FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

********

FACULTY GUIDELINES

FOR WRITING UP YOUR

THESIS and FIELD STUDY REPORT

2007

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 A. WRITING UP YOUR THESIS

A minor thesis/ study report should comprise the following, in order

1. cover page
2. title page
3. table of contents page
4. acknowledgements
5. list of figures and tables (if there is one)
6. list of abbreviations (if there is one)
7. main body of thesis/report references
8. references
9. appendix(es) (if there is one)

I/ The cover page

The cover page should contain the following elements:
• HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN TRADE (font: TimesNewRoman; bold-typed; font size: 13
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH (font: TimesNewRoman; bold-typed; font size: 14)
• STUDENT'S NAME, CLASS (font: TimesNewRoman; font size: 14)
• TITLE OF THE THESIS/REPORT (font: TimesNewRoman; bold-typed; font size: 20)
• SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BUSINESS ENGLISH (font: TimesNewRoman: font size: 10)
• Hanoi (font: TimesNewRoman; font size: 14) /year
The usual layout of these elements is shown in Figure 2
II/ The title page
The title page should contain the following elements:
• HANOI UNIVERSITY OF FOREIGN TRADE (font: TimesNewRoman; bold-typed; font size: 13
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH (font: TimesNewRoman; bold-typed; font size: 14)
• STUDENT'S NAME (font: TimesNewRoman; font size: 12)
• TITLE OF THE THESIS/REPORT (font: TimesNewRoman; bold-typed; font size: 20)
• SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF
BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BUSINESS ENGLISH (font: TimesNewRomanH: font size: 10)
• SUPERVISOR'S NAME (font: TimesNewRoman)
• Hanoi (font: TimesNewRoman; font size: 12) month/year

The usual layout of these elements is shown in Figure 2

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 FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

GRADUATION THESIS

TRADEMARK BUILDING AND REINFORCEMENT –

KEY TO COMPETITIVE ENHANCEMENT OF
VIETNAMESE PRODUCTS

Nguyễn Vân Anh

A1-K41BBE

Hanoi - 2007

Figure 1: The lay-out of the Cover Page (No borderline )

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 FOREIGN TRADE UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

TRADEMARK BUILDING AND REINFORCEMENT –

KEY TO COMPETITIVE ENHANCEMENT OF
VIETNAMESE PRODUCTS

SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN BUSINESS ENGLISH

Student: Nguyễn Vân Anh

Class: A1-K38 BBE
Supervisor: Trương Thái Phương (Ph.D)

Hanoi - 2007

Figure 2: The lay-out of the Title Page (no border)

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III/ Contents page
The table of contents is the guide to your thesis/report, so it must be accurate and logical. Your are expected to
follow the format outlined in Figure 3.
TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE
Acknowledgements
List of abbreviations
List of figures and tables

INTRODUCTION
1. Rationale 1
2. Aims of the study 2
2.1. Objectives of the study
2.2. Research questions
3. Methodology 3
4. Scope of the study 3
5. Structure of the study 4

CHAPTER 1: Theoretical background

1.1. 5
1.2. 7
1.3. 9
1.3.1. 9
1.3.2 10
1.4. 15

CHAPTER II: Situation 17

2.1.
…
…

CHAPTER III: Solution

3.1. 21
3.2. 24
3.3.

CONCLUSION: 30
REFERENCES
APPENDIXES
Appendix 1: Research questionnaire
Appendix 2: Interview schedule

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Figure 3: The lay-out of the Contents Page

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 IV/ Acknowledgements
The acknowledgement is used to thank any organisations, groups, or individuals who have been involved
with your study/research.

V/ List of abbreviations and/or List of figures and tables

Each table, chart, figure, map, illustration or paper clipping used in your report/thesis should be numbered
and labeled in the text. These should be listed and numbered following the abstract.

VI/ Main body of thesis/report based on an empirical study

The thesis length should be in the range of 16,000-20,000 words (50-70 pages), not including the
References and Appendices. A Field Study Report should not exceed 10000 words or 30-40 pages.
The main body of the report should follow the following overall thesis structure, subject to any variation
which should be approved by the Supervisor in consultation with the Faculty.
• introduction
• literature/concept review / definitions
• others

General Document Guidelines

• Margins: Left 3.5cm, Right 2cm, Top 3cm, Bottom 3.5cm
• Font Size and Type: 13-pt font; Times New Roman
• Spacing: 1.5 lines throughout the paper, including the abstract, body of the document, and references.
• Alignment: Justify (creating even left and right margins)
• Paragraph Indentation. 5-7 spaces (one tab)

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 INTRODUCTION
The purpose of the introduction is to frame the thesis/report for its readers. The introduction should
provide:
• a brief description of the topic including any background that might be necessary for the general reader
to understand the research area
• a statement as to why the topic is worth researching or why you found it interesting
• a statement of your research objectives or hypothesis • an overview of the rest of the thesis/report
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
The purpose of reviewing existing information is to find what is already known about the topic. Castetter
and Heisler (1984) recommend four questions which students should answer in the theoretical background:
• What is the present state of knowledge regarding the topic under consideration?
• How are the studies related to the one being proposed?
• What is the quality of the studies reviewed?
• How will the proposed study contribute to the existing literature?
To this must be added the need to maintain a strict control over the material which is covered in the
theoretical background. Such a background is not a comprehensive evaluation of all documents related to a
topic. While you will need to read widely to clarify many issues for yourself, only a careful selection of
narrowly relevant materials which pertain immediately to the research question will be covered in the
theoretical background itself.
For an empirical study report, the size of the theoretical background should not be more than one third of
the total length of the report.

VIII/ Appendix(es)

B) Documenting sources

NOTE: Citations and references should follow the APA styles (if there are minor modifications, they should be
consistent)
1. Text Citation: Source material must be documented in the paper by citing the author(s) and the year of
publication of the sources (either integrated into the text or placed at the end of the sentence).
+ 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. Eg.:
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 condition, the difference was not
statically significant.
(NB: "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.)
+ When the authors of a source are NOT part of a formal structure of the sentence, both the authors and years of
publication appear in parentheses, separately by semicolons. Eg.:
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;

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 Koenig, 1990; Levin & Vanderpool, 1991; Maton & Pargament, 1987; Paloma & Pendleton, 1991;
Payne, Bergin, Bielema, & Jerkins, 1991)
(NB: `&" is used when multiple authors are identified in parenthetical material. Note also that when
several sources are cited parenthetically, they are ordered alphabetically by the first authors' surnames.)

+ When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors are included every time the source is cited.
+ 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:
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 ...
+ 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).
+ Within a given paragraph, do not include the date after the initial citation unless you are citing other
publications else in your paper by the same author(s).
+ If a source has no author, use the first two or three words of the title (omitting a beginning article), and
capitalize each word of your shortened version. Place the short title in quotation marks if it is an article
or chapter, or underline it if it is a book or periodical. Substitute the short title for the name of the author.
E.g.: (an article) ("Learned Helplessness," 1985). The full title appears alphabetically in the reference list
(without quotation marks) in the author position.
+ Where reference is made to ideas, opinions or evidence which are traceable to a specific page, this
should be indicated. For example: Adams (1990, p.37) claims ... or ... Adams (1990, p.37)
+ Initials should be included only when a distinction is drawn between authors with the same surname.
Where the author's name appears within parentheses, the initials follow the surname (Thomas, N.E.
1992). If the author's name and initials are incorporated into the text, the initials should precede the
surname, e.g. N.E. Thomas (1992) ....
2. Quotations: When a direct quotation is used, always include the author, year, and page number as part of
the citation.
+ A quotation of fewer than 40 words should be enclosed in double quotation marks and should be
incorporated into the formal structure of the sentence. Consider the following example:
Patients receiving prayer had "less congestive heart failure, required less
diuretic and antibiotic therapy, had fewer episodes of pneumonia, had
fewer cardiac arrests, and were less frequently incubated and ventilated"
(Byrd, 1988, p. 829).
+ A lengthier quotation of 40 or more words should appear (without quotation marks) apart from the
surrounding text, in "block" format, with each line indented five spaces from the left margin. Also change
Spacing from '1.5 lines' to `Single-space'. Consider the following example:

The aims of this program were for pupils to be competent to speak and write in French
at no cost to their English language (Lambert & Tucker, 1972). The results of the
evaluation study of the program suggested that the aims were achieved. Tucker and
d'Anglejan (1972) summarized the results as follows
the experiment pupils appear to be able to read, write, speak, understand, and use
English as well as youngsters instructed in English in conventional manner. In addition

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 and at no cost they can also read, write, speak, and understand French in a way that
English pupils who follow a traditional program of French as a second language never
do.
(p. 19)

NB:
- you may wish to omit some of the author's words which are not relevant to your writing. In this case,
use three dots (...) to indicate where you have omitted words.
- the material quoted may already contain a quotation. Here it is necessary to change the single quotation
marks (`...') in the original to double quotation marks (....... ) to indicate that these were the author's
quotation marks, not yours.
IX/ References (in alphabetical order)
In the report if you want the reader to refer to the references at the end of your report, you should use the
number in square bracket [ . 1 . ] corresponding to the number in your references (1).
You must include a list of references at the end of your research report. Remember to list only works that
you have referred to in your report.
The References section begins on a new page.
Reference entries are organized alphabetically by surnames of first authors. Most reference entries have
three components:
• Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specified in the source, using surnames and initials.
Commas separate all authors.
• Year of Publication: In parentheses following authors, with a period following the closing parenthesis.
• Source Reference: Includes title, journal, volume, pages (for journal article) or title, city of publication,
publisher (for book).
N.B.: title of book (including edited books), title of a journal, and the World Wide Web should be
italicised.
Compiling a bibliography
+ Journal article
Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women and judgments of vulnerability to sexual
assault. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.
(Note: Italicize continuously from the beginning of the journal title through the comma following the volume
number.]
+ Books
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
+ Web documents
Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA Style Essentials. Retrieved May 18, 2000 from the World Wide
Web: http:// guard.edu/psychologylapa.html
+ Documents from electronic 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 online database on the
World Wide Web: http://www.umi.com/pgdauto

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[Note: Italicize continuously from the beginning of the journal title through the comma following the volume
number.]
+ Article or chapter in an edited book
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.
+ If the author is unknown
‘A note on the reorganisation of district administration' (1885). Quarterly journal of political and social
science, 7, 1-12
+ Unpublished works
Ong, M.H.C. (1969). The Democratic Action Party of Malaysia: the case for a Malaysia restated. MA Thesis,
La Trobe University

A Sample `References' Section

`A note on the reorganisation of district administration' (1885). Quarterly journal of political and social
science, 7, 1-12
Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000). APA Style Essentials. Retrieved May 18, 2000 from the World
Wide Web: http./lit~xytiv.vangrtard.edulps_vchologyiapa.html

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 on-line database on
the World Wide Web: http://www.umi.com/pgdauto

Murzynski,J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women and judgments of vulnerability to sexual
assault. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 26, 1617-1626. Ong, M.H.C. (1969). The
Democratic Action Party of Malaysia: the case for a Malaysia restated. MA Thesis, La Trobe
University
Paloutzian, R. F. (1996). Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
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.

Plagiarism
This means using someone else's words, ideas or information without referencing them - in other words,
presenting them as your own. Any work that is not referenced is assumed to be yours, so ensure that this
is true. Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and can result in penalties. To avoid it, use quotations
and paraphrases with proper referencing. When you are reading, keep careful notes of your sources,
including all the bibliographic information that you need to write a full reference for the sources.

This Guidelines document is prepared by using materials from the following sources:
1. 'Quy Che Dao Tao Sau Dai Hoc' (2000). Ha Noi: Bo Giao duc va Dao tao.

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2. Brooks, a. & Grunby, P. (1990). Writing for study purposes. CUP Clanchy, J. & Ballard, B.
(1981). How to write essays. Longman Degelman, D. & Harris, M.L. (2000). APA Style
Essentials. Retreives May 18, 2000 from the World Wide Web:
3. http: www.vanguard.edu/psychology/apa . html
4. www.apastyles.com
5. Hamp-Lyons, L. & Counter, K.B. (1984). Research matters. Newbury house publishers Hayllar,B
& Veal, T. (199_5). Pathways to Research. Melbourne: Heinemann Hennessy, B. (1994). How to
write an essay. Plimbridge house
6. Parson, C.J. (1973). Theses and project paper. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
7. Phillips, G.R.E. & Hunt, LJ. (1996). Writing essays and dissertations. Landfall Press Trzeciak, J.
& Mackay, S.E. (1994). Study skills for academic writing. Prentice Hall Waters, M. & Waters, A.
(1995). Study tasks in English. CUP

C. Colour format:

1. Cover colour of Graduation thesis: Burgundy (Mầu mận chín)

2. Cover colour of Field Study Report: Navy Blue (Mầu xanh nước biển)

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