Thesis Guidelines: 4. Order of Thesis Content

Thesis Guidelines
4. Order of Thesis Content
All theses, no matter which structure/format you choose,

have the following components and in the following order:
• Title Page
• Abstract
• General Summary
• Acknowledgements
• Lists* (includes Tables, Figures, PLates, Abbreviations and symbols, Appendices)
• Thesis Text
• Bibliography and References
• Appendices*
• Supplementary Files*
*Note: Lists, Appendices, and Supplementary Files are not required for
all theses but are commonly included.
1/3
Detail on each component
Title Page
– contains the copyright notice and information used to identify the thesis in library
databases. The date should indicate the month and year of your anticipated graduation.
In choosing your title, keep in mind that a title is a valuable scholarly reference and will
often be the only information a prospective reader will have available. Ensure your title
describes the content of your thesis and contains searchable keywords. An example can
be found in Resources and Tools.
Abstract
– should be no more than 200 words for a Masters and 350 words for a PhD thesis.
The abstract is written for a reader familiar with your area(s) of research and must offer
readers sufficient information for them to decide if your work is relevant to them. Ensure
that you use searchable keywords.
General Summary
– has the same content as the Abstract but is written for a general audience and should
be no more than 150 words for a Masters and 350 words for a PhD thesis. Provide a
summary of your research written in clear, plain language. It should be written in non-
technical terms that can be clearly understood by readers outside of academia. The
General Summary must not be identical to the Abstract.
Acknowledgements
– please consult Section 5 of this Guide for details
Table of Contents
– a decimal system as shown in Resources and Tools should be used. Each heading and
subheading in the Table of Contents must appear and match the text of your thesis.
Lists of Tables, Figures, Plates, Abbreviations and Symbols, and Appendices

– if any or all of these lists are in your thesis, then the Lists must come after the Table of
Contents. Each List must start on a new page and use the decimal system of the Table of
Contents. Examples can be found in Resources and Tools.
2/3
Thesis Text
– the body of the Thesis Text must follow one of the three structures outlined in Section
2 (Thesis Structure and Presentation). Your thesis describes your research as a whole and
should be presented in a scholarly manner consistent with the accepted conventions of
your discipline.
Bibliography and References

– all theses require a collected, unified Bibliography or list of References (sometimes
referred to as a Works Cited) at the end of the main text (before Appendices). Bibliographic
data must be complete, clear, and exact. Format for the bibliography should be in a style
appropriate for your discipline. Section 6 (Resources and Tools) has links to Memorial
Library online citation guides. If a DOI is available, you should include that information.
Appendices
– all thesis research that requires ethics approval must include the most recent ethics
approval documentation as an Appendix. Additional appendices normally provide
information that is relevant for completeness but detracts from the readability of the
main text or presents data used in the thesis but not directly obtained by the author. For
example, lengthy tables, tabulated and reference data, detailed explanations of laboratory
procedures, and computer programs are typical appendix information. Important note:
for privacy reasons, no signed documents may be included in your thesis.
Supplementary Files
– Supplementary files may be included with your thesis and in any file format. Please
consider the audience when selecting file format, as some may require specific software to
use. Possible ways you could present digital files are: a flash drive and provide instructions
on how to access the files; or, a direct link to where the content can be found online. You
should include a description of the digital files and the relevance to your thesis work. Keep
your original files in an external repository. If required, the Request to Include Copyright
Material form should be included as a supplementary file. A recommended depository
for the permanent storage of data associated with the thesis is Memorial University’s
Research Repository.
3/3

Thesis Guidelines: 4. Order of Thesis Content

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Thesis Guidelines: 4. Order of Thesis Content

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Thesis Guidelines: 4. Order of Thesis Content

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Thesis Guidelines

4. Order of Thesis Content

All theses, no matter which structure/format you choose,

• Lists* (includes Tables, Figures, PLates, Abbreviations and symbols, Appendices)

• Bibliography and References

– please consult Section 5 of this Guide for details

Lists of Tables, Figures, Plates, Abbreviations and Symbols, and Appendices

Bibliography and References

You might also like