Guidelines Page 2

 Dissertations and Master's Essays  |  Guidelines for the Preparation of Dissertations and Theses

Foreword

The dissertation/thesis is the culmination of the graduate degree. It represents an original critical or synthetic treatment of a subject in the student's field. It documents research formulated independently and presents its findings in a manner consistent with publications in scholarly journals or with scholarly books. The dissertation serves as a reference through the UMI (formerly University Microfilm, Inc.)Dissertation Abstracts International and through publication in whole or in part. Manuscripts not conforming to the following standards will not be accepted as partial fulfillment towards the graduate degree.

The Council of Graduate Schools offers the following definition:

The doctoral dissertation [masters thesis] should (1) reveal the student's ability to analyze, interpret, and synthesize information; (2) demonstrate the student's knowledge of the literature relating to the project or at least acknowledge prior scholarship on which the dissertation is built; (3) describe the methods and procedures used; (4) present results in a sequential and logical manner; and (5) display the student's ability to discuss fully and coherently the meaning of the results. In the sciences, the work must be described in sufficient detail to permit an independent investigator to replicate the results.

The dissertation [thesis] is the beginning of one's scholarly work, not its culmination. Dissertation research should provide students with hands-on, directed experience in the primary research methods of the discipline, and should prepare students for the type of research/scholarship that will be expected of them after they receive the Ph.D. degree.

The question of originality - In its most general sense, "original" describes research that has not been done previously or that creates new knowledge. Although a dissertation should not duplicate another researcher's or scholar's work, the topic, project, or approach taken need not be solely that of the graduate student. An adviser or other faculty member should encourage a student to explore a particular topic or project with the idea that the student himself or herself will independently develop the "thesis" of the dissertation. The student should be able to demonstrate what portion of the research or scholarship represents his or her own thinking.

The question of collaboration - In those disciplines where doctoral research efforts are typically part of a larger collaborative project, it is crucial that an individual student's contribution be precisely delineated. Whether the collaboration is between faculty or student or among students, Ph.D. candidates are expected to be able to demonstrate the uniqueness of their own contributions and to define what part of the larger work represents their own ideas and individual efforts. (The Role and Nature of the Doctoral Dissertation, Council of Graduate Schools. CGS, Washington, D.C. 1991) The student assumes the responsibility for conducting the research and the writing of the dissertation in a manner that reflects the academic integrity of the University.

 Style & Language

Students should adhere to the Guidelines for the Preparation of Dissertations and Theses. For questions of style beyond those covered by the guidelines, students should consult the style manual or style sheet approved by their department/program and appropriate to their academic discipline. Style manuals that may be suggested include the Chicago Manual of Style, the MLA Style Manual, the Council of Biology Style Manual, the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, and A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. These manuals provide answers to questions about quotations, footnotes, and other details. Once a style manual has been suggested by the department, it must be consistently followed.

The dissertation should be written in English unless another language is essential for the discipline of study.  If the latter, the Chair of the sponsoring department/program will so request the Graduate Board's approval of the use of the other language in writing at least six months in advance of the dissertation defense.  If the defense also incorporates the Graduate Board Oral examination, the letter must identify a subset of  Hopkins faculty, outside of the sponsoring department/program, qualified to evaluate the dissertation in the language to be used.  However, all abstracts must be in English whether the dissertation is written in English or has been approved for another language.

 Footnotes & Endnotes

The arrangement of footnotes or endnotes should conform to the established practice in a given field. Students may ascertain what this practice is from the department or use a standard manual of style such as A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, or the MLA Style Manual. Footnotes must be produced in a font size two point sizes smaller than the text.

 Paper

An original copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Commercial Binding Office (CBO) in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. The original must be a laser-printed copy.  Text must be consistently black without smudges or toner breaks.  A photocopy of the original laser print is not acceptable.  The paper used for the original copy must be white, have a substance weight between 20-26 pounds and be acid free, pH of 6.8 or above.  See ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Publication and Documents.  Paper will be tested for acidity before acceptance.  A sample sheet may be brought to CBO for testing or an academic library in your area may be able to perform this test for you.  You may purchase a pH testing pen from conservation supply dealers such as Gaylord (800) 448-6160 and determine the acidity yourself.

Spacing & Type

The manuscript and abstract must be double-spaced except for footnotes or long quotations.  Fonts such as Times Roman, Bookman, New Century Schoolbook, Garamond, Palatine, and Courier are acceptable and commonly found on most computers.  The same type must be used throughout the body of the text.  The font size must be 10 point or larger and footnotes must be two sizes smaller than the text but no smaller than eight (8) points.  Chapter, section, or other headings should be of a consistent font and size throughout the manuscript, as should labels for illustrations, charts, and figures.  Questions concerning acceptability of fonts, other than those previously listed, should be referred to the CBO.  Accents, symbols, and diacritical marks should be printed whenever possible.  If it is not possible to print them, they may be drawn by hand using black permanent ink as long as such marks are few.

Margins

The dissertation/thesis must have a margin of 1½ inches on the left side of the page - the binding side. The other three (3) sides of the page, top, right side and bottom, must have a one (1) inch margin. This requirement applies to all portions of text (including footnotes/endnotes), as well as to pages containing charts, graphs, tables, photographs, etc. and appendices. When landscaping page orientation for a chart or table, etc. the binding side must maintain the 1½ inch margin. For landscape, that would be at the top of the page. Pages should be planned to maintain the required margins. If charts, graphs, or illustrative materials are too large to fit within the required margins, photo reduction may be used. No letter or symbol should be less than 2 mm in size.

 Pagination

Each page in the manuscript, including all blank pages must be assigned a number. You must print on each blank page "Intended to be blank." Each page must be numbered within the margin. All numbers must be centered at the bottom of the page. For the front matter, (abstract, acknowledgments, etc.) use small Roman numerals (ii, iii, iv, etc.). The numbering begins with ii, the title page counts as i, but the number does not appear. For the remainder of the manuscript, including text, illustrations, appendices, and bibliography, use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). The numbering begins with one (1) and runs consecutively to the end of the manuscript. Do not use suffixes to the Arabic numerals, such as 12a.

If the description of an illustration or table is too long to be placed on the same page, it should be placed on the previous page and numbered accordingly. Pages containing charts, graphs, tables, or photographs must be numbered consecutively with the text.

Use only one side of each page. Place front sides up. No facing pages are permitted in dissertations, either in the text or in charts, photographs, or other nontext contents.

 Charts, Graphs, Tables, Illustrations, and Photographs

All charts, graphs, photographs, and tables must conform to the margins, font, size, and pagination rules as stated. When materials span more than one page, follow the style manual rules to denote continuation. Refer also to section above on Margins for landscape page orientation and section on Special Addenda if oversized pages cannot be legibly reduced.

Color:  Illustrations (drawings, sketches, maps, etc.) charts and graphs are best produced in microfilm when created with permanent black ink.  Cross-hatching and other varied markings can be used to distinguish categories effectively.  If the advisor agrees that the material is best represented in color, then it should be reproduced as a color laser print or on a color laser photocopier.  .

If color images of photographs are deemed necessary, then a color laser print or laser copy of the photograph is acceptable.  Keep in mind that color illustrations and photographic images will be rendered in shades of gray in the microfilm version.

When color is used, submitting an electronic format along with the paper copy is recommended. The electronic format will be used for submission to ProQuest/UMI.  The electronic form will convey the images in color.  Please see the ProQuest/UMI requirements for an electronic copy using the link on the CBO website http://www.library.jhu.edu/services/cbo/diss.html.

Special Addenda (disks, film, magnetic media, oversized material)

When a portion of the dissertation is in a format other than text on paper, the format must be approved by the CBO at the inception of the project.  The CBO will make every effort to work with students to find an appropriate means to archive and preserve the dissertation.   In all submissions, an approved form of the nonprint format should be represented in text (e.g. written programming for software design, text transcription or musical notation for voice, and/or music or script for film.)  The nonprint media should be in a standard format on standard media.  Preferred media are: software, CD-ROM; audio recordings, CD; for visual performances, 35mm, 16mm film, or DVD.  All nonprint media must be submitted in appropriate housing.  Polypropylene or jewel cases are to be used for storing these items.

If oversized materials cannot be reduced to fit within the required margins and required size (see section on margins,) then another option is to print an oversized page with a fold. Oversized charts and graphs or illustrations should be folded so that the right hand fold is 1/4 to ½ inch inside the right hand edge of the paper. The folded portion must allow an inch on the binding side to allow it to be opened.

Very large maps or charts must be placed in an acid free packet and stored in the back of the dissertation. The packet materials will be designated as "plates" within the dissertation, and all other illustrations should be referred to as "figures or tables" and so listed in an appropriate List of Tables, Figures, or Plates as appropriate. Acid-free pockets may be purchased at the CBO at cost.

 Corrections

It is the student’s responsibility to find and correct errors before submitting the work.  All corrections or changes should be made with the professional appearance of the final product in mind.  A corrected page should be substituted for any page on which an error has been found or a change required.

 Multi-volume Works

A dissertation or thesis which exceeds two (2) inches in thickness must be bound in two parts. Each part must contain a title page which designates the part number, (Pt. I, Pt. II.) The page numbering must follow consecutively from one part to another. The title page of Part II counts as a page but the number does not appear. (Note: there is an extra charge to bind additional parts.)

Title Page

Words chosen for the title should be carefully selected to represent the subject content as accurately as possible. They are frequently used as keywords when the subject is being searched. Appropriate substitutes for Greek letters, symbols, formulas, superscripts, and subscripts must be used, as these may not be included in the title of the dissertation/thesis.

The title should be written in all capital letters and centered within the left and right margins, single or double-spaced, approximately two (2) inches from the top of the page. The page should adhere to the following format:

Line 1: Title (then drop down approximately 7 spaces)

Line 2: by

Line 3: Author (drop down approximately 9 spaces)

Line 4: (Please use the following for a  Ph.D.  degree:) A dissertation submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (drop down approximately 3 spaces)

OR

Line 4: (Please use the following for a Master's degree:) A thesis submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science (or) Master of Arts (drop down approximately 3 spaces)

Line 5: Baltimore, Maryland

Line 6: Month and Year (use date submitted to M.S.E.L) (drop down approximately 11 spaces)
 
Line 7:  © 1998 John Doe  (copyright notice)

Line 8: All Rights Reserved