I, & DU CAMEROUN aie Travell- Patric jEMENT SUPERIEUR, REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON = Fatherland MINISTERE “ sUNIVERSITE DE BAMENDA ‘BP. 39, Bambi Fax 297 28 366030 - Welter una en MINISTRY OF ‘THE UNIVERSITY OF BAMENDA 0.0438, Bambi Fax 237) 288366 030- Website: wiew [Link] National Higher Polytechnic Institute por Format for Undergraduate and Master’s Degree Dissertations in NAHPI January 2026 Page 51 of 69 (& scanned with OKEN Scanner1, The sections for NAHPI students In accordance with the dissertations guide of UBa the present document shall serve as the reference for the preparation of Undergraduate Projects and Dissertations in the National Higher Polytechnic Institute 1.1 Preliminary pages The elements of this section shall follow the order below, each beginning on a new page: — Cover page = Title page (same as cover page in content) — Copyright page (Candidates hold copyright to their Dissertations and Theses regardless of whether they include a copyright page in them or register with the copyright office) = Declaration (Used before and after defence) = Certification (Used after defence) — Acceptance page (required for postgraduate degrees) — this page confirms the Committee’s approval and acceptance of the Dissertation or Thesis — Abstract (no longer than one page, Keywords (maximum of 6) at the base) = Résume (French translation of the Title on top followed by that of the Abstract) = Dedication — Acknowledgments (beginning with your supervisor always) ~ Table of Contents = Lists of Tables Lists of Figures = List of abbreviations 1.2 Main Body of the Dissertation Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Background of the study (a brief analysis of the literature; context), 1.2 Statement of the problem and rationale (justification, motivation or reason why you are doing the work and significance of the study). 1.3 Research question(s) or Research hypothesis; 1.4 Overall Objective 1.5 Specifie Objectives specific concepts related t0 the Chapter 2: Literature Review (from more general to more work) (& scanned with OKEN ScannerChapter 3: Materials and Methods Chapter 4: Results and Discussion 4.1. Results 4.2. Discussion Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations 5.1. Conclusions 5.2, Recommendations References Appendices Spe ations to be respected For the Cover and Title pages: A title of at most 15 words succinctly describing the Dissertation shall be presented, followed by the Candidate's names, Registration Number, previous qualification in brackets with cach on a new separate line. These elements must appear in upper and lower cases in font size 14 as shown in the sample cover page (attached). Length: The entire main text (from Chapter 1 to Appendices) shall be 50 ~ 100 pages for BEng projects and 80 — 150 pages for MEng and MSc dissertations, depending on the nature of the topic and discipline. 1.2.1 Language: Dissertations in the National Higher Polytechnic Institute must be written in English, The use of British English is compulsory (For example; use colour instead of color): 1.2.2. Paper size: A4 Portrait. (NB: For the presentation of large Tables and Figures, Landscape may be used for pages containing such Tables and Figures.) Top margin: 2.5 em Lefi margin: 3.5 em Right margin: 2.5 om. 1.2.3 Formatting text: Font type: Times New Roman Font size: 12 Line spacins Alignment: Ju Page 53 of 69 (& scanned with OKEN Scanner124° Cove 2 The & T Dake colour: The colour for binding of ALL Dissertations in the National ihr Polytechnic Institute shall be SKY BLUE: 125 Paginatio dl The page number shall be atthe centre ofthe bottom of the page The preliminary part / aspect of the document shall be paginated in Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, iv, vy, ~ J The rest of the document starting from the CHAPTER 1; INTRODUCTION page shall be paginated in Arabic numerals (1. 2,3, 4, 5... tll the end of the book. Each Chapter shall commence on a separate page. 1.3 Tables, Figures, Formulae and Numberings: ‘Tables and Figures shall be drawn in black ink and centralized within the text. Table Captions shall be placed above Tables at the left side. Figure captions shall be placed below Figures at the left side. ~ Every Chapter, Table, Figure and equation shall be numbered in Arabic numerals and chronologically using chapter numbers, e.g. Table 3.1 for Table 1 under Chapter 3 Figure 2.4 standing for Figure 4 under Chapter 2. In the main text, the names of figures and tables must begit igure... Table... e.g. “It can be been it with capital letters. i. Figure 3.2 that..." “ Looking at Table 3.7, ~ Photographs and maps shall be inserted in an appropriate manner using technologies which allow faithful representations of images. They must be of high quality = Ifa Table or Figure continues onto a subsequent page(s). include the following caption: ‘Table xxx (continued) or Figure xxxxx (continued). 1.4 Numbering of headings and sub-headings Heading: 1. First subheading: 1.1 Second Subheading: 1.1.1 ‘The numbering of the chapters and sub-headings shall be according to levels as follows: E.g. Chapter t: INTRODCUTION i Ld 112 1124 1.1.22 Page 54 of 69 (& scanned with OKEN Scanner1.2.1 1.2.2 etc. NB: Th fe use of A, B or a, b, or ta, 1b, to label headings or subheadings is specifically prohibited, 1.5 Headers or footers Students should not put any information as headers or footers 1.6 Binding: Use spiral binding, protected by a sheet of transparent paper before the defence and after the defence use wet binding. Details and Explanations Dedication This section contains person or group of persons in whose honour the dissertation is written, It is optional. Acknowledgments Advisor(s) and anyone who helped you: 1. technically (including materials, supplies) 2. intellectually (assistance, advice) 3. financially (for example, Departmental support, travel grants) ‘The first person to be acknowledged must be your supervisor, then the co-supervisor, if any. Never forget to acknowledge the laboratory where you worked, as well as your HOD and lecturers. Abstract + Here, articulate clearly in the following sequence: the problem statement -> the aim or purpose statement -> the methodology used —> key results > major conclusion Length should be one (1) paragraph of maximum 300 words for BEng projects, MEng. and MSc Dissertations, + State three (3) to six (6) keywords below the abstract. (& scanned with OKEN ScannerTable of Contents + list all headings and subheadings with page numbers + indent subheading of Figures st Page numbers of all figures. The list should include a short title for each figure but not the whole caption. List of Tables ist page numbers of all tables. The list should include a short title for each table but not the whole caption. Introduction Background of the study (analysis of the literature; context). Statement of the problem (gap in knowledge identified) and rationale (justification, motivation or reason why you are doing the work and significance of the st y). Research question(s) or Research hypothesis; Objectives (General and Specific). definition of terms). A good introduction can't be completed until the body of the thesis (or of the project proposal) is known. Consider completing the introductory section(s) after you have completed the rest of the project/dissertation (or project proposal). rather than before Literature review Here, all the books, articles, dissertations, and every other written and published material related to the research topie are presented bringing out the findings, contributions and limitations of each. These findings are used to situate and bring out the relevance of the present work in the projecvdissertation. This section seeks to review identify gaps in knowledge, leading finally to the proposal on how the gaps could be filled, current knowledge in the area of study and Materials and Methods section What belongs in the "research methods" section of a project/dissertation? 1. Description of your theory, materials, procedure, analytical method: reference to any specialized statistical software. including Calculations, technique and calibration plots. 3. Limitations, assumptions, and range of validity. 4. Information needed by another researcher to replicate or reproduce your experiment/results, 5. Information to allow the reader to assess the validity of your research results. ns in this section should be limited to data sources and refi of Where to find more Page 56 of 69 (& scanned with OKEN Scannercomplete description © Hons of procedures. Do not include descriptions of results bere, Results + The results are actual statements of observations, including statistics, tables and graphs. + Indicate information on range of variation, + Mention negative results as well as positive, Do not interpret results - save that for the discussion. + Lay out the case as for a jury. Present sufficient details so that others can draw their own inferences and construct their own explanations. + Use S.L units (m, s, kg, etc.) throughout the the: + Break up your results into logical segments by using subheadings + Key results should be stated in clear sentences at the beginning of paragraphs. It is better to say "X had significant positive relationship with Y (p<0.01, 1°=0.79)" than to start with a less informative statement like "There is a significant relationship between X and Y". Describe the nature of the findings; do not just tell the reader whether or not the relationship is significant Discussion Under this section, the student should essentially recall the problem statement, objectives, then in different paragraphs should recall a key result, interpret it, seck to justify it and relate it with previous findings in the literature. The discussion section should be a brief essay in itself. It may answer the following questions and caveats: 1, What are the major patterns in the observ‘ ions? 2. What are the relationships, trends and generalizations among the results? What are the exceptions to these patterns or generalizations? 4. What are the likely causes (mechanisms) underlying these patterns resulting predictions? isagreement with previous work? 5. Isthere agreement or 6. Interpret results in terms of background laid out in the introduction - what is the relationship of the present results to the original question? the implication of the present results for other unanswered questions in earth 7. What sciences, ecology. environmental policy, etc. 8. Multiple hypotheses: There are usually several possible explanations for results. Be careful to consider all of these rather than simply pushing your favorite one. If you can eliminate all but one, that is great, but often that is not possible with the data in hand. In that ease you should give even treatment to the remaining possibilities, and try t indicate ways in which future work may lead to their discrimination. 9. Avoid bandwagons: A special ease of the above, Avoid jumping a currently fashionable (& scanned with OKEN Scannerpoint of view unless yi W unless your results really do strongly support them. 10, What are the thin; igs We now on et before the present work? know or understand that we didn't know or understand 11. Incl i ide the evidence or line of reasoning supporting each interpreta 12. What is the significance of the present results: why should we care? Biarrepreeeanari = pete to similar work and background needed to interpret alder ra a Sd iscussion section(s) are often too long and verbose. Is there a ute to one of the elements listed above? If'so, this may be material that you will want to consider deleting or moving. Break up the section into logical segments by using subheads. Conclusions : + List them according to the specific objectives and give an overall conclusion of the work Recommendations List the recommendations for improvement of the research you have done. Reflect on your results in isolation and in relation to what others have achieved in the same field. This self analysis is particularly important. References This section does not carry a chapter number an Psychological Association) Style shall be the referencing style used in The APA (Americ: olytechnie Institute. all projects and dissertations in the National Iligher P ‘+ cite all ideas, concepts, text, data that are not your own + ifyou write a major statement, back it up with your own data or a reference srences cited in the main text must be listed in the References section. Also, only + all refer main can be put in the References section. references cited in the information to be included in in-text citations. The author's last name and date (year) of publication must always appear, and these items must match exactly the corresponding entry in the references list. Bg... (Cho- Nowa, 2003); sone Cho-Newa et a. (2018); ...-(Cho-Ngwa and Nfah, 1999). «The APA style uses three kinds of «cite single-author references by the sumame of the author (followed by date of the publication in parenthesis) ©. according to Mofor (2017). «population growth is one of the greatest environmental concerns facing future generations (Hays, 1994). of the «cite double-author references by the surnames of both authors (Kollowed by date Page 58 of 69 (& scanned with OKEN Scannerpublication in parenthesis) © ¢48. Fombu and Moor (2020) * cite more thai % ‘ a n double-author references by the surname of the first author followed by et al, and then the date of the publication © ©. a paper published by Fidelis Cho-Newa, Eustace Nfah and Kennedy Fozao would be: Cho-Ngwa er al. (2020) © If it is cited at the end of a statement, e.g. Other workers approached the problem through production and use of specific monoclonal antibodies (Bartlett etal., 1975; Cabrera et al., 1989). + do not use footnotes ‘ + Publications by the same author(s) in the same year shall be marked such as 20192, 2019, 2020a, 2020b, ete. + In the reference list, journal articles are cited in the following order: Author(s) names, (Year of publication), name of joumal in Halics, volume (number): page range. For example; Mbuh, M. K.. Neapgue, F., Kagou, DA, Mofor, N. A. and Penka, J.B. (20206), Modelling the thermomechanical behaviour of earth bricks stabilized with Portland cement. International Journal of Advanced Research in Science, Engineering and Technology, 7(10):15290-15301 «Inthe reference list, published books are cited in the following order: Author(s) names, (Year of publication), titles of book in Halies, Edition, ISBN, Publisher, Country or ‘Town of publication, Number of pages. For example; Benton, JJ. (2003). Agronomic Handbook- Management of Crops, Soils, and Their Fertility. 3° Edtion, ISBN:0-8493- 0897-6, CRC Press LLC., USA. Pp. 1035. «For information obtained from the internet, follow the same procedure for books and auld the search engine, date and time you accessed the document. For example; Waite, WM. (1997). Assessment of water supply and associated matters in relation to the incidence of eryptosporidiosis, Drinking water inspectorate, hutp:/Avww doctoc,com/does/865901 9/[Link]. Retrieved 15 May, 2014 «s ‘The candidate shall ensure that the spelling of names and years are the same in the document and the list of references «List all references cited in the test in alphabetical order using the following format for different types of material: Benton, 3.3.) (2003). Agronomic Handbook- Management of Crops. Soils, and Their Fertility. ISBN:0-8493-0897-6, CRC Press LLC., USA. Pp. 1035. Mbuh, M. K., Kagou, D., Ngapgue, F., Mofor, N. A.. Manefouet, B. E. and Yamb , E. (20208). Compressed Stabilized Earth Brick (CSEB) As Building Construction Elements. JOSR Journal of Mechanical and Civil Engineering. 17 (AyA2-48, nd Penka, J.B, (2020b), Modelling the Mbuh, M. K., Ngapgue, F., Kagou, D.A, Motor, N. A. Pasa Cf 60 (& scanned with OKEN Scannerbeh Imernational Journal of Adan) 710):15200-15301 mced Research in s jour of red with Portland cement, Engineering and Technology, Mofor, N. A.. Nioyim, ‘Trace 7, lement Status “bene, K.. Yuhinwenkeh, N. B., and Nehofua, F. B. (2020), nnd Environmental Implications of Soils and Zea mays: from Farmed Dumpsites. i sites in the Bame - nda Met We : | Applied and Environment Son san era North-West Cameroon. Hindayi Negane, E.B., Tening, A.S. padi as Ehabe E.E. and Tehuenteu (2012). Potentials of some cement by yea # of an acid soil in the humid zone of South-Western Cameroon, igriculture and Biology Journal of North America, 3(8): 326-331. Njoyim, E.B.7. é ‘joyim. E.B.T., Mvondo-Zé, A.D., Mofor, N.A. and Onana, A.A. (2016). Phosphorus adsorption isotherms in relati i xp terms in relation to soil characteristics of some selected volcanic affected soils of F ve * + of Founbox in the West Region of Cameroon, International Journal of Soil Science. Tellen, V.A. and Yerima, B.P.K. (2018). properties in selected areas Systems Research, 7:1-29. fects of land use change on soil physicochemical the North West region of Cameroon. Environmental Waite, W.M. (1997). Assessment of water supply and associated matters in relation to the incidence of eryptosporidiosis, Drinki hitp://[Link]/docs/8659019/thesis.I Retrieved 15 May, 2014 at 5:00 pm. 4 Plagi NAHPI expects students to follow the code of academic integrity of the University of Bamenda, They have the obliga honesty and to respect the ethical standards of the academy as they carry out their academic ism. Projects and Dissertations shall be checked for plined accordingly. Falsification of data shall u water inspectorate, ism and Falsification of nto exhibit a Plagiarism and violating students w be treated as a case of n fraud. Ethical issues and presentation style of Projects and L write for a candidate nor shall the supervisor override the and. promptin; calculations veri ‘ignments and must avoid pl ertations: A supervisor shall not andidate’s style by over-editing ‘The candidate shall ensure that the results are carefully recorded and 6 Projects and Dissertations are being classified as publications, Candidates hold copyright ertations and Theses regardless of whether they include a copyright page in them Candidates will sign the UBa Library Projects and cr, to their Diss or register with the copy Dissertations consent form to protect their rights as authors of the research reports. How candidates who do not wish that their works should be available for reasons such as pending patents, copytight agreements or future publication should seek advice from the Postgraduate School as to the restricted use or embargo. 7 Other Provisions: All postgraduate students shall consult the “Thesis and Dissertation Guide of The University of Bamenda” (UBa, 2018) for guidelines not defined in this document and keep track of modifications and amendments of the University of Bamenda Senate, through the administration of the National Higher Polytechnic Institute, (& scanned with OKEN Scanner