How to properly format the preliminary pages of a project report

Preliminary pages are those pages that come before the main body of your project or research work. Before your project supervisor approves or accepts your project report, your preliminary pages should be in order and well written.

Standard preliminary pages are comprised of the following:

• Cover/Title page
• Declaration (if any)
• Certification (If any)
• Approval (if any)
• Dedication
• Acknowledgement
• Table of contents
• List of Tables (if any)
• List of Figures (if any)
• Abstract

Cover / Title page

The cover page is comprised of the following sections:

1. The title of the project work
2. The case study of the project / research work
3. The researchers / student’s name, starting with the surname and registration number
4. The institution of study
5. The year and month the project work was completed

6. Note: it should be written in uppercase. See an example below.

Declaration
This is where you state that the research work is original and was conducted by you. Your full names, registration / Matriculation number, and project supervisor should also be indicated.

Certification
The certification page of a project report is where you confirm that the research was carried out by you. The page should include the following:
a. Your full names (starting with your surname), registration number and signature
b. Your project supervisor’s name, signature and date
c. The external examiner’s name, signature and date

Approval
The approval page is similar to the declaration page. You basically state that you did the research and it is void of plagiarism.  The Page should also contain the names and signatures of your supervisor, head of department (H.O.D), and external examiner.

Dedication
The dedication page comes after the approval page. It is used to dedicate the work to those that supported you during your studies.  This page should be brief.

If you want to recognize and acknowledge more people, do so in the acknowledgement page which is the next page.

Acknowledgement
The acknowledgement page comes after the dedication page. This is where you appreciate the people who directly or indirectly assisted you in carrying out your research.

In writing you acknowledgement, be sure to mention only the people that assisted you. You can address your project supervisor, colleagues, loved ones and your parents/sponsors for their moral and financial support.

Table of contents
A table of contents is a list of the parts of a book, research report or document, organized in the order in which the parts appear.

The contents usually include the titles or descriptions of the first level headers, such as chapter titles in longer works and often includes a second level titles or section titles within the chapters and occasionally even third level titles or subsections.

List of Tables and Figures
This is required if you have two or more figures and tables in the project report. All figures and tables in research report should be included in the list.

Abstract
An abstract is a clear, accurate and concise summary of a research. It is usually written at the end of the research, after the rest of the project report has been completed.

An abstract should be between 100 – 250 words and should get the reader interested in the research paper. Knowing how abstracts are structured is the first step towards writing an awesome abstract.

Learn more – How to write a good and effective abstract

Some points to note
1. Be sure you have the correct month and year of graduation.
2. Preliminary pages are numbered in lower case roman numerals.

Below is an example of preliminary pages of a project report:

This to certify that this project was written by ——– with REG NO:  ——– under the supervision of Mr. ——-, Department of Business Administration and Management, ———, in partial fulfillment of the award of ———– in Business Administration and Management.

Title Page
Approval Page
Dedication
Acknowledgment
Abstract
Table of Contents

CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
1.1    Background of Study
1.2    Statement of Problems
1.3    Objective of the Study
1.4    Research Question
1.5    Significance of Study
1.6    Scope of Study
1.7    Limitation of the Study
1.8    Definition of Terms

CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review
2.1    Definition of Leadership
2.2    Leadership Distinct from Management
2.3    Leadership Style
2.3.1    Autocratic (Deceptive) Leadership Style
2.3.2    Democratic or Participative Leadership Style
2.3.3    Employee (Entered) Leadership Style
2.3.4    Lassies Faire Leadership Style
2.3.5    Applicative Leadership Style
2.4    Style Flexibly
2.5    Leadership Theories
2.5.1    Fielder Leadership Contingency Model
2.5.2    The Great Man Theory
2.5.3    Treat Theories
2.5.4    Hershey and Blanched Situation Leadership Theory
2.6    Motivation Theories
2.6.1    Maslow’s Need Hierarchy (The Need Theory)
2.6.2    Vroom’s Motivation Models: A Contingency View
2.7    Summary of Literature Review

CHAPTER THREE
Research Methodology
3.1    Introduction
3.2    Research Design
3.3    Method of Data Collection
3.4    Sample Size
3.5    Sample Technique

CHAPTER FOUR
Presentation of Data
4.1    Introduction
4.2    Data Analysis
4.3    Research Findings

CHAPTER FIVE
Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendations
5.1    Summary of Findings
5.2    Conclusion
5.3    Recommendations
References
Appendix

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writing your term paper, seminar, proposal, SIWES report and final year project report can be fun rather than boring. The integrity and rigour of your research is solely dependent on getting access to the right information and resources tailored to your specific need(s).

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