Preparation of Theses

NB this text is not the official repository. For any purposes where it may be important, you should consult the current college handbook.

Length of Theses

The length of a doctoral thesis normally should not exceed 100,000 words of text and that of a masters research thesis 75,000 words.

Preparation and Submission of Project Reports and Theses for Higher Degrees

1.
- (1) Every candidate for the degree of Master or Doctor in which a report on a project or a thesis is required shall submit the required copies of the project report or thesis in accordance with the Schedule below.
- (2) All copies shall contain:
  - (a) a short abstract comprising no more than 350 words. The abstract shall indicate:
    - -the problem investigated;
    - -the procedures followed;
    - -the general results obtained;
    - -the major conclusions reached;
    but shall not contain any illustrative matter, such as tables, graphs or charts.
  - (b) the following statement signed by the candidate:
    'I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement is made in the text.'
  - (c) a data sheet containing a declaration relating to the disposition of the project report or thesis in accordance with the University's Policy with respect to the Use of Project Reports and Higher Degree Theses (see below) and a short abstract of not more than 350 words for provision to Dissertations Abstract International and other relevant databases.
2.
- (1 ) All copies shall be in either 1 1/2 or double-spaced typescript. The paper used shall be of good quality and sufficiently opaque for normal reading and microfilming/microfiching purposes. Type size shall be not less than 12-point (and 10-point for footnotes) in a legible, preferably sanserif font.
- (2) The size of the paper shall approximate International Standards Organization paper size A4 (297 mm x 210 mm) or the size commonly called quarto except for illustrative material such as drawings, maps and printouts, on which no restriction is placed.
- (3) The margins on each sheet shall be not less than 40 mm on the left-hand side, 20 mm on the right-hand side, 30 mm at the top and 20 mm at the bottom.
- (4) There shall be a title sheet showing the title, author's name, degree and year of submission.
- (5) Pages or leaves shall be numbered consecutively.
- (6) Unless otherwise specifically permitted by the supervisor, diagrams, charts, etc shall be included, where possible with the text, otherwise they must be clearly referred to in the text, numbered and folded for insertion in a pocket on the back cover of the theses binding. All loose material shall be marked with the candidate's name, initials, and degree for which for work is submitted in such a way that it can readily be linked with the project or thesis. Folded diagrams or charts included in the text shall be arranged so as to open out to the top and left. Photographic prints shall be securely fixed. They shall either be printed on single weight printing paper, preferably not glazed, or mounted on cartridge paper for binding.
- (7) Where permission has been obtained for the separate binding of drawings they shall be of International Standards Organization paper size A1 (841 mm x 594 mm) and shall have a margin at least 40 mm on the left-hand side to permit binding. They shall be bound together by a row of clips on the left-hand side and shall have a clear sheet of drawing paper on top and underneath. On the top sheet shall be printed the words "The University of New South Wales -- ...... of ....... degree" and a description of the project or thesis, and underneath that, the year of submission. On the bottom right-hand corner should be printed the name of the candidate. Drawings may be originals on cartridge paper or black and white prints. They should be suitably coloured where appropriate and extra work may be added in ink to original drawings.
- (8) Any variation to the requirements (1-7) shall be approved by the supervisor in consultation with the Registrar and the University Librarian.
3.
- (1) One copy of every thesis submitted to the Postgraduate Office is for deposit in the University Library. The Library deposit copy shall be presented in a permanent and legible form in original typescript, printed copy, laser printed copy, computer printed copy of letter quality using a new carbon ribbon or good photocopy of one of these. Faded, dirty or faint copies are not acceptable.
- (2) The copies shall be bound in accordance with (3) below to allow their transmission to examiners without the possibility of their disarrangement.
- (3) Prior to the award of the degree the candidate shall ensure that the Library deposit copy is bound in boards, covered with buckram. The bound volume shall be lettered on the spine as follows:
  - (a) At the bottom and across - UNSW, or if the volume is too thin for this - U followed by NSW on two lines (see the handbook for details - this can't be adequately represented in HTML).
  - (b) 70 mm from the bottom and across, with the degree and year of submission of the thesis, for example - MSc followed by 1987 on two lines (see the handbook for details - this can't be adequately represented in HTML).
  - (c) Evenly spaced between the statement of the degree and year and the top of the spine the name of the author, initials first and then the surname, reading upwards in one line.
  No further lettering or any decoration is required on the spine or anywhere on the binding. In the binding of theses or project reports which include mounted photographs, folded graphs etc., leaves at the spine shall be packed to ensure even thickness of the volume. The Library copy shall be bound by one of a panel of approved bookbinders, each of whom is aware of the University's requirements. Names of approved bookbinders may be secured from the Postgraduate Office.

Schedule

1. Degrees and course codes for which candidates are required to submit 4 copies of a thesis to the Postgraduate Office:
- Doctor of Philosophy; 1000 - 1990
2. Degrees and course codes for which candidates are required to submit 3 copies of a thesis to the Postgraduate office:
- Master of Arts at honours level-by thesis; 2271-2401
- Master of Science-by thesis; 2041-2931
- Master of Engineering-by thesis; 2651-2691
3. Degrees and course codes for which candidates may be required to submit 2 copies of a research project, project report or sub-thesis to a Head of School (- any variation to this requirement will be advised by Head of School):
- Master of Arts (Pass); 8171
- Master of Defence Studies; 9900
- Master of Engineering Science - by 36 credit point project; 8557-8558
- Master of Information Science - by 36 credit point project; 8556
- Master of Management Studies; 8396

Note: This schedule may be varied from time to time as the University adds new courses, deletes old ones or amends the conditions of existing degrees.

Policy with respect to the Use of Higher Degree Project Reports, Research Projects and Theses

The University holds that a project report or thesis submitted for a higher degree and retained in the Library should be retained not only for record purposes but also, within copyright privileges of the author, should be public property and accessible for consultation at the discretion of the Librarian.

In order to ascertain the wishes of candidates for a higher degree regarding the use to which their project report or thesis may be put, they are required to complete a disposition form (obtainable from the Postgraduate office). Candidates wishing, or requiring for reasons of sensitivity, to restrict the accessibility of a project report, research project or thesis will need to apply in writing to the Registrar at UNSW for permission.

Email: gradstud@cs.adfa.edu.au

19/11/1996