英语硕士论文格式要求-留学生理学硕士论文格式写作要求，GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION OF DISSERTATIONS FOR MSc DEGREE SCHEMES:
1. INTRODUCTION
It is a requirement of Cardiff University that all MSc students prepare a dissertation on a chosen topic. This should not exceed 15,000 words. The aim of the dissertation is to give each student the opportunity to pursue, in greater depth, a chosen subject or topic in the field of maritime studies, transport or logistics and operations management. The dissertation is an important component of the MSc course and provides the means of developing students’ research and analytical abilities. Each student is required to review the background of the subject, carry out a detailed study and analysis, and to reach appropriate conclusions. For those students who have practised in maritime or transport management, the dissertation provides an opportunity to develop an area of their work within an academic environment. Students should draw on their own work experience in the preparation of their dissertation.
2. CHOICE OF TOPIC
Although a dissertation may be on any topic which can be regarded as a legitimate interest of the School, it is desirable, nevertheless, that it is related to the subjects of study the student takes in Stage I of the course. It is important that each student gives considerable thought before selecting a topic which is suitable for him or her. In selecting a topic students should take into account the following:-
a) their particular interests and skills
b) possible future career development and employment opportunities
c) whether the topic is manageable within the time and other constraints imposed by the current regulations
d) that data and other published information is available
e) the approach and methodology to be used and whether the resources needed to complete the work are available (e.g. apparatus, test models etc)
It is also desirable that students select a topic for their dissertation which is of interest to members of staff who are available to act as academic advisors so that it can be best supervised.
3. PROCEDURE
Set out below is a brief description of the procedure to be followed in the preparation and submission of a dissertation:-
a) Then students will need to set about planning their dissertation as early as possible. This involves deciding on proposing/selecting a topic from the list available or formulating a problem to be investigated; finding out about literature related to the topic or problem; deciding on the method or approach to be used; determining what field studies, data collection methods etc, will be used, and weighing possibilities in terms of time, materials and texts available.
b) Each student is required to submit a DISSERTATION PROPOSAL (electronic and paper copy) to Cath Colgan in the MSc Office (room A04) by 1600 hours, 11 January 2010. The Dissertation Proposal has a word limit of 1,500 and constitutes 10% of the dissertation final mark. Students who fail to submit a proposal will forfeit 10% of their final dissertation mark
c) Students prevented by illness or other justifiable cause from meeting the deadline for the submission of the Dissertation Proposal should apply in writing for an extension to Dr Kyriaki Mitroussi. Normally extensions will only be granted to cover events outside the control of the student and of sufficient seriousness to warranty a delay in submission.
d) Students will be notified by email the name of his/her academic advisor. Students should immediately contact his/her academic advisor to discuss the topic of research and workplan.
e) Work on the preparation of the dissertation, under the guidance of the academic advisor, must begin as soon as possible after the first meeting with the academic advisor. The literature search and an outline of the likely structure and content should ideally be completed by the end of March. Students are reminded that the priority at this stage of their studies is to complete the course (Stage I), to carry out all assignments set by academic staff, and to pass the written examinations. Work on the dissertation must, at this stage, take a lower priority.
f) Subject to satisfactory performance in the written examinations (and the decision of the Board of Examiners to permit students to proceed to Stage II of their studies) students will continue with the remainder of the research work and complete the dissertation by 10 September 2010. Each student should make an appointment to see his/her academic advisor soon after the results of Stage I Examinations are known. Students should allow at least four weeks for editing, typing, proof reading of the final draft and binding prior to submission.
g) Allowances are made for changing the title and structure of the dissertation during the research work provided this is agreed by the academic advisor.
h) All students for the award of a Master’s Degree under the Alternative Regulations of Cardiff University (i.e. by taught course, examination and dissertation), are reminded that the deadline for submission of their dissertation is Friday 10 September 2010. This deadline is FINAL. NON-SUBMISSION WILL RESULT IN FAILURE unless an extension has been granted by Dr Kyriaki Mitroussi.
i) Students prevented by illness or other justifiable cause from meeting of the deadline for the submission of dissertations should apply in writing for an extension to Dr Kyriaki Mitroussi. Normally, extensions can only be granted to cover events outside the student’s control and of sufficient seriousness to warrant a delay in submission.
4. PRESENTATION
4.1 Structure of dissertation
The form of presentation of the dissertation will depend on the subject matter of the research work and the approach and methodology adopted (e.g. experimentation, field studies, desk research etc). There are, however, certain conventions to be followed in all cases. The dissertation should include the following sequence or parts:-
a) Preliminaries. A title page; acknowledgements; detailed table of contents; list of illustrations, charts, diagrams; tables etc as appropriate;
b) An abstract or summary of the work not exceeding 300 words, to be typed in single spacing on one page;
c) The text starting with an introductory chapter followed by well defined chapters divided into sections. The body of the work should contain the substantive content and should consist of chapters. The introductory chapter of the dissertation should contain a section on the aims of the thesis including a clear statement of the problem or topic to be dealt with, why it was chosen, the relevance of the problem in the field of study and a section on methodology including a brief outline of the various chapters showing their logical sequence; this section should also include the main sources of information used and any difficulties encountered in finding material and data and limitations of the work itself. This section should also include the research design and a description of the measurement techniques used. The main chapters should contain a review of related literature, that is all relevant work which has or is being carried out by other researchers in the field, and present the work actually carried out in the context of your research. This section will contain the critical or analytical content of the work including recommendations arising from the study.
d) Summary and Conclusions. At the end of the work there should be a chapter with a brief summary of the conclusions of the research and recommendations.
e) Appendices (if any), reference materials and a bibliography.
4.2 References
See the attached Information Services Leaflet ‘No 5, Citing References’ and ‘No 4, Endnote’.
Useful referencing abbreviations:
a) Ibid .– in the same place
b) Op. cit. – the work cited
c) Loc. cit. – the place cited
It is also important that students keep a record of the sources consulted using either Reference or Bibliography Cards (containing the relevant data on the publication) or Content Cards (which contain brief notes on the content written after reading the book or article). These can also be organised electronically especially when the number of references is very large.
4.3 General Bibliography
This is normally to be found at the end of the dissertation and the Harvard method should be used. Works other than those referred to in the body of the dissertation may have been of value and these should be listed alphabetically according to the authors’ names in the bibliography. In the case of more than one work by the same author, the work should be listed chronologically. References to joint work should be listed in the order indicated by the first author'’ name. Where there are two or more authors it is permissible to give the name of the first author followed by the abbreviation ‘et al’ (meaning ‘and others’).
References to anonymous articles should be entered under the name of the institution/organisation responsible for the publication (e.g. British Psychological Society). Where a reference is made to a chapter in a book which has been edited by another writer, this must be listed under the name of the chapter author, with the editor’s name included in the full reference description.
4.4 Quotations
Short quotations, under four lines of prose, should be placed in the body of the text and enclosed in quotation marks. Longer quotations must be preceded by a colon; they should be set off from the text and indented and typed in single spacing. Quotation marks should not be used.英语硕士论文格式要求-留学生理学硕士论文格式写作要求
4.5 Appendix
It is not necessary to include in full all the raw data and information that have been acquired. Where the inclusion of such material enhances the dissertation, however, it is usually preferable to list it as an appendix. The appendix /should be divided into separate sections, all of which must be listed in the table of contents. Appendices are included in the word count except any appendix which is not the student’s own work and is included for reference merely for the convenience of the reader.
4.6 Style and Presentation
The ability to communicate clearly and succinctly is one of the most valuable assets that students will take through life. Consequently, the style and presentation of a dissertation is a major element in its overall assessment. Literary style is to some extent a matter of personal taste. However, the effectiveness of a student’s writing, the orderliness of presentation and the attention to editorial detail are evident in every dissertation and can be assessed. The English used should be correct and formal. Neither abbreviations, exclamations nor colloquialisms should be used. Students should write in complete sentences and avoid personal pronouns, employing sentence constructions which tend to emphasise the subject rather than the investigator. You will need to strictly apply rules concerning such matters as spellings, punctuation, quotation marks, capitals, abbreviations and many other details which ensure that what is recorded is clear and accurate.
All copies of the dissertation, whether for the purpose of examination or for deposit in libraries, shall be presented in permanent and legible form in typescript or print and the characters employed in the main text (but not necessarily in illustrations, maps etc) shall be not less than 12pt; characters employed in all other texts, notes, footnotes, etc, shall be not less than 10pt. Typing shall be of even quality with clear black characters, and capable of photographic reproduction. Double or one-and-a-half spacing shall be used in the main text, but single spacing shall be used in the summary and in any indented quotations and footnotes. Drawings and sketches shall be in black ink; unnecessary detail should be omitted and the scale should be such that the minimum space between lines is not less than 1mm. Colour graphics for charters, diagrams etc and colour photographs may be used, but students must in all cases ensure that material is capable of being photocopied and microfilmed. Copies produced by xerographic or comparable permanent processes are acceptable. A4 paper shall be used and should be of good quality and sufficient opacity for normal reading. (See Appendix 1).
The volume should bear on the spine the surname and initials of the student, the full or abbreviated title of the dissertation, the name of the degree for which the dissertation is being submitted and the date of submission. This information should be printed along the spine in such a way as to be readable when the volume is lying flat with the front cover uppermost. If the work consists of more than one volume the spine should also bear the number of each volume.
4.7 Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as ‘deceiving or attempting to deceive the examiners by passing off as the student’s own written work the work of another writer’, and is regarded as an unfair practice in assessed work. Severe penalties may be imposed on students who are found guilty of plagiarism. In order to avoid inadvertently committing plagiarism the following shall be observed:
a) Each use of the ideas or words of another must be individually acknowledged by a footnote or reference. In addition, each work consulted must be listed in the reference list or bibliography. The mere presence of a work in the bibliography does not override the need for acknowledging each individual use of that work in a footnote or reference.
b) Any use of the exact words or another must be acknowledged by enclosing them in quotation marks and by stating their source in a footnote or reference. For example:
A derived demand exists when goods or services are demanded not for themselves but for their usefulness in producing other goods or services (1)
(1) Evans, J.J. and Marlow, P.B. 1990 Quantitative Methods in Maritime Economics. 2nd Ed. Coulsdon: Fairplay, p.50
This applies however long or short the quotation.
c) If only part of a passage from a book is being used, this should be indicated by replacing the omitted words with three dots (generally three). For example:
A derived demand exists when goods or services are demanded not for themselves but for their usefulness in producing other goods or services… it can be stated that the elasticity of demand for a factor production, or any goods or services the demand for which is derived will depend on the elasticity of demand for the goods being produced or transported (1)
(1) Evans, J.J. and Marlow, P.B. 1990 Quantitative Methods in Maritime Economics. 2nd Ed. Coulsdon: Fairplay, p.50
This applies however long or short the quotation and however long the omissions.
d) You may wish to alter the words being quoted so as to fit them into the context in which you are using the quotation or to overcome the problem that the quotation may not make sense when taken out of its context. Omitted words should be dealt with as above. Any words added should be enclosed in square brackets. For example:
A derived demand exists when goods or services are demanded not for themselves but for their usefulness in producing other goods or services… a fuller discussion of this topic [derived demand] is contained in a subsequent chapter … (1)
(1) Evans, J.J. and Marlow, P.B. 1990 Quantitative Methods in Maritime Economics. 2nd Ed. Coulsdon: Fairplay, p.50
The words in square brackets have been added so that the quotation makes sense and to avoid quoting a longer passage than necessary simply to set it in its context. The series of dots at the end indicates that the quotation has been truncated.
e) If you do not have access to the original source of a quotation but have found it quoted in the work of someone else, you should give the original source (which the author you have found should have quoted) and the reference to the work in which you found it.
If you are not using the exact words of another, but are making use of one of his ideas, this should be acknowledged in a footnote or reference referring to the author, the work, the reference if it is in a periodical, and to its page. In addition you may wish to acknowledge your source in the body of your essay in this way;
As Professor Gardner has argued, etc
or
As Professor Gardner in his work on liner conferences has argued, etc
Remember that, in either of the above two examples, you should still provide a footnote detailing where Professor Gardner’s argument may be found.
5. ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR
- To help students with respect to identifying the aims of the dissertation
- To advise students on the structure of the dissertation
- To advise students about sources of information and reference material
- Academic advisors will not normally read and correct text. It is up to the student to make sure that the final presentation is of good quality and that there are no typographical or other errors.
- Under University Regulations students are required to be present in Cardiff during the summer.
It is essential that students should seek advice in the initial stages of the dissertation. If you leave it until the middle of the summer, staff availability and lack of time to complete the task may leave you at a great disadvantage. An academic advisor cannot advise if you do not arrange a meeting. However, students are reminded that the dissertation is their own work. Academic advisors will comment on the substantive content, structure and presentation of the dissertation but are not expected to involve themselves in editing or rewriting text. It is also the student’s responsibility to ensure that the final presentation is of good quality and that there are no typographical or other errors.
6. CORRESPONDENCE WITH INDUSTRY AND OTHER EXTERNAL ORGANISATIONS
Students wishing to correspond with industry to obtain information should not under any circumstances send out a questionnaire without prior consent and approval by their academic advisor.
7. SUBMISSION
Students must submit to room A04 by 10 September 2010 one hardbound copy of the dissertation with a copy on disk. If the dissertation is going to be delayed in Binding, the submission of a softbound copy, disk and a receipt of binding is permitted. You will be required to complete a Notice of Candidature form which you will receive from A04 at the time of submission.
8. ASSESSMENT
Dissertations are examined internally before being passed to an External Examiner. When assessing the dissertation the Internal and External Examiners will take into consideration the following points:-
a) Whether a clear set of aims and objectives have been stated and an appropriate methodology adopted for the study;
b) The scope, originality and difficulty of the topic
c) The methods used to collect data and to present ideas and theories and the extent to which background material relevant to the understanding of the topic has been introduced;
d) The analytical content of the work;
e) The use of relevant arguments and opinions, the depth of understanding and critical judgement revealed in the presentation
f) The value and relevance of the conclusions drawn from the analysis, argument or results;
g) The way the dissertation has been organised and managed;
h) The use of reference and other materials and the relevance and extent of the bibliography;
i) The literacy, style and general presentation of the dissertation
英语硕士论文格式要求-留学生理学硕士论文格式写作要求9. USEFUL REFERENCES
Students may find the following publications of useful when planning and preparing their dissertation:-
Butt M. 1970. English Usage. Collins.
Murray, R. 2002. How to write a thesis. Buckingham; Philadelphia: Open University Press.
Rudestam, K.E 2001. Surviving your dissertation: a comprehensive guide to content and process. 2nd Ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.
Irving, R. 1998. No Sweat!: the indispensable guide to reports and dissertations. Institute of Management.
Glatthorn, A.A. 1998. Writing the winning dissertation: a step-by-step guide. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Corwin Press
Higgins, R. 1996/. Approaches to research: a handbook for those writing a dissertation. London: Jessica Kingsley.