7.0 Report Format

7.1       Technical Specification

a)         Typing and Printing

Microsoft Word should be used for typing. All final copies of the report should be printed. Please use 80 gram of A4 (210 mm x 297 mm) size paper.

b)         Typeface, Typing Quality and Font Size

The entire text of the report, including headings and page numbers, should be of the same font or typeface. “Times New Roman” should consistently be used throughout the report. Computer printouts should be clear and of high quality.

i)    Font Size

The body text size is 12 points. Text should not be scripted or italicized   

except for:

       scientific names,

       terms in a different language, and quotations

       Footnotes and text tables should not be less than 8 points.

ii)   Headings and Subheadings

 These should be in bold print in font size 14 point.

iii) Symbols or Special Characters/Notations not found on the Computer  Keyboard These should be drawn in black ink with a mechanical guide.

c)         Margins

Margin specifications are meant to facilitate binding and trimming. The stipulated margins for the general text are as follows:

       Top edge:  3.0 cm

       Right side: 2.5 cm

       Left side: 4.0 cm

       Bottom edge: 3.0 cm

All information including text headings, footnotes and illustrations should be within these margins.

d)         Paragraphs

A new paragraph at the bottom of a page must have at least two full lines of text: if not, it should begin on the next page.

e)         Spacing

Use 1.5 spaces between lines and 2 spaces between paragraphs. The following, however, should be single-spaced:

       explanatory footnotes

       quotations longer than three lines in a block

       reference or bibliography (except between entries)

       multi-line captions (tables, figures. plates)

       appendices, such as questionnaires, letters

f)          Pagination

All pages including the references, bibliography, appendices, tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3). Page numbers must not be punctuated, bracketed, hyphenated nor accompanied by any decorative devices and should be centred; about 2.0 cm from the bottom edge of the text. The position of the page number must be consistent throughout the report. The preliminaries such as the Acknowledgement are numbered in consecutive lower case Roman Numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, etc.)

Each appendix should be identified separately using a capital letter (Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.) on the top right-hand margin of the text. The pages of the appendices should also be numbered consecutively.

No page numbers are required for the following:

       title page

       separator sheets (e.g. separator preceding each Appendix)

g)         Notes and Footnotes

Footnotes, if at all necessary, should be kept to a minimum. The font size used for notes and footnotes should not be less than 8 points.

h)         Tables

Tables must be properly centred on the page within the prescribed margins. Each table must have a reference number (in Arabic numeral) and a caption. It may be useful to group tables in each chapter together and to number them in sequence. For example, tables found in Chapter 4 should be numbered Table 4.1, Table 4.2, Table 4.3, and so on.

The word Table, its number and its caption appear above the table. If any table continues to the following or subsequent pages, the top line of the page reads (for example): Table 16 continued. The caption is not repeated. If a table is taken from another source, the reference must be cited properly at the bottom of the table.

i)           Figures

Figures may be illustrations, graphs, maps, charts and diagrams - in fact, anything that is neither script nor table. The word Figure, its number (in Arabic numeral), and its caption are placed below the figure. A figure should not normally extend beyond one page. However, if it does, the same guidelines for tables should be followed. Figures should be grouped and numbered in sequence. For example, Figure 3.1 should be located in Chapter 3. Line diagrams should be drawn with the aid of a computer or with mechanical aids using black ink on white paper.

j)           Equations and Formulas

Every equation should be numbered according to the chapter where it appears. Use Microsoft Equation Editor.

For example:

F = ma ... (2.1)

It is the first equation in Chapter 2.