RESEARCH STYLE GUIDE
A style guide is a reference book that provides rules for writing, such as
grammar and syntax, in specific disciplines. These include how to format
citations and references, which tend to be specific to the fields of study.
Style Guide for Preparing Research Manuscript
Revised A.Y. 2022 - 2023
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS...................................................................................................... 2
INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................... 3
LEARNING OBJECTIVES.................................................................................................. 3
LESSON
I. PAGE STYLE.................................................................................................................. 4
II. TYPOGRAPHY AND PARAGRAPH STYLE....................................................................5
Text..........................................................................................................................5
Tables...................................................................................................................... 6
Graphs and Charts.................................................................................................. 6
Figures.....................................................................................................................7
Literature Cited...................................................................................................... 7
Use of Number and Symbols.................................................................................. 8
Use of Colored Photographs................................................................................... 8
III.GUIDELINES FOR LANGUAGE....................................................................................9
Research Title......................................................................................................... 9
Language and Tone of the Body of the Text...........................................................9
Acknowledgement and Dedication...................................................................... 10
Abstract................................................................................................................. 10
Executive Summary..............................................................................................11
IV. REVIEW OF LITERATURE......................................................................................... 12
V. CONSISTENCY OF VERB TENSES............................................................................... 13
VI. APA STYLE OF CITING REFERENCES.......................................................................15
References and In-Text Citation............................................................................15
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INTRODUCTION
When it comes to writing a research paper, it is crucial to adhere to specific formatting
guidelines to ensure clarity, consistency, and professionalism. One aspect that requires
attention is the page style, which includes factors such as paper size, margins, and page
numbering. Additionally, typography and paragraph style play a significant role in
enhancing readability and conveying information effectively. This introduction will
provide an overview of the guidelines for page style, typography, and other formatting
aspects and discuss the importance of language and content guidelines for research
papers.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this module, you will be able to:
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Understand and implement proper page style guidelines, including paper size,
margins, and page numbering.
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Apply typography and paragraph style guidelines to enhance the readability and
organization of your research paper.
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Comply with guidelines for tables, graphs, figures, and literature citations to
present data and references accurately.
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Follow language and content guidelines to ensure inclusivity, professionalism, and
bias-free writing.
●
Use appropriate verb tenses and citation styles, such as APA (American
Psychological Association), to maintain consistency in your research paper.
Now, let us delve into each learning objective in detail.
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GENERAL GUIDELINES
I. PAGE STYLE
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Use unlined, white, letter-size paper (81/2” x 11”), preferably substance 20, for the
proposal manuscript.
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Specify page margins: left = 1.25”; right = 1”; top = 1”; bottom = 1”.
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Insert page number on the lower right-hand corner of the page. Do not put page
numbers on the first page of each chapter.
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Number pages consecutively, including all appendices.
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For page number of preliminary pages (acknowledgments, abstract, etc.), use
small Roman numerals (examples are i, ii, iii, iv, v, x, etc.); the title page bears no
number, but it is designated as i; a blank page bearing no number is placed before
and after the title page; the approval sheet bears no number but is designated as
ii; preliminary pages are numbered on the upper right-hand corner.
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Tailor each paragraph. If you must break a paragraph, leave at least two lines of
text on the page. Continue the paragraph on the next page, making sure this is
also at least two lines of text long.
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II. TYPOGRAPHY AND PARAGRAPH STYLE
TEXT
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For the font, use Calibri 12pts for the text.
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Use the standard tab to indent texts.
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Use the following specifications for all paragraphs: aligned left, 1.5 space within
paragraphs and between paragraphs. Remove space after the list item or after the
paragraph.
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For chapter or level 1 headings (e.g., CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION), use 12 pt Calibri
Bold, all caps, centered on the page. Use Roman numerals for chapter numbers.
Leave 2 spaces between the chapter label and the chapter title.
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For 2nd level headings, use 12 pt Calibri Bold, caps-lower-case, centered on the
page.
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For 3rd level headings, use 12 pt Calibri Bold, caps-lower-case, flushed to the
left-hand margin.
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For the 4th level headings, use 12 pt Calibri Bold or Underlined, caps-lower-case,
indented from the left-hand margin. The paragraph heading ends with a period,
and the textual discussion starts immediately after the period.
Here is an illustration:
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TABLES
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Table number: use 11 pt Calibri Bold, no period; label all tables consecutively
using Cardinal numbers (e.g., Table 1).
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Table Title: use 11 pt Calibri, Italic, and Title Case; Place one double-spaced line
below the table number; do not use period at end; left-aligned; set single spaced.
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For table headings: use 10 to 12 pt Calibri Bold, all caps, centered in each cell.
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For data in tables, use 10 to 12 pt Calibri; first column left aligned, other columns
centered
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Round off figures to two decimal points only.
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Put tables immediately after they are discussed in the text.
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Do not cut tables as much as possible and try to fit tables on one page. For tables
that need to be continued on the next page, repeat the header rows per page.
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For long tables: summarize data; highlight only significant variables; or print
tables using landscape orientation.
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Do not use too many grid lines on tables.
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FIGURES
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Anything other than a table is labeled as a Figure.
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Figure Title: Label all figures using 11 pt Calibri Bold; no period; label all figures
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consecutively using Cardinal numbers (e.g., Figure 1).
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Figure Title: use 11 pt Calibri, Italic, and Title Case; Place one double-spaced line
below the table number; do not use period at end; left-aligned; set single spaced.
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Put figures immediately after the textual discussion referring to such.
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Examples are research frameworks/paradigms, diagrams, flow charts, and related
illustrations.
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GRAPHS AND CHARTS
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Anything other than a table is labelled as a Figure.
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These could be made part of the textual discussion or exhibits/supplements in the
appendices.
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Use varying shades or gradations of black or gray to mark distinctions in the
presentation.
LITERATURE CITED
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Use 12 pt Calibri for all references.
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Start the reference list on a new page.
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Single space within the reference entries; double space between bibliographies.
Flush the first line of each entry to the left-hand margin.
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The second and succeeding lines should be indented five spaces below the first
line.
NOTE: See the attached APA Style Guide for Citing References for specific samples
ON PAGE
USE OF NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS
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When used in textual discussion, spell out numbers 1 to 9 (one to nine); set
numbers 10 onwards to figures, except when numbers are used in juxtaposition
(e.g., The test scores are 5, 10, and 12.)
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Spell out a number when used at the start of the statement.
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Adopting the style of technical writing, use the percentage symbol (%) both in the
textual discussion (e.g. …5% of the respondents confirmed that…) and in tabular
presentation, except when the statement begins with the percentage (e.g., Five
percent of the respondents confirmed that…).
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USE OF COLORED PHOTOGRAPHS
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Use colored photographs for scenic spots/tourist attractions, scenes from an
ethnographic study, or details of packaging/prototyping (Engineering) within the
text or in the appendices as part of the documentation.
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The photograph size on each page should be proportional to the size of the paper
to allow sufficient textual discussion when necessary.
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The photos could be scanned and pasted on the concerned pages.
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III. GUIDELINES FOR LANGUAGE AND CONTENT
RESEARCH TITLE
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It should not be more than 20 words, including conjunctions and articles.
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It should be set like an inverted pyramid when typed on the page, centered,
singled-spaced.
LANGUAGE AND TONE OF THE BODY OF THE TEXT
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Generally, research text should be written in third-person orientation. It has to be
impersonal in tone.
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For qualitative research, however, the “I” perspective is already accepted. The
tone could be personal (first-person view). (See guidelines on the conduct of
Qualitative Research.)
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According to the 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association, the
language of the research should be inclusive and bias-free. The guidelines
provided by APA help authors reduce bias around topics such as gender, age,
disability, racial and ethnic identity, and sexual orientation, as well as being
sensitive to labels and describing individuals at the appropriate level of
specificity. Some examples include:
○
The singular “they” is endorsed as a gender-neutral pronoun
○
Instead of using adjectives as nouns to label groups of people, descriptive
phrases are preferred.
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○
Instead of broad categories, you should use the same age ranges that are
more relevant and specific.
NOTE: Please see APA 7th Edition’s Inclusive Language Guidelines for more details
ON PAGE 16
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND DEDICATION
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At most, the Acknowledgments and Dedication should only be one to two pages
long.
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Mention only people who have directly been involved in the research.
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Slang, Tag-lish, and unnecessary side comments are not acceptable.
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Use 12 pt Calibri for text. Icons, graphics, or other designs are not allowed. Also,
adopt 1.5 spacing in the body text and between paragraphs.
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As part of scholarly discourse, they should be written in a formal style and serious
tone.
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Dedication may be optional. The main heading and body text must be centered;
the main text must have 1.5 line spacing between sentences and paragraphs. (See
accompanying sample.)
ABSTRACT
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The Abstract should not be more than two pages long or not more than 300 words
(including articles and numbers). Adopt 1.5 line spacing for body text.
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It should contain the names of the researchers, the name of the adviser, and a
brief account of the study's rationale, objectives, methodology, major or significant
results of the study, conclusions, and recommendations.
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It must be written in narrative form, bereft of tables, graphs, material references,
or unusual abbreviations.
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The verbs pertaining to methodology and research results must be set to past
form.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (FOR FEASIBILITY STUDIES)
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The project summary presents the highlights, descriptive definitions, long-range
objectives, feasibility criteria, history, and basic conclusions of the project under
study.
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It must give the analyst and the financier a “capsule view” of the whole project.
(See the sample Executive Summary for particulars about its form and style,
Illustration No. 2.)
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In reporting how the project would go about or be implemented, use “would”
instead of “will” since the former rightfully expresses conjecture (probability). In
contrast, the latter expresses conviction (certainty).
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IV. REVIEW OF LITERATURES
Reviewing the literature (RL) is an integral part of the research process. It is where the
rest of the research parts radiate: from problem definition to methodology and data
analysis. RL, as it is, could be researched on its own. A research expert once said that RL,
when done well, is the most publishable part of a research paper. It is where we deduce
gaps in knowledge, methods, or philosophical assumptions. The idea of meta-research or
meta-analysis (analysis of analyses) is grounded on RL, metaphorically treating related
studies as research respondents.
The following are the prescribed steps in the Review of Literature:
1. Review of related studies (published or posted online) should be inter-continent.
Consider the continents of the world, except Antarctica, which virtually has no
definite population and no government in place (Internet sources said the region
has around 5,000 residents whose stay in the area varies from season to season;
most of its residents are scientists conducting observation studies within research
facilities stationed in the area—chances are real researches are being done and
published outside this region). These continents include Africa, Asia, Australia,
Europe, North America, and South America.
2. A minimum of 30 related inter-continental studies should be reviewed. Majority
of these should be within Asia (including the Philippines); a few should be outside
Asia.
3. A photocopy of the journal article’s first page (containing its DOI or Digital Object
Identifier) should be included as proof of review.
4. Citation of sources must be done through APA style (author, date) 7th edition.
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V. CONSISTENCY OF VERB TENSES
Adopting the American Psychological Association (APA) style guide, the research
manuscript must observe the following verb tenses for each part or chapter of the study,
which research writers and editors may use as “consistency check”:
Thesis Abstract
Past tense
PFS Executive Summary
Future tense or Simple Present Tense
For further guidance on proper verb tenses, see the matrix
CHAPTER
PROPOSAL
FINAL
I – Introduction
(when reporting SOP, objectives,
scope and limitations of the study)
Future tense or simple
present tense
Past tense
II – Framework
(when reporting paradigm used in
the study)
Future tense or simple
present tense
Past tense
III – Methodology
Future tense or simple
present tense
Past tense
IV – Results and Discussion
Past tense
(when reporting research results, e.g., There
were 100 respondents… or The respondents
perceived…)
Simple present tense
(when describing research results, e.g., The
table shows… or The figure illustrates…)
V – Summary
Past tense
V - Conclusions
Past tense
(e.g., Results prove that… or Market analysis
reveals profitability of the proposed project.)
V - Recommendations
Simple present tense
(when reporting the recommendations, e.g.,
The study forwards the following
recommendations: …)
Base form of the verb
(when enumerating the recommendations
imperatively, e.g., Conduct another
investigation involving another locale. …
Draft an intervention plan. …)
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NOTE:
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True to all parts and chapters of the manuscript, if the discussion delves on
something of universal or general truth (statement of the convention), or of
continuing or existing reality, the verb tense shifts to the simple present tense.
(e.g., The Maslow Hierarchy of Needs stipulates …, or The value of pi is 3.1416….,
or The town enjoys development benefits. …)
●
The summary chapter must only bear highlights of figures or statistics (research
results). As a précis or recapitulation of the entire study, it must briefly but
substantially discuss why the study was conducted, how it went about, and what
turned out after the investigation or inquiry.
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VI. APA STYLE OF CITING REFERENCES
REFERENCES AND IN-TEXT CITATIONS IN APA STYLE
When it comes to citing sources, more guidelines have been added that make citing
online sources easier and clearer. One hundred fourteen examples are provided, ranging
from books and periodicals to audiovisuals and social media. An easy template is
provided for each reference category to help you understand and apply the citation
guidelines. The most significant changes in the 7th edition are:
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The publisher's location is no longer included in the reference.
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The APA in-text citation for works with three or more authors is now shortened
right from the first citation. You only include the first author’s name and “et al.”
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Surnames and initials for up to 20 authors (instead of 7) should be provided in the
reference entry.
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DOIs are formatted the same as URLs. The label “DOI:” is no longer necessary.
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URLs are no longer preceded by “Retrieved from” unless a retrieval date is
needed. The website name is included (unless it is the same as the author).
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For ebooks, the format, platform, or device (e.g., Kindle) is no longer included in
the reference, and the publisher is included
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Clear guidelines are provided for including contributors other than authors and
editors. For example, when citing a podcast episode, the host of the episode should
be included; for a TV series episode, the writer and director of that episode are
cited.
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Dozens of examples are included for online source types, such as podcast
episodes, social media posts, and YouTube videos. The use of emojis and hashtags
is also explained.
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