Graduate Centre

Style, Format & Binding of Thesis

Postgraduate Research Degree Regulation 28 stipulates that :

28. A thesis:

may consist partly of published work;
may consist predominantly of published work, provided that the thesis also includes material that provides coherence to the thesis as an integrated work ;
may include non-text materials, such as performances, exhibitions of works of art, musical compositions, films or videos - subject to the approval of the Director of Postgraduate Studies (after consultation with the member of the Committee whose academic area is closest to that of the thesis) and to the written component constituting the major part of the thesis;
may describe work done in conjunction with the supervisor or other persons, provided that the candidate's personal share in the investigation is clearly stated, and that this statement is certified by the supervisor;
must be written in clear and concise language and in English (unless the Director of Postgraduate Studies has given approval for it to be in another language);
must conform to scholarly standards of presentation, citation and referencing for the discipline;
must include an abstract of approximately 300 words;
must include a declaration by the candidate that it is her or his own account of the research, the extent to which the work of others has been used, and (except for a resubmitted thesis) contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any University;
must not exceed 100,000 words, excluding maps, diagrams and bibliography, unless otherwise approved by the Director of Postgraduate Studies on the recommendation of the supervisor;
must be in double-spaced typescript; and
must conform with any physical specifications approved by the Committee.

The requirements for EdD theses are similar.

Research formats vary so greatly between academic disciplines that it is impossible to prescribe a standard form of thesis that would suit all disciplines.

Different Schools have different conventions for the presentation of theses and papers in professional and scholarly journals, and these should, in general, be followed, unless there are compelling reasons for doing otherwise.

The thesis should include in the following order :-

a title page giving the title of the thesis in full, your name and degrees, a statement of presentation in the form: “This thesis is presented for the degree of Doctor/Master of Philosophy/Education of Murdoch University”, and the year of submission;
on a separate page, a signed declaration by you that it is your own account of your research, and (except in the case of a re-submission under the regulations) contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution. The recommended wording in a thesis being submitted for the first time is:
I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research and contains as its main content work which has not previously been submitted for a degree at any tertiary education institution.

....................................
(Your name)

In the case of a re-submitted thesis the wording of the declaration should be as follows :

I declare that this thesis is my own account of my research.

....................................
(Your name)

the abstract;
a table of contents;
general acknowledgments of any help given or work carried out by another person or organisation;
main text;
appendices, if any;
bibliography.

The manuscript should be as short as is consistent with a proper development of the subject. A maximum length of 100,000 words is prescribed, excluding maps, diagrams and bibliography, unless otherwise approved by the Research and Development Board on the recommendation of the supervisor.

Many theses in scientific disciplines will include sections on experimental methods and equipment. Bearing in mind those examiners who are likely to make a critical evaluation of the thesis, these descriptions should be detailed enough to give readers an accurate account of what the candidate has done. However, it is unnecessary to give a long account of established procedures or of well known items of scientific equipment.

You should consistently use a standard method of citing references. Different disciplines use different methods, and for guidance you should refer to your supervisor or to current published literature in your subject. The Library has produced a booklet in the "Know Your Library" series entitled "How to Cite References".

Care should be taken to ensure that no incorrect references, mis-spelling or typographical errors remain in the thesis. You should note that on occasions when this aspect is overlooked, severe criticism from examiners can be expected, and consequent correction may result in additional expense and significant delay.

Creative and Performing Arts

In addition to the written component, which must always constitute the major part, a thesis may incorporate other materials such as exhibitions of works of art, films, videos, performances or musical compositions. Special approval is needed from the Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee for this.

Physical Specifications of the Thesis

A thesis should be double-spaced on one or both sides of good quality white bond paper. The paper should be of international standard A4 size (30cm x 21cm). A margin of 4cm must be provided on the left hand side of the sheet for permanent binding. Other margins should be not less than 2cm. If printing on both sides of the paper marginal specifications must be mirrored accordingly and the thesis must be temporarily bound in spiral binding, rather than thermal binding, for the examination process.

Restrictions on the size of paper is lifted on maps, drawings, musical scores or computer tabulations where it is impractical, inappropriate or undesirable for other reasons. Photographs or other illustrations or inserts on non-standard paper must be securely mounted so that they conform to the above page size and margin requirements. Colour photocopies in place of photographic colour prints may be incorporated in the thesis with the approval of the Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee.

Copies of the thesis can be produced either by a good quality photocopying machine or, if a large number of copies is required, by offset printing. Either method may be arranged in consultation with the University's Printery or arranged privately. The number of bound copies ultimately required is as follows:

One bound and one electronic copy for the University Library
One copy for each internal supervisor
One copy for an external supervisor where appointed
One copy for the candidate

In addition, you may, if you wish, provide copies which can be retained by your examiners (normally examiners are asked to return their copies). Should you wish to do this, you must inform the Secretary of the Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee before submitting the thesis for examination. Any copies provided for examiners will be at your own expense.

Theses copying can be done by the University Printery. Research students should deliver their theses to the printery for reproduction personally. If this is not possible, the Printery has a form for signature by the student authorising the copying to be done. This is particularly important for students who will be leaving Perth after completion of their thesis.

You should keep copies of all invoices received in association with the preparation of your thesis in order to claim reimbursement.

When your thesis is ready for examination you must submit the original unbound copy, loose in a box file, and a number of copies equal to the number of examiners (three for a PhD and two for MPhil and LLM(Research), EdD, DBA or DPsych) to:

The Research Degrees Officer,
Graduate Centre,
Level 1, Chancellery Building

It is your choice whether the copies for the examiners are bound in permanent or temporary format. Temporary binding (thermobinding or spiral binding) is acceptable, and can be inexpensively arranged by the University Library. Enquiries should be made at the Photocopy Section in the Library (9310-2145)

The Library can act as a deposit/pick up point for permanent thesis binding. Theses will be dispatched to the binder at two weekly intervals as part of the Library’s regular shipment schedule. Enquiries regarding this service should be addressed to the Document Delivery/Newspapers Service Desk, Bibliographic Services, Level 2 Annex or 9360 2113. For further information see also the Library’s web page at

http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/libinfo/serv/serialac/binding.html

Alternatively, candidates can make their own arrangements with a commercial bookbinding company. It then becomes the candidate’s own responsibility to ensure that the bookbinding company chosen has been supplied with the Library’s specifications, which are as follows:

Theses must be sewn; no stab binding, plastic binding or stapling will be approved. The spine must be properly rounded, and the joint correctly formed. The binding must be covered in buckram or good quality binding cloth, and lettered boldly in gold as follows :

Spine :

Author's surname
Year
Letters of the degree

Front Cover :

Short title (optional).

Lettering should be across the spine if possible; otherwise it should read from top to bottom.
        PhD theses are bound in Maroon (2081)
        MPhil and RMT theses are bound in Dark Blue (2004)
        EdD, DPsych, DBA and DHRM theses are bound in Dark Green (2034)

Should you wish to depart from any of the specifications outlined above you should seek advice and approval from the Library.