Format for the Proposal

Transcription

1 Format for the Proposal The thesis proposal is typically twenty to thirty double-spaced and typewritten pages in length, with one-inch margins all around. Your proposal should follow all basic format instructions set forth in this specification. The thesis proposal shall be submitted in MS WORD and use 12 or 11.5 size Times New Roman font. If notes are used, they should be in 10 size font. Each proposal must have a cover page that includes the following: Proposal for a Thesis in the Field of Sustainability and Environmental Management in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Master of Liberal Arts Degree Harvard University Extension School Date submitted Student Name Student address Student phone number Student address The above is vital so that all proposal readers can contact you. Please note that some proposal samples on the class web site do not correctly follow this format. Each proposal should include the following chapters, all starting on a new page: Tentative Title Identification of Topic Definition of Terms Background of the Topic Research Method(s) Limitations Tentative Schedule Working Bibliography 1

2 Tentative Title The first section, the tentative title, probably should be written last. A successful title will emerge only after it has been determined, often by trial and error, just what the writer hopes to accomplish. The title should be specific and clear; you may want to accompany it with a subtitle. Ideally, it should summarize the topic with efficiency and style. Avoid titles that are pretentious, vague, or wordy. Expressions such as An Investigation of are redundant and should be omitted. Titles of just one or two words, on the other hand, are too brief to indicate the scope of the topic. An overall rule is the title should be explanatory but concise when standing by itself. Use and Format of Chapter Headings and Subheadings The thesis proposal is divided into the following sections: I. Title II. Research Problem III. Definition of Terms IV. Background V. Methods VI. Limitations of Methods VII. References VIII. Appendices (if needed). The section heading, or title, should be centered and placed, with double spacing (i.e., 2 lines), and its number, which appear 1 1/2 inches down from the top of the page. A new section always begins on a new page. After the section title, quadruple spacing (i.e., 4 lines) precedes the text. The section title uses uppercase and lowercase letters, with no underlining or boldface, as in the following example: (11/2 inches from top of page) II. Title of Section (4 lines between title and text) The Definition of Terms section should have the terms expressed in bold italics to separate them from the definitions. A colon is placed after the term. You may use single spacing for the definitions with double space between the terms. This will improve the readability of this section and help the reader locate the term. 2

3 Subheadings Please read this specification carefully, as errors in subheadings are probably the most common error in the writing of the thesis proposals. Some thesis proposal sections are subdivided, and each subdivision is marked with its own heading. The headings for the major subsections, equivalents so to speak of the capital-letter divisions of an outline, are called a-heads; subsections of these rubrics (equivalent to the Arabicnumeral divisions of an outline) are called b-heads; and subsections of these (equivalent to the lower-case-letter divisions of an outline) are called c-heads: The a-heads are centered using uppercase and lowercase, with the usual double spacing (2 lines) after the heading. The b-heads, also uppercase and lowercase with double spacing below, appear flush to the left margin. (The subheading above entitled Subheadings is a b-head). If still more subordinate headings are included, the c-heads are run-on heads, beginning a paragraph. They appear in lowercase, except for the first letter, and they are followed by a period. The c-heads must be underlined in order to separate them from the rest of the paragraph. When beginning a new subsection within a Thesis Proposal section, quadruple space (i.e., leave 4 lines) before the a-head or the b-head. There is no extra spacing before the c-head, which consists simply of a few words at the start of a paragraph, underlined and followed by a period. Please note these headings are not interchangeable units; they must be used in sequence: first a- heads; then, if necessary, b-heads; and finally, c-heads. The text should be double-spaced throughout. In no instance should headings appear consecutively without interspersed text. After the section title, for example, there should be some introduction to the first a-head. And after an a-head, there should be some general introductory statements before any b-head appears. The issue here is successful transitions, which are a mark of clear and careful writing. Without such transitions, the presentation becomes an outline. Headings should not serve in place of prose transitions. A well-written text with headings should flow smoothly even without the headings, which serve simply to ease the reader s task. In some cases they may interfere with the flow. If so, ask: Is a subsection needed? If the answer is yes, use the next-lower heading and give the section a title. Do not use successive dashes, all capital letters, a row of circles, extra spacing, or some other impromptu device. If the answer is no, continue with uninterrupted text. 3

4 Use of Tables, Figures, and Other Displays In some cases tabular, graphic, and other types of displays are useful in the presentation. These should be placed as soon as conveniently possible after the first mention of the data in the text. If they are small, they may appear on the same page; if large, the next full page may be appropriate. However, if there are many tables or figures, they are sometimes presented in an appendix following the text of the thesis, if inserting them into the text would be too disruptive or distracting. If they appear on the same page with the text, quadruple space both before and after the table or figure to clearly distinguish it from the text. All tables or figures interleaved with text should be counted in the pagination, but page numbers should not be placed on pages with horizontal (i.e. landscape format) illustrations or data tables. The purpose of these displays is to amplify but not to repeat the text. The text should indicate the main points of the topic in question; further details are presented in the display. Whether a table or figure, a number, title, and legend (i.e., a description or explanatory caption) should be included. Amid the diversity of displays today, the long-time distinction between tables, which were typeset, and figures, which were not, have changed. Tables are simply textual or numerical material, while figures are graphic or pictorial. Each table or figure must be connected with a specific portion of the text in systematic fashion, and labeled with sufficient clarity to be understood independently of the text description. Tables should be numbered serially throughout the thesis proposal. Illustrations in a thesis may consist of line drawings, graphs, maps, photographs, facsimiles of manuscript pages, works of art, or other types of displays. Figures should be numbered serially throughout the thesis proposal. All displays should include a figure number, title, and legend. The legend may include the name of the institution or archive in which the displayed item is located, or the title of the book from which it was copied (cited fully in the reference list). Each page containing an illustration should be counted in the pagination. Photographs and reproductions of artifacts included in the thesis proposal should be consistent with that required for the text and should have high contrast. Care should be given that adequate space for the required 1 1/2 inch margin on the left, the 1-inch margin on the other three sides, and for the figure number, title, and legend are accommodated. Page numbers and identification of figures must be included on each page containing a digital image Other types of illustrations such as maps, manuscript pages, or floor plans should be presented or reproduced in accordance with the specifications outlined above for the use of photographs, fine arts prints, and original drawings. All such copies must have high contrast. 4

5 Typing and Format The thesis proposal must be free of mechanical errors and meticulously proofread. Often it is difficult to catch your own errors as you have worked with the written text extensively and may tend to overlook even glaring errors. Ask a friend to read through the text for you, or read it out loud. Often reading your text out loud will not only help you find errors it will point out problems with repetitious prose. You want your thesis to be readable; take the time to make it as reader-friendly as possible. Margins, Pagination All margins should be one inch (except on pages with new chapter headings or other major headings, requiring a 1 1/2-inch top margin). The right margin should not be justified. A raggedright margin is preferred. Page numbers can be centered at top or bottom, one-half inch from the edge, or placed in the upper right-hand corner, one-half inch from the right edge. Page numbers should be one inch from the edge of the paper, if centered at the top or placed in the upper right-hand corner. If placed at the bottom of the page, page numbers should occur one-half inch from the edge. It is customary to omit the page number from a page containing a new chapter heading; however, the number may be centered at the bottom of the page (one-half inch from the edge), if the student wishes to retain the page number. If using footnotes in the thesis, page numbers should be centered at the top or placed in the upper right-hand corner, rather than at the bottom of the page where they might interfere with the spacing of the footnotes. With all other major headings, the page number should be centered at the bottom of the page. The first page of the text of the thesis is always page one. Front Matter The materials preceding the text, such as the title page, and frontispiece, are collectively known as the front matter. There are precise requirements for the format and sequence of the front matter in theses. With the exception of the title page and blank page, all headings for these pages must be formatted in a consistent manner, with each occurring one and one-half inches from the top of the page, followed by quadruple spacing before the first line of text. The manuscript begins with a title page, followed by a blank page, and then the Research Problem section. These first two pages are unnumbered but counted in the pagination. If the student wishes to copyright the thesis proposal, the statement Copyright 20 Author s Name (but reproduced without quotation marks) should appear at the bottom of the blank page, item 2 in the list above. Or the word Copyright may be replaced by, followed by the date and author s name. 5

6 On the title page, which is entirely double-spaced, the title of the work appears two inches from the top, in appropriate uppercase and lowercase letters. The author s name, including initials, appears centered on the page, two and one-half inches below the title. A standard statement concerning the field of concentration appears two inches below the author s name. The name of the university appears one inch below the field of concentration with the last line, showing the date, two and one-half inches from the bottom of the page. Nothing on the title page is underlined or reproduced in boldface. Text of the Thesis The text of the thesis proposal follows these preliminaries. Each page is numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals, following the formatting explained under Margins, Pagination. Double spacing is expected throughout the manuscript, with the exception, as noted above, of the bibliography and notes. These should be single-spaced within entries and double-spaced between entries. All new paragraphs must be indented five spaces from the left margin, with no additional spacing between paragraphs. Single-spacing is acceptable in those few instances where it may improve readability, as in long, bibliographic entries, long quotations (more than four typed lines), and extensive figure captions. (The APA Publication Manual or Mastering APA Style guidebook suggests long quotations be double-spaced; but for purposes of economy this guide recommends single spacing in the ALM in Environmental Management thesis, since numerous lengthy quotations often occur.) Introduce the quotation with a sentence, typically followed by a colon; then double-space before beginning the quotation. In order to distinguish them visually from ordinary new-paragraph indentions, long quotations are indented ten spaces from the left-hand margin. Notes, headings, references, bibliographic entries, and all other mechanics must be presented in a consistent manner throughout the thesis. Students must use the APA style of citation. Students should be attentive to all of the details involved in correctly citing sources, from the arrangement of the required items of information to their proper spacing. The successful thesis proposal always shows careful attention to these details. End Matter Like the front matter, the materials at the close of the thesis proposal have a special format and sequence. Known as end matter, their headings are formatted and paginated in a manner consistent with the other major headings throughout the thesis, beginning one and one-half inches from the top of the page, with quadruple spacing after the heading. They appear in the following order and begin on separate pages: 1. endnotes 2. appendices or supplements 3. supplemental reference list 6

7 Any appendix or supplement should be prepared and formatted as a section, including a title. If there are several, they should be numbered. While the APA Publication Manual suggests completely double-spacing both notes and bibliography, we recommend that they be double-spaced between entries but single-spaced within entries. Because an ALM in Sustainability and Environmental Management thesis proposal may contain notes and an extensive list of source materials, this alternative method of formatting them will help somewhat to reduce the overall pagination of the thesis proposal. A list of references contains only those works specifically cited in the thesis proposal. The bibliography includes the foregoing but can in addition contain sources for background or further reading. The list of sources can be divided into Works Cited and Works Consulted. Further division into primary and secondary sources is also permitted, if you wish to arrange your source material into an even more detailed list. 7