Submitting the thesis
Learning objectives
At the end of this module, you will be able to:
- find guidelines on thesis presentation and referencing style
- reference appropriately
- locate advice on using Microsoft Word to write your thesis
- access information on thesis submission procedures.
Finding guidelines on thesis presentation
Preparing a thesis for submission is an exacting task. Even minor inconsistencies in format will detract in the eyes of your examiners. Consistency in layout are crucial. You will need to choose a standard referencing system in consultation with your supervisor.
 | Finding good models to follow The first step is to read other, recent UNE theses in your discipline area. Concentrate on those theses which received the best examiner's comments (consult your supervisors on this point). Close reading of recent theses will give you hints on the proper presentation of your thesis, as well as guidance on the standards required. You might also like to have a look at theses from other universities, although standards at other institutions may not be identical to those at UNE. For further information, see the pages elsewhere on Finding Theses. |
Guidelines for UNE theses
Each Faculty has its own standards. In general, however, these guidelines will be useful:
- theses should be word-processed and printed on plain, white, A4 size paper.
- allow a left margin of 30 mm and a minimum of 13 mm for other margins.
- the body of your thesis should be at double or one-and-half line spacing. References or notes may be single spaced, although some Schools prefer additional line spacing between each reference or note.
- type should be no smaller than 12 points. Choice of font is generally up to you, but serif fonts such as Times New Roman, Palatino or Garamond are usual and improve legibility.
- quotes of three or more lines should be left indented and single-spaced.
- tables and figures should be labelled in numerical order within each chapter. Table titles should be centred and above the table. Titles for figures should be centred and below the table.
Consult your supervisors for additional advice.
| Standard guidesThe available guidelines don't cover every eventuality. You might like to browse through standard reference works on publication layout in the Library's collection. These include: AGPS (2002) Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers, 6th edition, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Call No R808.02/S938/2002 Consider whether or not you might like to buy a copy of the APGS Guide for quick access. |
Referencing styles
The most commonly used referencing style at UNE is the Author-date system (often referred to as the Harvard system). In this style, the author's name and date of publication are placed in brackets immediately following the idea in the text. Another style in use at UNE is the Footnoting system (sometimes called the traditional system). In this system, numbers are placed following an idea in the text. These numbers correspond to notes at the bottom of each page or at the end of each chapter.
The School of Psychology uses the American Psychological Association (APA) referencing style.
| Guides to referencing For further information on each of these styles, see these resources: |
Referencing appropriately
Avoiding accidental plagiarismWhen taking notes, be careful to distinguish your words from those of another author. If you are in the habit of copying slabs of texts from a secondary source into your notebook, enclose this material in quotation marks. When paraphrasing, put key phrases or words you copy in quotation marks. Always write down the exact source of the information in your notes, including page numbers. These precautions will ensure that you don't incorporate another author's words into your own thesis without acknowledgement.
If English is your second language, you might be exposed to another temptation. This is to borrow a well-expressed sentence or paragraph from a secondary source, without citing the author or using quotation marks. This may improve the flow of your work at a particular point, but it is usually painfully obvious. Even if the reader doesn't immediately recognise the source, he or she will probably recognise the change in literary style.
Crediting the source of your ideas
Another way in which you can accidentally commit plagiarism is by failing to properly cite the source of an idea. When note-taking, label those insights which are your own and those which appear in your source. When it comes to the writing up your research, always make it clear when you are discussing what some else has written and when you are making your own contribution. You might find yourself mentioning the name of a particular author three or four times in a paragraph. This is probably better than appearing to plagiarise.
Common knowledge
Most people have been told at one time or another that it is not necessary to provide a source for facts that are common knowledge. This is correct, but just what is common knowledge is not always clear.
The statement that Edmund Barton was the first Australian Prime Minister does not require a source. It is a fact, although one which has probably been forgotten by most Australians. The statement that, as Prime Minister, Barton "had no love for administration and had never enjoyed political intrigue" is neither common knowledge nor a "fact". It may well be true. But, for practical purposes, this is no more than an observation made by Martha Rutledge, the author of the entry on Barton in the Australian Dictionary of Biography, and needs to be referenced (vol. 7, 199, by the way).
The rules which apply with printed material also apply to information you find on the Web. Interpretations, opinions and "facts" which you find on the Web are not "common knowledge". If you borrow interpretations or ideas from, say, Wikipedia without citing your source in your thesis, you are still plagiarising.
Information or interpretations considered common knowledge in some academic circles might be seen in a different light by other researchers. Academics differ in terms of what is fact and what is opinion. The advice which the Princeton Web site gives is: when in doubt, cite. This is excellent advice.
Citing sources appropriately
If you read the article abstract, and not the actual article, it is wrong to cite the article? The answer is yes. Why? Because you are implying to the reader that you have done something that you haven't. This is not only dishonest, it is also likely to result in embarrassment. It is sometimes all too obvious to the reader when you are writing from the abstract and haven't really read the full article. The reason is that abstracts are often misleading: they can leave out important details or provide a distorted picture of the full contents of the article.
Another source of embarrassment is quoting an article or a book that you haven't read. This happens when you lift citations to a work from someone else's published research. Once again, this is often glaringly obvious to the careful reader. It is easy to find yourself citing an unread authority to justify a particular point of view when the original author has stated the exact opposite. By lifting citations from someone else's research, you take responsibility for all their mis-citations and misunderstandings, as well as risk exposing yourself as a plagiarist.
Secondary referencing
This is when you cite or quote an unread author second-hand, using a reference to a source you have read. This practice is not formally incorrect. Most referencing styles make allowance for this practice. The Author-Date system at UNE, for example, specifies forms of citation such as
Both art and nature are needs of the mind (Gombrich 1983 cited in Norrington 1989:22).
Quality teaching at any level must encompass "the ethic of caring"; (Henderson 1992 quoted in Holland 1998:4).
But it is a good idea to keep such references to a minimum. If an author has referred to another's research, and the point is important, is it usually best to check the original source. Misattribution is not rare and academic authors are sometimes amazed to read what other researchers believe they have written.
In most cases you can obtain the orginal source through document delivery if it is not in the University's collection.
Represent the views of others accurately
Don't cite from memory, and check the citations in your thesis as you redraft each chapter. Ensure that have represented another authors’ views accurately. If you get this wrong, it is likely that your examiners will notice.
When to quote
Extended quotations of another author are usually unecessary. It is often best to incorporate the author’s ideas into your own argument by paraphrasing and appropriate referencing. Too many long quotations will disrupt the thread of your argument, and might give the impression that your research is overly derivative.
Quotations are useful when:
- where the exact words used by another author are significant to your argument
- you wish to quote for purposes of refutation
- you are unable to improve on the choice of words and wish to keep a particularly elegant or apt expression.
If you do decide to quote extensively, discuss each quote in your text. Do not leave the examiner in any doubt of why you have decided to include a particular quote in your thesis.
Using Word to write your thesis
Microsoft Word is the standard word-processing package used at UNE. It has a range of advanced formatting features and should be your first choice for writing your thesis.
| Learning to use Microsoft WordRead through the instructions prepared at UNE on using Word to write your thesis. These are available for both Word 2003 ( Word | PDF) and Word 2007 ( Word | PDF). Do these notes cover everything you need? If you need additional information, there are a number of inexpensive books on mastering Word, such as Word 2003 For Dummies. These are available at most bookshops. |
Submitting your thesis
Faculties and Schools often provide their students with specialised guidance regarding thesis submission. An example is the Research Guide for postgraduates in the Faculty of EHPS. Consult your supervisor if you have not received such a guide.
You also need to read carefully the instructions set out in the Gold Book, Quality Supervision: a Handbook for Postgraduate Research Students and Supervisors.
| Some really, really useful advice Back-up your work and keep a electronic copy at a place other than your normal work place. Update your back-ups as your continue to write and revise. If you don't do this, you risk losing years of work if your laptop is stolen, your computer crashes or some disaster strikes your home or workplace. |
Summary
This module dealt with:
- finding guidelines on thesis presentation
- referencing appropriately
- finding information on using Microsoft Word
- accessing information on thesis submission procedures.
 | Self-test Try these quick self-test questions to assess what you have learnt from this module. |