|
Each education institution has its own rules, so the following are but general guidelines for research presentation.
|
|
At least two copies are needed of a dissertation or thesis, one for the institution and one for the self as one's own record of he work.
|
Papers in order are bound:
- Left-hand side
- Perfect binding for theses
- Comb or spiral binding for dissertations
|
The minimum standard paper for printing:
- 80 gm/sm (on to which goes the word processing)
|
Left margins are almost always bigger than the right - an example could be:
- 40 mm left hand side
- 15 mm right hand side
- 20 mm top
- 40 mm bottom
|
Fonts families are:
|
Font size is:
|
Line spacing is:
- 1.5
- 2.
- 1 for indented quotations usually
- Equal line spacing 1.5 or 2 above and below
|
Justification and Indenting:
- Left justified or fully justified
- Indented blocked quotations almost always left justified only
- Indenting first lines of paragraphs increasingly frowned upon
- Never indent first lines of paragraphs if fully justified
- Almost all titles left justified including numbering
|
Page numbers go:
- Mainly in the footer in the bottom margin
- Sometimes in the header in the top margin
- Centred
- Sometimes Right
|
|
They must not clash with footer (or header) text if there is any and it is permitted.
|
Title page
|
Starts with the Title:
The title should be to the point, including the keywords that describe the research and not including redundant words. The meaning needs to be clear and could depend on word order.
|
Then:
- Full name of the writer/ researcher
- Education institution's full name
- A text relating to submission for the degree
- The date of submission
- Possibly a statement of who it was supervised by
|
Abstract Page
|
Abstract must include:
- Short summary of an article, thesis or dissertation
- Introduction to the main themes
- Not quite giving the whole game away
- On its own page
- No page number
- Not included in the contents page
|
Acknowledgement page
|
Acknowledgements:
- Brief
- Include everyone necessary who contributed assistance
- On their own page
- No page number
- Not included in the contents page
|
Contents Page
|
Contents are given in a clear style:
- Has chapter and section headings with their page numbers
- Decimal numbers come on the left and then headings
- On own page
- No page number, or other numerals than Arabic-Indian
- Not included in its own contents page, unless other numerals
|
Tables and Figures List
|
Lists of tables and figures follow conventions:
- Tables and figures are listed separately
- On own page
- No page number for this page, or other numerals
- Not included in the contents page
- Tables and figures are numbered consecutively throughout the dissertation or thesis
- Each table and figure has a title
- So the table or figure number is on a separate line above the figure or table title,
- Any acknowledgement of the figure or table beneath it
- Right aligned and in brackets
- Use a capital letter for Figure and Table when referring to it in the text (see Figure 1)
|
Main Body Pages
|
Page Numbering:
- Starts at the introduction
- Centred best
- Right aligned
- Not left aligned
- Bottom of the page
- Page (capital P) before page number not necessary
- The number alone
- Less usually top of the Page
- Page (capital P) before page number frowned upon
- The number alone best
- Use Arabic-Indian numerals (1, 2, 3...)
|
Introduction:
- Avoid 'I' and overlong what will be included sentences
|
Headings:
- An initial capital only (unless capitals for proper name or title)
- Or capitalised except for joining words (and, with, or etc.)
- Can be numbered: 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.3, 2, 2.1
- Or can use larger fonts in a hierarchy of headings, largest first
|
Full stops:
- Avoid unless grammatical and necessary
- Not after figures
- Not after common abbreviations
- Not after initials of people's names
|
Preferences:
-
Write 'that is', not ie
- Write 'for example', not eg
- Avoid 'etc', 'etcetera' and 'and so on': it usually indicates something unknown and is pointless
|
Quotations Use:
Short quotations:
- Single inverted commas
- Double inverted commas for quotations inside quotations
- Or double inverted commas
- Single inverted commas for quotations inside quotations
Longer quotations:
- Indented text and blocked
- No quotation marks unless quotes within quotes
- Often not right justified, even if the main text is
- Single quotes for headings of articles from magazines
- Single quotes for chapter or section headings
- No quotes for irony or pointing up
- Try to avoid quotes for slang or technical terms
|
Bold:
|
Capitals:
- Sometimes, as in police reports, names of people in action might be in capitals
|
Italic:
- Titles of books
- Titles of magazines, newspapers, journals
- Not titles of articles in magazines, newspapers, journals
- Titles of plays, films, TV and radio programmes
- Titles of art works
- Names of species
- Foreign words outside English language use
- Emphasis
- Some use italic for unindented and unblocked speech
- Others prefer quotation marks
|
Conclusions and recommendations:
- Two separate sections
- Can number each
|
Appendices
|
Endnotes:
- Relevant information but not directly to the argument
- Increasingly frowned upon
- It is either relevant or not
Appendix can contain displayed data, e.g the interviews in full
- Each appendix starts on a new page.
- Each Appendix has its own number and title
- Or Appendix 1, Appendix 2
- Centre aligned
- The appendix number can be on a separate line above the title
- Appendices listed in the contents page
- Page numbers continue through the appendices
|