Faculty of Graduate Studies

The Concise Guide to the Technical and Structural Specifications for the Preparation of Academic Theses

(Master’s Theses and Doctoral Dissertations)

At An-Najah National University

2025–2026

Introduction

This guide aims to clarify the general and specific technical and structural specifications that must be adhered to when writing academic theses, in order to achieve consistency and organization in both the form and content of Master’s theses and doctoral dissertations.

Academic theses are divided into the following principal parts:

• First: The cover page (in the language of the thesis).
• Second: The preliminary pages.
• Third: The body of the thesis (thesis chapters).
• Fourth: The references.
• Fifth: The appendices (if any).
• Sixth: The abstract page in the language other than that of the thesis, and the cover page in the language other than that of the thesis.

First: The Cover Page

• No page number shall appear on the cover page.
• The following shall be added at the top centre of the cover page in Arabic:
  • The University logo
  • An-Najah National University
  • Faculty of Graduate Studies
• The following shall be added at the top centre of the cover page in English:
  • The University logo in English
  • An-Najah National University
  • Faculty of Graduate Studies
• The thesis title shall be written in the centre.
• The student’s name shall be written in the centre.
• The name(s) of the supervisor(s) shall be written in the centre.
• The following text shall be added at the bottom centre of the cover page:

Cover page in Arabic (equivalent wording):

“This Thesis/Dissertation is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master/Doctorate in [programme name], from the Faculty of Graduate Studies, at An-Najah National University, Nablus – Palestine.”

Cover page in English:

“This Thesis\Dissertation is Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master\PhD [programme name], Faculty of Graduate Studies, An-Najah National University, Nablus – Palestine.”

• The academic year: the year in which the defence took place shall be written at the bottom centre of the cover page.

Second: The Preliminary Pages

The preliminary pages of the thesis shall be arranged in the following sequence:

• The thesis approval page bearing the examiners’ signatures.
• The acceptance page for publication of the research derived from the dissertation (applicable to doctoral dissertations only).
• The Dedication, which should be simple and concise.
• The Acknowledgments.
• The Declaration.
• The List of Contents.
• The List of Tables.
• The List of Figures.
• The List of Abbreviations and Symbols.
• The List of Appendices.
• The Abstract in the language of the thesis.

Technical Specifications for Writing the Study Abstract

The abstract must concisely address the following elements:

• Background, significance, and aim of the study.

In addition:

• The abstract must not contain any references.
• The abstract must not contain any tables or images.
• Keywords must be included at the end of the abstract, numbering between 5 and 7 words.
• The abstract must not exceed 350 words.

The List of Abbreviations and Symbols

• Abbreviations shall be used in writing scientific terms and names only where necessary, and any such term must be written in its original language when the thesis is written in Arabic.
• The term or scientific name to be abbreviated shall be written in full on its first occurrence only, accompanied by its abbreviation in parentheses, for example: World Health Organization (WHO).
• On all subsequent occurrences, only the abbreviation of the term or scientific name shall be used, without parentheses.
• A list of all abbreviations appearing in the thesis must be compiled in alphabetical order under a dedicated heading: List of Abbreviations and Symbols.

Third: The Body of the Thesis (Thesis Chapters)

• The student must prepare all chapters of the thesis or dissertation as set out below. Departure from this structure may be permitted in certain humanities programmes, according to the nature of the programme and subject to the approval of the Deanship of Graduate Studies. The list of references, documented in accordance with these instructions, shall follow the chapters. Full correspondence must be maintained between the references cited in the body of the thesis and those listed in the reference list. The appendices, if any, shall then be added, followed at the end by the abstract in the language other than that of the thesis.
• The chapter number and title shall be placed at the beginning of each chapter and shall not appear on a separate page.
• The first-person pronoun may not be used repeatedly in the body of the thesis.

The chapters of the thesis or dissertation shall be divided as follows:

Chapter One: Introduction

As set out below:

• General background.
• Study terms, concepts, and operational definitions, if needed.
• Problem statement and study questions.
• Objectives of the study.
• The importance (significance) of the study.
• Hypotheses of the study, if any.

Chapter Two: Literature Review

The theoretical framework shall be integrated with the previous studies, whereby previous studies are used to support the content of the theoretical framework. The theoretical framework shall include the definitions, concepts, theories, and perspectives relevant to the subject of the study.

Chapter Three: Research Methodology

As set out below:

• Study design.
• Study population.
• Study sample.
• Study instruments and indicators of their validity and reliability.
• Analysis plan, if needed (statistical analysis).
• Study procedures.
• Ethical considerations and approval, if needed.

Chapter Four: Results and Analysis

This chapter presents the principal findings of the study in accordance with the questions and hypotheses on which the study was based.

Chapter Five: Discussion of Results

This chapter discusses the results in light of previous studies, through justifications and interpretations of the findings according to the researcher’s own view and experience. It is here that the personality of the researcher (the student) must be evident in the discussion of the results. The theoretical and practical implications of the study may also be presented in this chapter.

Chapter Six: Conclusions and Recommendations

This chapter contains the conclusions and recommendations specific to the study, while avoiding general conclusions and/or recommendations.

The limitations of the study must be stated under a dedicated subheading, and a further subheading must address future research extensions.

Fourth: Scientific References

• The number of references must not exceed 120 for Master’s theses and 150 for doctoral dissertations.
• Documentation must be carried out using reference-management software, not manually.
• The APA 7 documentation style, or the edition current at the time, is preferred.
• If the Holy Qur’an is among the references, it shall be placed at the head of the list.

Documentation of Qur’anic Verses

The verse, its number, and the surah shall be cited immediately after the verse is quoted in the body of the text; no reference to this shall be made in the footnotes or in the reference list. The Uthmani script shall be used in writing the verses.

Fifth: Appendices

The appendices set out details that cannot be accommodated within the other elements of the thesis; they contain detailed descriptions of certain elements of the thesis/dissertation whose particulars cannot be included elsewhere.

Each appendix shall be referred to in the text by its designated symbol. Appendices are assigned the symbols أ, ب, ج, … in theses written in Arabic, and the symbols A, B, C, … in theses written in English. The appendices shall be placed in full at the end of the thesis under the heading Appendices.

Sixth: The Abstract Page and Cover Page in the Language Other Than That of the Thesis

The thesis shall conclude with the abstract page in the language other than that of the thesis, followed by the cover page in the language other than that of the thesis.

Technical and Structural Specifications for the Preparation of Academic Theses

1. Thesis Title

• The title must not exceed 20–25 words.

2. Word Count

• For Master’s theses, the word count from Chapter One to the end of the discussion chapter must be between 10,000 and 30,000 words.
• For doctoral dissertations, the word count from Chapter One to the end of the discussion chapter must be between 15,000 and 50,000 words.
• There is no prescribed limit on the number of figures, images, or tables.

3. Page Numbering

• No page number shall appear on the internal cover page in the language of the thesis.
• In theses written in either Arabic or English, page numbers shall be placed at the bottom centre of the page, in Times New Roman font, size 11.
• Pages shall be numbered, beginning with the thesis/dissertation approval page bearing the examiners’ signatures and continuing to the abstract page, using letters in the Abjad Hawwaz sequence (ب، ج، د، هـ …) when the thesis is written in Arabic; when the thesis is written in English, Roman numerals (II, III, IV, …) shall be used.
• Pages shall be numbered, beginning with Chapter One and continuing to the last page of the appendices, using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, …) in both Arabic and English theses.
• The abstract page in the language other than that of the thesis shall be numbered with the letter “b” when the thesis is written in Arabic, and with the letter “ب” when the thesis is written in English.
• No page number shall appear on the internal cover page in the language other than that of the thesis.

4. Numbering of Main Headings and Subheadings

• Headings in the preliminary pages shall not be numbered.
• Headings shall be numbered from Chapter One through to the appendices.
• The main chapters of the thesis shall each be assigned a whole number, or shall be identified by name only.
• Subheadings shall be assigned a further whole number following a full stop, or shall be identified by name only. The first number denotes the sequence of the main heading, and the second number denotes the sequence of the subheading under that main heading (1.1 First Subheading, 1.2 Second Subheading).
• Sub-subheadings shall be assigned a third whole number following a full stop, or shall be identified by name only. The third number denotes the sequence of the heading under the subheading branching from the main heading and the subheading (1.1.1 First Sub-subheading, 1.1.2 Second Sub-subheading).

5. Font Type

• The font used in Arabic theses shall be Simplified Arabic, and in English theses, Times New Roman.
• The thesis must be free of any other font types or handwriting. Letter elongation or stretching (kashida) of certain words, and the underlining of words, are not permitted in any part of the thesis.

6. Font Size

• The body text shall be written in black.
• Theses written in Arabic:
  • The body of the thesis shall be written in size 13.
  • Chapter numbers and titles shall be written in size 15 bold, with no blank space between paragraphs.
  • Main headings shall be written in size 14 bold.
  • Subheadings and sub-subheadings shall be written in size 13 bold, with due regard to the numbering rules (as stated in the section on the numbering of main headings and subheadings).
  • Qur’anic verses shall be written in the Uthmani script in size 12.
  • Footnotes shall be written in size 8.
• Theses written in English:
  • The body of the thesis shall be written in size 12.
  • Chapter titles shall be written in size 14 bold.
  • Main headings shall be written in size 13 bold.
  • Subheadings and sub-subheadings shall be written in size 12 bold, with due regard to the numbering rules (as stated in the section on the numbering of main headings and subheadings).
  • Footnotes shall be written in size 8.

7. Spacing

• The spacing before any main heading (Spacing before) shall be 0 pt, and after it (Spacing after) 12 pt.
• The spacing before a subheading (Spacing before) shall be 0 pt, and after it (Spacing after) 6 pt.
• No tab indentation shall be left at the beginning of the first line of any paragraph.
• The line spacing in the body of the thesis shall be one and a half lines (1.5 lines).
• The spacing before a paragraph (Spacing before) shall be 0 pt, and after a paragraph (Spacing after) 12 pt.
• The spacing between a heading and the first line of a bulleted or numbered list shall be single (Single).
• No blank spaces shall be left between the various paragraphs on any page within any part of the body of the thesis.

8. Page Margins

• If the thesis is written in Arabic, the margins shall be 3.5 cm on the right, and 2.5 cm at the top, bottom, and left.
• If the thesis is written in English, the margins shall be 3.5 cm on the left, and 2.5 cm at the top, bottom, and right.

9. Tables, Figures, Images, Maps, and Mathematical Equations

• Tables, figures, and images shall be inserted within the text.
• If a table exceeds one page, it shall be continued on the following page, with the table headings repeated together with the word “continued”.
• In Arabic theses, the table number shall be placed above the table, right-aligned, in font size 11 bold.
• In English theses, the table number shall be placed above the table, left-aligned, in font size 11 bold.
• In Arabic theses, the table title shall be placed above the table, right-aligned, adjacent to the number, in font size 11 italic.
• In English theses, the table title shall be placed above the table, left-aligned, adjacent to the number, in font size 11 italic.
• In Arabic theses, the figure or image number shall be placed below the figure or image, right-aligned, in font size 11 bold.
• In English theses, the figure or image number shall be placed below the figure or image, left-aligned, in font size 11 bold.
• In Arabic theses, the figure or image title shall be placed below the figure or image, right-aligned, adjacent to the number, in font size 11 italic.
• In English theses, the figure or image title shall be placed below the figure or image, left-aligned, adjacent to the number, in font size 11 italic.
• The line spacing within table titles shall be single (Single), with spacing before the table title (Spacing before) of 0 pt and after it (Spacing after) of 0 pt.
• The line spacing within figure or image titles shall be single (Single), with spacing before the figure or image title (Spacing before) of 0 pt and after it (Spacing after) of 0 pt.
• The line spacing within tables may be single (Single), one and a half lines (1.5 lines), or double (Double).
• The font size within tables shall be 11 in both Arabic and English theses.
• The source from which a table has been adapted shall be indicated below the table in font size 9, with spacing before (Spacing before) of 0 pt and after (Spacing after) of 12 pt.
• The source from which an image has been adapted shall be indicated adjacent to the image title in font size 9.
• Where there is no note below a table, the spacing after (Spacing after) shall be 12 pt.
• Mathematical equations shall be inserted on a separate line within the text and shall be numbered.
• Images and maps must be of high resolution, no less than 300 pixels.

Procedures Following the Defence

• Upon completion of the post-defence revisions to the thesis/dissertation, the student shall complete the required procedures by depositing the thesis in the An-Najah Research Repository.
• The student shall submit an electronic copy of the thesis in both Word and PDF formats, following its final formatting, by email to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.