Preparing Your Dissertation
2.1 The advice of the supervisor(s)
Candidates are solely responsible for the decision to submit their work for examination, but advice should be sought from their supervisory team before submission. Candidates are strongly recommended not to submit against the advice of their supervisory team, although they reserve the right to do so, provided that the standard period of study for the degree has been reached and the maximum period of registration has not been exceeded. Candidates should make available to their supervisory team, within an agreed timescale, the whole of the draft thesis for comment prior to submission. A candidate should not think that the award of a degree is guaranteed on the basis that a supervisor has indicated general approval for the thesis to be submitted.
1.2 Content and style of Thesis
A supervisor will read and comment on the whole of the draft thesis prior to submission, provided that it is submitted within a reasonable time. Candidates will receive advice from a member of the supervisory team on matters such as clarity and style, as well as academic content. At this stage, the relationship between supervisor and candidate is essentially one of academic equals in the particular research area concerned and the advice of the supervisor(s) is advisory only.
1.3 Format of the Thesis
The thesis should be submitted to the Research Degree Submission Moodle site (see section 3.1) in electronic format as a PDF document, in accordance with the following requirements. Examiners will also be given the option of receiving a soft bound copy in place of, or in addition to, the electronic version. Once the examiners have been appointed, candidates will be notified by Registry as to whether any soft bound copies of the thesis will be required1.
1.4 Page Size
A4 page size must be used.
1.5 Text
The thesis must be written in English2. Theses must be presented with the main body of the work in a clear, standard font of 11pt to 12pt size (title pages and headings may be done in a larger font). The text must be clear and easily readable both in print form and when converted to PDF. Candidates should consult with their supervisor regarding any text or font conventions normally used in a particular discipline. Fonts that are in upper case only or in which some letters are non-standard are not acceptable for use in a thesis text.
- See section 2.22 for the binding requirements of a soft bound thesis.
- With the exception of research degrees in the modern languages where, in certain circumstances approved by the RDEP, a thesis may be submitted in a language other than English.
1.6 Lay-out
All margins (left, right, top and bottom) must be not less than 20mm. Text must be in double spacing or one and a half line spacing. Single spacing may only be used for indented quotations and footnotes.
1.7 Pagination
Pages of text and appendices must be numbered consecutively throughout the thesis, including photographs and/or diagrams where possible. Page numbers must appear on each page, preferably at the center of the top of the page.
1.8 Presentation of the title page
The title page must give the following information (an example is available here:
https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/media/content-assets/registry/research-degrees/ysj-page/Sample-Title-Pages.docx):
- The full title of the thesis (and sub-title if any), as held in the University’s student records system and submitted on the Application for Assessment;
- The candidate’s full name, as held in the University’s student records system, including any and all middle names3;
- ‘Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of’ with the name of the relevant degree added in full afterwards;
- ‘York St John University’ followed by either:
- the name of the School in which the candidate is supervised; or
- if the candidate received formal supervision in two Schools (one of which was the parent School) the names of both Schools may be included.
- The month and year of submission for examination4;
1.9 Second Page (Intellectual Property and Publication Statements)
The second page of the thesis should give the following information (an example is
available here: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/media/content-assets/registry/research-degrees/ysj-page/Sample-Title-Pages.docx:
- One of the following statements: either
The presentation of the candidate’s name in the University records is normally expected to correspond with that shown in their passport or other legal documentation. Please see section 2.16 for further advice.
4 Both the thesis submitted for examination and the final thesis must show the month and year that the work was originally submitted for examination (and not the date the final, amended copies are submitted).
- If there are no jointly authored publications from the thesis: ‘The candidate confirms that the work submitted is their own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others.’ Or
- If there are jointly authored publications which have been used in the thesis: ‘The candidate confirms that the work submitted is their own, except where work which has formed part of jointly authored publications has been included. The contribution of the candidate and the other authors to this work has been explicitly indicated below. The candidate confirms that appropriate credit has been given within the thesis where reference has been made to the work of others.’
The candidate must then also include on this page of the thesis: (a) details of which chapters are based on work from jointly authored publications; (b) details of the publications which have been used (e.g. title, names of authors, dates, journals etc.); (c) details of the work contained within these publications which is directly attributable to the candidate; and (d) details of the contributions of the other authors to the work.
- A statement as follows: ‘This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material. Any reuse must comply with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and any licence under which this copy is released’’5;
- © <Year of Submission for examination> ‘York St John University and’ <the candidate’s full name>;
- Optional – Assertion of moral rights. If a candidate wishes to assert their moral right to be identified as the author of the work the following should also be inserted:
‘The right of <candidate’s full name> to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by <him/her> in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.’
1.10 Acknowledgements page
This page should contain any acknowledgements to those who have assisted with the candidate’s work. Where the candidate has worked as part of a team a specific statement should be included as follows: ‘This research has been carried out by a team which has included (name the individuals). My own contributions, fully and explicitly indicated in the thesis, have been……(please specify). The other members of the group and their contributions have been as follows: (please specify).’
1.11 Abstract
- For further information see the IPR Policy at: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/add/research/documents-policies-and-forms-/
An abstract of the thesis of no more than 300 words should be included immediately after the ‘Acknowledgements page’.
1.12 Table of Contents and Lists of Tables and Illustrative Material
The table of contents should immediately follow the abstract. It should list in sequence, with page numbers, all relevant subdivisions of the thesis, including the titles of chapters, sections and subsections, as appropriate; the list of references, the bibliography; the list of abbreviations and other functional parts of the thesis; any appendices; the index (if provided).
1.13 Abbreviations
Where abbreviations are used, a key must be provided.
1.14 Referencing Styles
An established referencing standard must be used in the thesis (examples include Harvard or Numeric or other recognised referencing style used within a discipline). It is important that the candidate is familiar with the referencing conventions used in the subject area and that they seek further advice from the supervisor or School Research Lead on employing the correct academic conventions for referencing and citing work within the discipline. Further information is available from the Information Learning Services website: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/ils/researchers/ or the Academic Liaison Librarians: https://www.yorksj.ac.uk/ils/services-for-you/staff/academic-liaison/.
1.15 Illustrative Material, Drawings, Maps, Photographs etc.
Illustrative matter should have a margins of at least 20mm and, wherever practicable, appear in the thesis near the appropriate text. Photo-reduced tables and charts may be included in the thesis provided that the photo-reduced copies are of good quality and in a form consistent with the need for clarity and legibility.
1.16 Presentation of candidate’s name on the thesis
The candidate must register with the University using their legal name (i.e. the name shown in their passport or other legal documentation) and this registered name must be used in the thesis. The candidate’s name must be presented in full on the title page, including any and all middle names which are held in the University’s student records system. If the candidate wishes to change their name from that used when they first registered with the University they must complete a Change of Name form and send it to Registry along with supporting evidence that the new name is valid. Such evidence includes a birth or marriage certificate, deed poll, etc. International students must bring their passports to verify a change of name.
1.17 Inclusion of Supplementary Material with the thesis
Supporting supplementary material may be included along with the thesis submission for examination. This should be used in exceptional circumstances only, where it is
considered that it may be important for examiners to have access to supporting material. Material should not be provided as supplementary data or information if it is essential reading for the examiner in order for them to reach a considered evaluation of the work.
Where it is necessary to include supplementary data or information alongside the thesis, the relevant section of the Application for Assessment form will need to be completed at the time of entry for examination. In such cases, the candidate will be required to confirm that there is no requirement for the examiners to refer to the supplementary material, and the thesis will stand alone and be intelligible and examinable without that material. The supplementary material should be submitted electronically to Registry alongside the Thesis.
1.18 Practice-led research degree submissions
Candidates registered for a practice-led research degree must also consult the University’s practice-led section of the Code of Practice for Research Degrees. Appendix A of that Code of Practice sets out specific information relating to the submission and assessment of practice-led research degrees and includes details on the assessment of any live practice and the recording and format of that practice.
1.19 Use of solely or jointly-authored publications within a thesis submission
The University encourages all candidates to publish their work and disseminate their results, either before or after submission of a thesis, and with that in mind, has published Guidance on the use of solely or jointly-authored publications within a thesis (which has been carried out during the course of the candidature). The guidance provides candidates with further information on identifying the contribution of others to the work contained within the thesis. This is especially important when chapters might have been based on jointly authored publications as the examiners will need to be able to clearly identify the work directly attributable to the candidate. This will allow examiners to determine whether there is an original contribution by the candidate and whether this contribution is at the appropriate level to merit the award of the degree.
Where work, which has formed part of a solely or jointly authored publication, is to be included within a thesis candidates must declare their intention to use this work on the appropriate section of the Application for Assessment form. Candidates are required to confirm which chapters of the thesis will include work which has been published in solely or jointly authored publications with details of the publications (e.g. title, authors, publication etc.). In the case of work from jointly authored publications candidates must provide an outline of their contribution to the paper and that of the other authors to the work. The signatures of all of the other authors to the paper are required to confirm the information supplied. These will be scanned and included with the paperwork sent to the examiners with the thesis.
If work has been used in the thesis which has been published in a solely or jointly authored publication then the candidate must also provide an electronic and hard
copy of the publications alongside the copies of the thesis submitted for examination6.
1.20 Length of Thesis
During the examination of the thesis the examiners will be considering both the quality and value of the work and the way in which the candidate has chosen to present their review, results, arguments and conclusions. The candidate’s ability to express their findings in a clear and concise manner will be under examination and excessive length or too discursive a style will be judged a weakness. The supervisor is best placed to advise on the desirable length and form of the submission within the University’s limits.
The University expects that theses will normally not exceed the following maximum lengths7:
Degree | Minimum thesis length | Maximum thesis length |
MA and MSc | N/A | 30,000 words (100 pages) |
MA Practice-led | 5,000 words (15 pages) | 10,000 words (30 pages) |
MPhil | N/A | 60,000 words (200 pages) |
MPhil Practice-led | 20,000 (60 pages) | 30,000 words (100 pages) |
PhD | N/A | 100,000 words (300 pages) |
PhD Practice-led | 25,000 (75 pages) | 50,000 words (150 pages) |
Please note that the above limits include all appendices and footnotes but not bibliographies/reference lists.
1.21 Extensions to the maximum length of theses
It is accepted that in some disciplines it may be necessary to exceed the stipulated limit in individual cases. If it is the candidate’s belief that they cannot avoid exceeding the above maximum length, they should talk to the supervisor and then, if necessary, the School Research Lead will seek approval from the RDEP. It is therefore in the interests of the candidate to consider the question of overall length during the initial stages of thesis preparation.
1.22 Accessibility of theses
In September 2018 new digital accessibility regulations, the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018, came into effect. The accessibility regulations are about ensuring public sector bodies, including the University, make websites and mobile apps accessible and ensuring that they
- If the appointed examiners have requested a soft bound copy of the thesis for examination purposes a loose copy of the publications will be required, otherwise one electronic copy can be provided alongside the eThesis.
- The page limits given here are an approximation based on the candidate having presented the thesis (text size, spacing) in accordance with these regulations. If the thesis is longer than the page limit but still within the word limit the candidate should provide confirmation (including the word count) to Registry at the point of submission.
can be used by as many people as possible. Accessibility means more than putting things online. It means making content and design clear and simple enough so that most people can use it without needing to adapt it, while supporting those who do need to adapt things. Following the award of a research degree the thesis will be made available online via the University’s repository and candidates are asked to ensure that their thesis has been checked for accessibility.
Candidates can find out how to make their content accessible through the online Digital Accessibility Training course.
1.23 Soft Bound Thesis (if required for the oral examination)
Examiners are given the option of receiving a soft bound thesis for examination purposes, in addition to the electronic PDF version. Candidates will be advised by Registry if they are required to provide one or more soft bound copies. Either single or double-sided text is permitted, however the University would strongly recommend that candidates consider using double-sided text to reduce the overall size of the thesis (and avoid the possible need for 2 volumes). Mixtures of single and double-sided text are not acceptable (excluding the title page).
A soft bound thesis should be submitted in accordance with the following requirements:
- Heat bound (or other similar binding method) with a black fabric strip;
- A4 size paper (of good quality and of sufficient opacity for normal reading) should be used and all text presentation, lay out, title pages, pagination, table of contents, tables, etc., should meet the regulations set out above;
- the front and back covers should be royal blue card;
- The outside of the cover should show the candidate’s initials and surname, School, degree and year of submission. This information can be printed onto a sticker/label and applied to the front cover of the thesis. No information is required on the spine of a soft bound thesis.
- Supplementary material that cannot conveniently be bound into a soft bound thesis should be included in a pocket inside the back cover.
Please note that a ring, spiral-bound or loose-leaf binder is not an acceptable form of submission.
1.24 Printing a soft-bound thesis
Soft-bound theses can be produced using the University’s in-house Print Services function accessed through the Service Desk in the Fountains Learning Centre. Requests, orders and enquiries can be emailed to printservices@yorksj.ac.uk. Candidates may choose to use an alternative binding service as long as the requirements in section 2.22 above can be met.
Candidates should provide soft-bound copies within five working days of being advised by Registry that one or more examiners have requested a soft-bound copy.
Orders may be placed with Print Services by email and candidates can ask for Registry staff to collect the copies on their behalf when ready.