusions are drawn, but in

many cases these are only

partial answers to the

research questions and are

not substantiated by results.


relates to and/or enhances the

present scholarship in this area

is limited.

Most conclusions well-linked to

research questions and

substantiated by results.

Conclusions mostly formulated

clearly but some vagueness in

wording.


relates to and/or enhances the

present scholarship in this area

is adequate.

Clear link between research

questions and conclusions. All

conclusions substantiated by

results. Conclusions are

formulated in exact manner.

Insightful discussion of how the

study relates to and/or

enhances the present

scholarship in this area

Clear link between research

questions and conclusions.

Conclusions substantiated by

results. Conclusions are

formulated exact and concise.

Conclusions are

grouped/ordered in a logical

way.

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

FORMAT and LANGUAGE (20%)

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

Format

(10%)

References are missing or

do not follow standard

format. In-text citations

References are not scientific;

some are missing and some

are not correctly reported. In-

Some references are scientific;

some are missing and some are

not correctly reported. In-text

Most references are scientific

and correctly reported, based

on the standard format. In-text

All references are scientific and

correctly reported based on the

standard format. All In-text

22

mostly are incorrect. text citations are marginally

correct.

citations are fairly correct. citations are mostly correct. citations are correct.

Language,

Spelling and

grammar

(10%)

English incorrect and

unreadable. Spelling and

grammar errors too many

to count.

English somehow correct but

not pleasant to read. Spelling

and grammar errors

numerous.

English basically correct and

readable. Spelling and grammar

errors present but at acceptable

quantities.

English correct and pleasant to

read. Some spelling and

grammar errors.

English fluent and pleasant to

read. Few spelling and

grammar errors. English is

(almost) at the level of what is

written in peer-reviewed

journals.

Items 1 – 2 3 – 4 5 – 6 7 – 8 9 – 10 TOTAL

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