Melbourne School of Graduate Research

The Thesis

Preparation of the thesis

Candidates are strongly advised to discuss with their supervisors the style of writing to be used in the thesis before writing begins.

Many departments have information available on the appropriate style for the discipline.

In all cases the supervisor should be consulted at the beginning of the work. The stages of investigation and writing are likely to vary according to the nature of the subject and should be worked out in consultation with the supervisor.

The thesis should include a general discussion of the candidate's results and findings, and of their significance in relation to the current state of knowledge in the field.

In some disciplines it will be appropriate to concentrate the review of the literature and extended general discussion in introductory and concluding chapters, in other disciplines the review and discussion should be distributed throughout the thesis.

In the case of creative arts disciplines where the thesis may take the form of creative works and a dissertation, the candidate should specify the form and presentation of the thesis including the proportion to be presented as creative work and the proportion to be presented as a dissertation. Normally the creative work component will not constitute more than 50% of the thesis. The creative work and dissertation must be presented as an integrated, coherent whole.

At the stage of thesis preparation, the candidate should be able to express themselves with precision, clarity and conciseness.

The candidate's supervisor must be consulted on the general form and the content of the thesis up to the stage of the final draft.

Expected requirements

In order to pass examination, and thus qualify as the basis for the award of the Masters degree, candidates should be
able to:

The format and style of Masters theses can differ as it is expected that a thesis be written to the convention of that field. Examiners are asked to consider, where appropriate, the following questions:

Standard of examination of creative work

The creative work and dissertation will be examined as an integrated whole. In order to pass the examination, and thus qualify as part of the basis for the award of the Masters degree, the creative work must have the following attributes:

Examiners are advised that they may ask for creative works to be represented or re-documented if they do not meet the above criteria.

Editing of theses

Editing in this context has been defined as the detailed and extensive correction of problems in writing style (e.g. ghost writing) as opposed to providing general guidelines about problems with style and accuracy, or proof reading for mechanical inaccuracy.

As early as possible in the candidature the supervisor should be able to assess the candidate's writing abilities. If the supervisor considers that further work is required in areas such as composition and grammar for the candidate to be successful in completing the degree, the supervisor should then provide advice and assistance as to how an appropriate standard can be achieved. Such advice may include referral to the units such as the Academic Skills Unit and the Academic Support Unit at the Melbourne School of Graduate Research.

The supervisor should continue to monitor the candidate's progress in order to resolve any on-going difficulties. Supervisors should advise candidates about structure, style, and general editing issues and should guide their candidates accordingly. It is appropriate for supervisors to undertake some editing tasks, but within limits. A thesis must express the candidate's voice. Writing is considered an important part of the degree and any assistance with writing must be conducted as part of the overall learning process. Any additional assistance received by the candidate must be fully supported by continuous feedback from supervisors as part of the integral learning process. The integrity of the work relies on the thesis as demonstrably the candidate's work and must indicate that the candidate has the ability to write and argue with clarity.

Acquiring expertise in writing and editing is often seen as an important professional development for graduates. Graduate colleagues may be appropriate readers and editors of a thesis, and candidates should be encouraged to explore alternative avenues for assistance available from within their department and the wider University community.

Only in rare and exceptional circumstances and with the knowledge and support of supervisors, should students use paid editorial assistance from an outside source. The use of third party editorial assistance, either paid or voluntary, must be acknowledged in the preface and is limited to the guidelines adopted by the University.  See the Editing of Research Theses by Professional Editors available from http://www.gradresearch.unimelb.edu.au/ docs/in-detail/Editing_of_research_theses.pdf.

Writing a thesis in a language other than English

It is expected that a graduate of the University of Melbourne will be able to engage in academic discourse in English. Therefore a research Masters thesis will normally be written in English. At the same time candidates are encouraged to acquire appropriate levels of linguistic and cultural competencies necessary for research of international distinction. Consequently, if a candidate wishes to write a thesis in another language, an application can be made to the relevant Graduate School, Faculty or RHD Committee at an early stage in the candidature. The Committee will consider such an application if the source material and readership are primarily in that language or the thesis is concerned with the study of language. Where permission is granted, a summary of the thesis (approximately 2,500 words) in English should be bound in the thesis.

Word limit

Candidates should aim to write a thesis within the word limit (30,000-50,000 words for a research Masters thesis or 20,000-22,000 words for a shorter thesis) as set by the relevant handbook for their specific degree.  The word limit is exclusive of words in tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices. Footnotes are included as part of the word limit. Appendices must be limited to supporting material genuinely subsidiary to the main argument of the thesis.

In exceptional circumstances, an application can be made to the relevant Graduate School, Faculty or RHD Committee to submit a thesis longer than the maximum word limit.  The application must be made prior to submission of the thesis.  It must include the justification for the request, the expected length of the thesis and be supported by the supervisor and Head of Department, who must also certify that the proposed examiners do not object to examining a longer thesis.

In the case of creative arts disciplines where the thesis may take the form of creative works and a dissertation, the integrated thesis should normally represent the equivalent of 30,000-40,000 words. The creative work component will be determined between the candidate and supervisor and be relevant to the proportion of the thesis submitted as creative work. The length of the dissertation will also depend on what proportion of the thesis it constitutes, but will normally be at least 50% of the integrated thesis, between 15,000-20,000 words.

Published material

Candidates are strongly encouraged where appropriate to publish work from their Masters research during candidature. However, the preparation of publications should not impede progress on the thesis, which must remain the candidate's and supervisor's priority.

While work from the thesis may have been published prior to submission, the thesis must be presented, in both form and content, as a unified whole, and be prepared specifically for submission for examination for the degree. A candidate may not include the actual publications such as reprints or journal articles in their published form as part of the body of the thesis.

Material that has been published may be included, for example as chapters of the thesis, provided that it is suitably acknowledged in the text and the Preface. Actual publications, such as reprints of journal articles, published creative writing and catalogues and documentation of public performances or exhibited work, may be included in an appropriate form in the appendix, including for example a DVD, CD or URL addresses.

Work carried out in collaboration with others, and the nature and proportion of the contribution of others, must be clearly indicated in the preface and in general terms the portions of the work that the candidate claims as original.

Where multi-author published material is included in the thesis, the candidate must prepare a statement explaining the contributions of all involved. The statement must be signed by all authors and be included with the Submission of Thesis form.

Note: The above advice is subject to any obligations or contractual agreements with a third party that may encumber the publication of a candidate's research but not the inclusion of such work in the candidate's thesis.

Format of the thesis

International Standard Paper Size A4 (297 x 210mm) should be used. The typing should be 1.5 spaced and presented in a clear and legible font and would normally be expected to be double-sided. Left and right margins should be no less than 30mm and page numbers should appear inside the margins. Pages should be numbered consecutively and clearly. Folding diagrams or charts should be arranged so as to open to the top and right.

Before producing final copies of a thesis for submission, the candidate should ensure that all the spelling, grammar, punctuation and choice of language are correct and the bibliography is complete and exact.

In the case of creative arts disciplines the thesis may take the form of creative work plus dissertation. The creative work may take the form of performance, exhibition, writing (poetry, fiction, script or other written literary forms), design, film, video, multimedia, CD, DVD or other new media technologies and modes of presentation. Where appropriate to the study, the creative work must be comprehensively documented. Either the documentation or the creative work or both must be submitted with the dissertation.

The dissertation and the creative work should be considered as complementary, mutually reinforcing parts of a single project. The candidate may argue, however, that the relationship between the two parts contributes to the originality and creativity of the whole. The dissertation should not simply describe the creative work and how it was undertaken. While it will often include information on the materials and methodology used and elucidate the creative work and place it in an artistic, intellectual and/ or cultural context, the dissertation must answer to the requirement of every Masters research thesis that it makes an independent contribution to existing scholarship in the area of research.

The format of the creative work component of the thesis will be agreed between the candidate and supervisor, and be approved by the Head of Department. The format of the dissertation component will normally meet the guidelines for a written thesis set out above.

Where the creative work component involves performance (dance, drama, music), a good quality recording of the performance must be included as part of the thesis. Where the creative work component involves exhibited visual art works, good quality photographic reproductions of the work must be included as an appendix to the dissertation.

Order of contents

A thesis follows the following order:

Title page

A thesis must be preceded by a title page. The University logo is not permitted to be used in the thesis. The title page of the thesis should show:

   "Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters by Research"

Example of title page:

Title of the thesis
Full name of the author
Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements
of the degree of Masters by Research (by Thesis Only)
Month Year
Department or Faculty/Graduate School
The University of Melbourne

Candidates who have submitted a thesis consisting of creative work and a dissertation shall state: "Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters by Research (by creative work and dissertation)".

Candidates who have pursued a course of study with coursework component shall state: "Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Masters by Research (with coursework component))".

Abstract

The title page must be followed by:

Declaration

The following Declaration, signed by the student:

This is to certify that
(i)  the thesis comprises only my original work towards the Masters except where indicated in the Preface*,
(ii) due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used,
(iii) the thesis is (Include word limit here) words In length, Inclusive of footnotes, but exclusive of tables, maps, bibliographies and appendices or the thesis is [number of words] as approved by the Graduate School, Faculty or RHD Committee.

Preface*

*If applicable, a Preface includes where appropriate, a statement of:

Thesis preparation and binding

Theses should normally be bound using thermal binding. Thermal binding must be used with covers strong enough to resist damage by bending or knocking. Twin-ring, spring-back and spiral binders are not acceptable, as theses bound in these ways frequently do not survive travel through the post. Thermal binding should not exceed 300 pages (absolute maximum thickness of 35mm per copy).
Thermal binding is available from the University's Copy Centre, tel: 8344 6832, Graduate Student Association's Print Room, tel: 8344 8326, or Officeworks, tel: 1300 734 154.

If there are photographs or charts which need to be included in the thesis, facilities are available for colour laser printing and photocopying, and a scanner is available at Graduate Student Association.

Notice of intention to submit thesis (80-word summary)

Masters candidates are required to submit an 80-word summary of the thesis argument approximately three months prior to the expected thesis submission. The summary should include the candidate's name; student number; current address; degree; thesis title; department; supervisor/s. On receipt of the 80-word summary a Masters Thesis Submission Form will be sent to the candidate, which must be submitted with the thesis. Candidates are required to discuss the time-frame for thesis submission with their supervisor prior to submitting an 80-word summary.

Candidates who will be examined by the Melbourne School of Graduate Research should submit their 80-word summary via the MSGR online form. All other candidates should submit their 80-word summary to the Faculty or Graduate School.

The summary activates the process of nominating potential examiners for the thesis. Candidates are not informed of the names of persons nominated as possible examiners, but are permitted to name individuals whom they do not wish appointed as examiners. Candidates who wish to name individuals whom they do not wish to act as their examiners should provide a written statement to their Head of Department at the time of submission of their 80-word summary.

In the case of creative arts disciplines where a thesis consists of creative works and a dissertation, and where the creative work component includes performance or exhibition of visual art works, candidates are additionally required to submit an extended abstract of 500–1,500 words to the Chairperson of Examiners for forwarding to the examiners one week prior to the viewing, unless the dissertation is submitted around the same time as the viewing.

For candidates who will be examined by the Melbourne School of Graduate Research, if more than 3 months lapses between submission of the 80-word summary and the thesis for examination, it is recommended that you notify MSGR two weeks before the thesis is to be submitted to avoid delays with the examination. You can notify MSGR at: msgr-exams@unimelb.edu.au.

Thesis submission

Three copies of the thesis must be submitted to MSGR or to the appropriate Faculty or Graduate School, with the candidate's name clearly marked on the spine, family name in capitals. Two copies will be sent to the examiners and one will be retained for the Chairperson of Examiners.

In the case of creative arts disciplines where a thesis consists of creative works and a dissertation, and where the creative work component includes performance or exhibition of visual art works, four copies must be submitted within six months from the time of the viewing. Any additional documentation, eg. video of the performance, must be supplied to the examiners with the dissertation.
On receipt of an approved Submission of Thesis form two copies will be sent to the examiners and one will be retained for the reference of the Chairperson of Examiners. Candidates are strongly advised to retain a further copy of the thesis for their own use during the examination.

Final form of the thesis

On completion of the examination two copies of the thesis in permanent hard cover binding, incorporating any necessary amendments or revisions, must be submitted to the Chairperson of Examiners to be approved. Candidates who commenced from January 2007 are also required to submit an electronic copy of the thesis on the University of Melbourne ePrints Repository (UMER). Addenda of any length are not accepted. One permanent bound copy must be printed on archival quality paper (paper should be approximately 80–100gsm) available from the University Bookshop or stationery suppliers. The words "Produced on archival quality paper" should be printed on the title page of this copy. The University logo is not permitted to be used in the thesis.
The following must be printed on the spine of the thesis:
full name of the author,
title of the thesis (abbreviated if necessary),
degree (i.e. Masters), and
year of initial submission, or in the case of rewrites, the year of resubmission
There are no colour restrictions for the thesis cover. The archival quality copy is for the Baillieu Library and the second copy for the Department Library.

Making your thesis available on the University of Melbourne ePrints Repository (UMER)

University Statute 12.5 mandates that a digital copy of a completed higher degree thesis must be submitted to the Library.  This applies to candidates who commenced from 2007.  The thesis must be received by the Library prior to award of the degree.  All candidates who commenced prior to 2007 are encouraged to submit a digital copy but it is not mandatory.

The University of Melbourne Library maintains an institutional repository (UMER) that is able to receive and store these digital copies. Theses submitted can be made available for open access and they can also be restricted so that only the citation and metadata will be made available for open access.  In some cases access may be restricted to theses if there are any concerns about ownership of intellectual property and copyright.  Candidates are required to discuss with their supervisor any Intellectual Property implications prior to lodging their thesis on-line.  For further information about copyright see http://www.unimelb.edu.au/copyright/eprint.html.

When the thesis has been deposited by the candidate using the online deposit form, the Library notifies MSGR that the digital copy of the thesis has been received so that the award can be made. The thesis is not made available for open access at this point. The citation and metadata only would be available on open access.

Although it is mandatory to submit a digital copy of a thesis to the repository, candidates may choose to publish their thesis online (available to the world) or allow only the citation and abstract to be available. If the candidate agrees to allow the full text of their thesis to be made available, the necessary permissions for third party copyright material and clearance from the supervisor must be dealt with. For further information visit the Copyright Office website or contact the Copyright Office.

If the candidate has chosen open access, the Library will contact the supervisor or Head of Department for ‘clearance’ before making the thesis available. If an objection is received, the Library will alert MSGR that there is a potential problem.  MSGR will facilitate resolution of the situation and notify the Library when the matter is resolved.  If the candidate disagrees with the restriction placed on the thesis, they can appeal through the University Grievance Procedures.

MSGR notifies the Library about the resolution of the issue. Depending upon this decision, the thesis is either made available for open access in its entirety, or only the citation and metadata are displayed.  An embargo will apply if the candidate has selected open access but the supervisor has requested that the full text not be made available for a specific period of time however, this cannot exceed 7 years.

There are advantages to storage in the institutional repository. As far as is practicable, UMER assumes responsibility for preservation of the document in digital format. Theses made available for open access may receive greater exposure from an international community of scholars. UMER uses software which is searchable by 'scholarly' search engines such as Google Scholar, Arc, my.Oai and OAISter. All theses loaded onto the open access area of the Repository will be automatically transferred to the Australasian Digital Theses Program site.  This raises the profile of the scholar and also raises the profile of the University.  However it is important to respect the intellectual property rights of any collaborators involved in the project.

There are clear instructions to guide the uploading process on the Repository available at:  http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/eprints/
Information about Australasian Digital Theses Program: http://adt.caul.edu.au/

Manuals on the presentation of theses

Library services, resources and contacts for graduates
http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/postgrad/index.html

The University of Melbourne library collection contains a variety of publications on the writing of theses. There are also numerous information guides written by Information Librarians which can be accessed online at: http://dydo.infodiv.unimelb.edu.au/index.php?

Research help
http://www.lib.unimelb.edu.au/sg/tools.html

Thesis Writing Guide and Writing a thesis some basic advice are available from the Graduate Student Association or on the web at: http://www.gsa.unimelb.edu.au/publications/index.shtml

An A4 list of bookbinders is available from MSGR or Graduate Student Association.

How to Write a Better Thesis (2nd ed) by David Evans and Paul Gruba, is available from various University of Melbourne Libraries.

Candidates may also access completed theses available from the University of Melbourne Library and sometimes their own Department or Faculty/Graduate School. University of Melbourne Library information at: http://www.library.unimelb.edu.au

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